Milwaukee Streets: The Stories Behind Their Names (Wisconsin) [Paperback]

Carl Baehr (Author), Ellen Baehr (Author)

Book Description

Series: Wisconsin | Publication Date: September 1994

An alphabetic listing of Milwaukee's 800 streets and the reasons for their names.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An indispensable local reference book, thoroughly researched and filled with fascinating facts. -- Milwaukee Magazine, Jan, 1995

Baehr has produced a model text for those who compile streetname dictionaries. -- American Name Society, June 1995

Full of historical tidbits. -- The Milwaukee Sentinel, Feb 17, 1995

Good tales about many of the city's 800-plus named streets. -- The Onion, Dec 6-13, 1994

Half the fun of this book is looking up the street you live on, grew up on, or drive along -- CNI Newspapers, Nov 17, 1994

The format is attractive, the print is large, and there are many illustrations, neighborhood maps, and an index. This is a handsome publication. -- Milwaukee County Historical Society Newsletter, Jan 1995

The history in "Milwaukee Streets" is colorful. -- The Business Journal, Nov 12, 1994

Unique and witty. -- City Edition, Dec 15, 1994

From the Back Cover

Milwaukee's eight hundred street names offer fascinating glimpses into the city's rich heritage; from French fur traders to Yankee speculators, from wealthy German tycoons of the Gay Nineties to African American leaders of the 20th century.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 317 pages
• Publisher: Cream City Press (September 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964020440
• ISBN-13: 978-0964020443
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,962,093 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fairy Chasm Road, May 3, 2000

By 

M. S. Fischer "R. I. Barnica" (Racine, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Milwaukee Streets: The Stories Behind Their Names (Wisconsin) (Paperback)

For anyone who has ever wondered how it could ever have been named Fairy Chasm Road, or who Plankinton was, this is the book for you. Lots and lots of local history tidbits. And unlike some books of this type, it isn't afraid to say, "Gee, we just don't know why its named that. But here are a few theories." Definitely a must own for the Milwaukee history buff.

5.0 out of 5 stars Milwaukee streets, December 26, 2009

By 

Buds books "Bud" (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Milwaukee Streets: The Stories Behind Their Names (Wisconsin) (Paperback)

This book is really informative. I first started out looking for the streets I lived on, now I am indeed having a good time reading about all the streets.

5.0 out of 5 stars Mysteries solved, curiosities cleared up!, March 13, 2006

By 

J. Matzke - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Milwaukee Streets: The Stories Behind Their Names (Wisconsin) (Paperback)

What a great book! The author has researched and researched some more, until many of Milwaukee's street name puzzles that we may have wondered about but had no thought of how to find the answers ourselves have been found out. Almost as rewarding as being able to say "So THAT'S where that comes from!" is reading the book's Introduction - simply having all the answers means little without being able to share how the many discoveries came to light.
Additional pluses include finding out how the Upper Peninsula came to be the domain of the state of Michigan - through the disclosure of the source of a Milwaukee street name - and learning the general modes employed all over the world for naming streets.
A fine read for area denizens interested in the various "whys" and "hows" of Milwaukee history.