Lake, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin facts for kids

The Town of Lake was once a special area in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, in the United States. It existed as a separate "town" from January 2, 1838, until April 6, 1954. Today, what was once the Town of Lake is now a neighborhood within the larger City of Milwaukee.

Quick facts for kids Lake
Former Town
Lake Location in Wisconsin
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Milwaukee
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)

Where Was the Town of Lake?

After 1840, the Town of Lake covered a large area. If you look at today's streets, it stretched from Greenfield Avenue in the north to College Avenue in the south. To the east, it touched Lake Michigan, and to the west, it reached 27th Street.

Today, this area is part of several different places. It includes the cities of St. Francis and Cudahy. It also makes up a part of the South Side of the City of Milwaukee.

How the Town of Lake Began and Changed

Early Days of the Town

The Town of Lake was officially created on January 2, 1838. At that time, the territorial government divided Milwaukee County into two main areas. Everything north of what is now Greenfield Avenue became the Town of Milwaukee. Everything south of it became the Town of Lake.

Over time, the Town of Lake became smaller. In 1839, a new area called the Town of Kinnikennick was formed from its western part. Then, in 1840, the southern part of the Town of Lake became the town of Oak Creek. By 1840, the Town of Lake had a population of 418 people.

Growing Population and New Towns

By 1855, the Town of Lake had grown quite a bit. The population reached 2,127 people. Many of these residents, about 1,308, had been born in other countries. This shows how people were moving to the area.

The town continued to change as new communities formed. In 1879, Bay View became its own village. Soon after, Milwaukee started to take over the northern parts of the Town of Lake. In 1887, Bay View also voted to join Milwaukee.

The Rise of Cudahy and St. Francis

In 1892, a businessman named Patrick Cudahy bought land in the area. He wanted to build his meatpacking business there. By 1895, this area became its own village, known as the Village of Cudahy. Later, Cudahy grew into a city and expanded south towards South Milwaukee.

In July 1951, another part of the Town of Lake decided to become its own city. This area was along Lake Michigan, just north of Cudahy and south of Milwaukee. It became the City of St. Francis. They did this to prevent Milwaukee from taking over their land and to keep money from the Lakeside Power Plant in their own community.

The End of the Town of Lake

Finally, on April 6, 1954, the remaining part of the Town of Lake officially joined the City of Milwaukee. At this point, the Town of Lake stopped existing as a separate town. This change meant that Milwaukee's population grew by about 15,000 people overnight!

Important Landmarks and Events

The Lake City Hall and Water Tower

In 1938, a special octagonal (eight-sided) tower was built. This project was part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" program, which created public works during a tough economic time. The tower was designed to be the Lake City Hall, where the town's government offices were. It also served as a water tower.

This building has cool Art Deco designs. You can see straight lines on its front, shell-like shapes above the entrance, and zigzag patterns on the stair railings. The water tank inside was later no longer needed. In 2001, the building was updated to be used only as office space.

The Howard Avenue Water Plant

In 1993, the Howard Avenue Water Purification Plant was involved in a big event. It was the source of the Milwaukee Cryptosporidium outbreak. This was a situation where many people got sick from contaminated water. It became the largest known waterborne illness outbreak in United States history.

Images for kids

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  The former Town of Lake Water Tower, built in 1938.