Menomonee Valley facts for kids
The Menomonee Valley is a U-shaped area of land along the Menomonee River in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's also called the Menomonee River Valley. This valley was a great spot for shipping and factories because it was easy to reach Lake Michigan and other waterways. Because of this, it used to have many stockyards (places where animals are kept before being processed), processing plants, and other heavy industries. Sadly, it was also a big source of water pollution for the river.
Giant glaciers formed the Menomonee Valley over 10,000 years ago. When the glaciers melted and moved back, they carved out this valley, which is about four miles (6 km) long and half a mile wide. Today, the valley stretches from the 6th Street Viaduct near where the river meets another, all the way to Miller Park stadium in the west. The valley actually divides Milwaukee, so you can only cross it using a few viaducts (large bridges).
Historically, the valley was seen as a social and racial dividing line in Milwaukee. The south side was mostly white, and the north side was mostly Black. In the 1960s, a leader named Father James Groppi led protests against segregation and marched across the valley to fight for fair housing. The 16th Street Viaduct was later renamed in his honor.
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History of the Menomonee Valley
Who Lived Here First?
Long ago, the marshy lands along the river were full of wild rice. The Menominee Indians, who named the river for its "good seed," used these wetlands for food and travel. Archaeologists have found signs of many old settlements along the valley's edges. By the 1800s, the Potawatomi people were the main residents here.
The first European to explore this area was a missionary named Jacques Marquette. Other French-Canadian fur traders arrived in the late 1600s. The first permanent trading post was set up by Jacques Vieau in 1795. He built his cabin on a bluff overlooking the valley. Later, Solomon Juneau joined him in 1818. Juneau started one of the three settlements that eventually became the City of Milwaukee.
How Industry Changed the Valley
The valley changed a lot when industries like flour mills, meat packing plants, breweries, railways, and tanneries moved in. The marshlands were drained, and parts of the Kinnickinnic and Milwaukee Rivers were dug deeper. In 1869, people started to dig canals to make the Menomonee River easier for ships to use. Some of these canals, like Kneeland's Canal and Menomonee Canal, have since been filled in.
A huge amount of dirt and rock was used to fill in the valley floor, raising it by about 22 feet (6.7 m). The steep sides of the valley were also made less steep, and more train tracks were added. By the early 1900s, the natural marshlands with their wild rice and birds were almost completely gone.
The first large bridge, called a viaduct, was finished in 1878 at 6th Street. It was replaced twice, with the newest one built in 2002. Other viaducts followed, including the 16th Street Viaduct (1895), the 27th Street Viaduct (1910), and the 35th Street Viaduct (1933).
By 1879, meat packing became Milwaukee's most important industry. The Menomonee Valley was key for companies like those owned by John Plankinton, Frederick Layton, and Philip Armour. Packing houses filled the valley floor near the train stockyards. A young man named Patrick Cudahy worked his way up and eventually owned his own company. He moved his operations to what is now the suburb of Cudahy, Wisconsin in 1892.
Besides meat packing, the valley also became home to large storage facilities and manufacturing companies. Giants like the Milwaukee Road (a railway company), Falk Corporation, Cutler-Hammer, Harnischfeger Corporation, Chain Belt Company, and Nordberg Manufacturing Company all had a presence here.
However, all this industry led to heavy pollution and bad smells. As early as 1874, a distillery was accused of causing a "stupendous nuisance." In 1886, a group was formed to investigate the river's filth. One person said they "nearly stifled" from the smell. The city even built a garbage burning plant in 1890, which, along with the factories and trains, pumped thick clouds of smoke and covered the valley in soot.
After World War II, the valley's economy declined. Transportation shifted from trains and ships to highways. Milwaukee became part of the "Rust Belt," an area where many old industries struggled. The Menomonee Valley was hit hard. By the late 1970s, many people saw the valley as an ugly, neglected area in the middle of the city.
Bringing the Valley Back to Life
To help the valley, the city bought land for new development. They built new roads and a city garage, but these small steps weren't enough. Real change began in 1988 under Mayor John Norquist. A plan called "Renew the Valley" was started to bring new life to the Menomonee Valley and create more green spaces. In 1999, a non-profit group called Menomonee Valley Partners, Inc. was formed to lead these efforts.
Big projects like the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino and a Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District facility helped kickstart new development. Marquette University built an athletic field across the river. A part of the Hank Aaron State Trail was paved along the Menomonee River, giving people access to the waterway again. In 2013, a 24-acre park called Three Bridges Park opened on an old rail yard site. This park has new trails, bridges, and native plants. It even used leftover dirt from a highway project to create hills that look like natural glacial landforms.
The old Milwaukee Road train yards, which were about 140 acres (0.57 km2), have been turned into a business park. This park uses special plants to help manage storm water runoff. This $20 million project, which cleaned up old industrial land (called a brownfield), was called the city's "largest environmental clean up in history." Two tall smokestacks that stood in "Chimney Park" to remember the old rail yards had to be torn down because they were unsafe.
Harley-Davidson built a $75 million, 130,000 square foot (12,077 m2) Harley-Davidson Museum at 6th & Canal Streets. Construction started on June 1, 2006. The museum displays the company's huge collection of old motorcycles and company records. It also has a restaurant, cafe, and meeting areas.
In 2015, the City of Milwaukee approved a new plan called Menomonee Valley 2.0. This plan included creating the Menomonee Valley Partners non-profit, replacing the 6th Street viaduct with new bridges, extending Canal Street through the valley, and redeveloping the old Milwaukee Road Shops into the Menomonee Valley Industrial Center.
Images for kids
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Menomonee Valley in 1882
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Menomonee Valley in 2006
