The Milwaukee River is a river in the state of Wisconsin. It is about 104 miles (167 km) long.[1] Once a locus of industry, the river is now the center of a housing boom. New condos now crowd the downtown and harbor districts of Milwaukee attracting young professionals to the area. The river is also ribboned with parks as it winds through various neighborhoods. Kayaks and fishing boats share the river with party boats. An extensive Riverwalk featuring art displays, boat launches and restaurants lines its banks in downtown Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee River watershed is part of the Lake Michigan subbasin; this subbasin is itself a part of the St. Lawrence River Watershed, which is fed by the Great Lakes.
History
The Milwaukee River area was populated by Native Americans in the time before European settlement. Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet navigated from Lake Michigan through the Milwaukee River on their way to the Fox River and the Mississippi. Previously (circa 1834-35) the river had been known as the "Maynawalky," while the present-day Menomonee River was known as the "Milwalky".[2][3]
In the early 19th century, three towns were formed across the banks of the Milwaukee and Kinnickinnic rivers: Juneautown by Solomon Juneau, Walker's Point by George H. Walker and Kilbourntown by Byron Kilbourn. The quarrel over the formation of a bridge across the Milwaukee River was a key point in the merging of the three towns into the city of Milwaukee in 1846.
Bridges
The Milwaukee River as it goes through downtown Milwaukee crossed by the Wisconsin Avenue bridgeThe Milwaukee River frozen over as it is crossed by the Saint Paul Avenue bridge
The Milwaukee River has numerous movable bridges spanning it, allowing for pedestrian and vehicular traffic. These bridges include several different types, including bascule and hydraulically-powered table bridges. There are also many fixed bridges, as well as several pedestrian-only and railroad trestles.
The following is a partial list of bridges that cross the river, from north to south:
Brown Deer Road Bridge
Range Line Road Bridge
Good Hope Road Bridge
Green Tree Road Bridge
Bender Road Bridge
Silver Spring Drive Bridge
Hampton Avenue Bridge
I-43 Bridge
Port Washington Road Bridge
Capitol Drive Bridge
Locust Street Bridge
North Avenue Bridge (Milwaukee)|North Avenue Bridge
North-Humboldt Pedestrian Bridge
Humboldt Street Bridge
Holton Street Viaduct (1926)
Pleasant Street Bridge
Cherry Street Bridge
McKinley Avenue Bridge aka Knapp Street Bridge
Juneau Avenue Bridge
Highland Avenue Pedestrian Bridge
State Street Bridge (Milwaukee)|State Street Bridge
Kilbourn Avenue Bridge
Wells Street Bridge (Milwaukee)|Wells Street Bridge
^U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National MapArchived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed May 19, 2011
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Google Books: An Accompaniment to Mitchell's Reference and Distance Map of the United States; Containing an Index of All the Counties, Districts, Townships, Towns, &c., In the Union; Together With an Index of the Rivers; By Which Any County, District, Township, &c. or River, May Be Found on the Map, Without Difficulty[1], Samuel Augustus Mitchell, 1834, Mitchell & Hinman Publishers. Accessed September 19th, 2019.
^The Tourist's Pocket Map Of Michigan Exhibiting Its Internal Improvements Roads Distances &c. by J.H. Young. Philadelphia: Published By S. Augustus Mitchell. 1835. Sold By Mitchell & Hinman No. 6 North Fifth Street. Entered ... 1834 by S. Augustus Mitchell ... Pennsylvania. Engraved by J.H. Young. [2]
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