From City Hall to the Pabst Theater, reminders of the past are part of the fabric of Milwaukee. Yet many historic treasures have been lost to time. An overgrown stretch of the Milwaukee River was once a famous beer garden. Blocks of homes and apartments replaced the Wonderland Amusement Park. A quiet bike path now stretches where some of fastest trains in the world previously thundered. Today's Estabrook Park was a vast mining operation, and Marquette University covers the old fairgrounds where Abraham Lincoln spoke. Author Carl Swanson recounts these stories and other tales of bygone days.

From City Hall to the Pabst Theater, reminders of the past are part of the fabric of Milwaukee. Yet many historic treasures have been lost to time. Blocks of homes and apartments replaced the Wonderland Amusement Park. A quiet bike path now stretches where some of fastest trains in the world previously thundered. Today's Estabrook Park was a vast mining operation, and Marquette University covers the old fairgrounds where Abraham Lincoln spoke. Author Carl Swanson recounts these stories and other tales of bygone days.

In the late 1800s, the area was developed by immigrant Poles, who became the dominant population for over 100 years. A survey nearly a half century later revealed that people of 110 national backgrounds now live on the Old South Side.

Milwaukee’s name, meaning "gathering place by the water," comes from the Native Americans who first populated this attractive area located on the shores of Lake Michigan. The town was founded in the 1840s by the merchants Juneau, Kilbourn, and Walker, and it soon became a thriving center for trade. Many of its early settlers were prosperous businessmen from New England who were seeking new opportunities in this developing town. These entrepreneurs built churches, schools, and parks that really started to put Milwaukee on the map. German immigrants began to arrive in the latenineteenth century and the city developed a strong Germanic influence, from its architecture to the frankfurter sausages that are still sold today. Sites include:City Hall, Nunnemacher Grand Opera House, Cawker Building, Wisconsin Avenue Bridge, Iron Block Building, Chapman’s Department Store, Pfister Hotel, Hull House, Layton Art Gallery, Keenan House, Courthouse Square, Blatz Brewery, Milwaukee River, Usinger’s Famous Sausage, Republican Hotel, Espenhain Department Store, Milwaukee Railroad Depot, Mitchell Building, Midwest Grain Exchange, Chicago Northwestern Depot, Maitland Field, Milwaukee Art Museum, Pulaski Street, Schlitz Brewery, Pabst Brewery, Pfister and Vogel Leather, Tivoli Palm Garden, Plankinton and Pabst Mansions.

From the original founding fathers of Juneau, Kilbourn and Walker to becoming the brewing capitol of the world, Historic Photos of Milwaukee is a photographic history collected from the areas top archives. With around 200 photographs, many of which have never been published, this beautiful coffee table book shows the historical growth from the mid 1800's to the late 1900's of ?The City of Festivals? in stunning black and white photography. The book follows life, government, events and people important to Milwaukee and the building of this unique city. Spanning over two centuries and two hundred photographs, this is a must have for any long-time resident or history lover of Milwaukee!

The sky was the limit, as the Mafia indulged in running alcohol, extortion, protection rackets, adn skimming from Las Vegas casinos. The Cream City had its crooked lawyers, corrupt cops, and even a mayor on the take. There was the blood of those who dared to stand in the syndicate's way, who were found dead in ditches or as victims of car bombs. While now considered extinct, the Milwaukee Family was once a dominant force in the Midwest.