Firsts in the Early Years [ Top ]
1674 - First white man,
Father Jacques Marquette,
visited the site
of what would become
1779 - First sailing
vessel, British sloop Felicity, visited Milwaukee.
1818 - Solomon Laurent Juneau
was appointed agent of the
American Fur Company at
Milwaukee, and first arrived
First election to choose a delegate to Congress was held,
|1822 - Solomon Juneau built the first
1823 - First commercial vessel, Chicago Packet,
landed at Milwaukee
with goods for Solomon
Juneau and took away
1824 - First frame building was erected for Solomon
Juneau. It served as a
schoolhouse, court of
law, recorder's office,
jail and as a barber
The Stories Behind
taking place at the
residence of Solomon Juneau.
1834 - First surveyor, William S.
1834 - The first newspaper, a
weekly called The Advertiser, was first
published on July
1835 - A key year in Milwakee with the following
First title to land in Milwaukee was obtained by Solomon
Juneau in August in a
land sale at Green Bay.
First post office was established with Solomon Juneau as
postmaster. He erected
a store, likely the first, at what was
then East Water and
First brick was made by Nelson Olin; the first
Sciota Evans; Albert Fowler was chosen justice of the peace.
Wilhelm Strathman was the first German settler.
First hotel, the Cottage Inn, was established by Jacques Vieaux.
First steamboat, The United States, visited Milwaukee.
First white boy, Charles Milwaukee Sivyer, born May 4, 1835.
First town meeting held, at Juneau's house.
bought his first tract of land on the west side of the
Milwaukee River. Benjamin F. Church launched his carpentry firm
on the west side where
he built now the famous Church House.
George H. Walker
founded Walker's Point on the south side.
First white girl, Milwaukee H. Smith, was born October 10, 1835.
1836 - On June 13, Solomon Juneau had first ground
grading and filling
East Water Street. Also during 1836:
The sloop Wenona was the first vessel built in Milwaukee; the
Juneau was built the same year.
First German child was born, Louis Bleyer on December 25.
1837 - Milwaukee incorporated as a village with
elected as president.
Also during 1837:
First newspaper that continued into the modern era - the
- was founded by Solomon Juneau.
First Catholic services officiated by Rev. Fleurimont Bonduel,
held at the home of
|1838 - The first
lighthouses were built, and the first
Marine and Fire Insurance
First large group of German immigrants, the
1840 - First brewery founded by
Owens and Pawlett.
Lutherans, arrived, including many
individuals from Pomerania.
More on Milwaukee
Also in 1840, the Old
Settlers' Club of
Milwaukee was organized.
1842 - First foundry was built by
Egbert Mosley, Laring Dewey and
1843 - First Jewish settler, Gabriel Schoyer,
1844 - Benjamin
Church House was built on 4th between Cherry and
1845 - First wholesale grocer was P. M. Bagley.
Galena in Kilbourntown
on the west side of the Milwaukee River.
The house is now a
museum of pioneer life, in Shorewood.
1846 - First mayor when Milwaukee became an
incorporated city with a
charter was Solomon
Juneau. Also in 1846 the first fire marshall
was Thomas H. Fanning,
the first city treasurer was John Allen
and the first city
attorney was Charles E. Jenkins.
1847 - First
City Directory, with early churches, officials, more
1848 - First tannery was founded by Pfister and
1852 - First comptroller was Cicero Comstock.
1853 - The Milwaukee Turnverein founded.
1868 - First commercially successful typewriter
1869 - First tax commissioner was Matthew Keenan,
commissioners of public
works were C. Latham Sholes,
Henry Millman and James
Firsts Later On [ Top ]
1874 - First president of the City Council was H.
1877 - First telephone service, with 15
subscribers, followed in 1879
by founding of the
Milwaukee Telephone Exchange Company.
Also in 1877, the first health commissioner, Dr. J. H. Stearns,
1890 - First public electric car,
the Wells Street line, was started. Also
in 1890 the first
public natatorium was launched.
1899 - First automobile was operated in May by
George L. Odenbrett.
1906 - First motion picture was
presented by the Saxe Brothers.
1907 - First practical outboard
motor invented by Ole
1929 - For the first time, annual factory
production in Milwaukee
Milwaukee History [ Top ]
reached the billion
Dates and Events A to Z: Chapter 16 of The History of Milwaukee,
City and County, Volume I, [large pdf]
edited by historian William
George Bruce. Early churches and colleges, cholera epidemic, disasters
and fires, first bridge, first German settler (1835), first auto (1899), the Zoo (1905),
the first movie theater (1906), the Auditorium (1909), and other firsts. See book's table of contents.
Timeline of Milwaukee History:
from its founding in the early 1800s to today -- follow links to the
"bridge war," Socialist era, much more.
Eras of Milwaukee County and Milwaukee history including
Connecticut native and developer who founded Kilbourntown on the west side, merged into
Milwaukee in 1846, and more on Kilbourn
and early Milwaukee when Auditorium's Kilbourn Hall dedicated in 1911. William George Bruce was a speaker.
starting with the visit of Father Jacques Marquette;
starting with opening of the first public market;
starting with county airport named Gen. Mitchell Field
2001 starting with the launch of German Fest in 1981
in brief, from the producers of Milwaukee Then and Now, with then and
now photos from City
Hall to the Turner Hall,
an historic image
Historical Facts: mayors, population from 1840, tallest and oldest
buildings, among other "fast facts" starting with M
Milwaukee Histories [ Top ]
Figures: from founders Juneau, Kilbourn and Walker to business leaders such
as Alexander Mitchell, Edward Phelps Allis, Frederick Layton and John Plankinton, to
brewers Frederick Miller, Frederick Pabst, Joseph Schlitz and Franz Falk, to socialist
mayors and Mathilde Anneke, publisher of America's first feminist newspaper.
book online: Milwaukee Illustrated: its trade, commerce,
manufacturing interests, and advantages as a residence city. See pp 6-7 for settlers
before 1837 including founders and Benjamin Church
to "History of Milwaukee, Wisconsin," by Frank A. Flower, 1881
to "Pioneer History of Milwaukee County from the First American Settlement,
1833-1841," by James S. Buck, 1876
to Pioneer History of Milwaukee, 1840-1846, Vol. II, by James S. Buck, 1881
to Milwaukee Under the Charter, 1847-1853, Vol. III, by James S. Buck, 1884
to Milwaukee Under the Charter, 1854-1860, Vol. IV, by James S. Buck, 1886
History Of Milwaukee From Its First Settlement To 1895, by Howard
Louis Conrad: Index
to Vol. 1, Index
to Vol. 2 and Index
to Vol. 3
Memoirs Of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, by Jerome Anthony Watrous,
to Vol. 1 and Index
to Vol. 2
"I Was Born in America: Memoirs of William George Bruce," Index