The Making of Milwaukee

Summary

The Making of Milwaukee is generally acknowledged as the standard history of Wisconsin’s largest city. Well-written, superbly organized, and lavishly illustrated, it tells the story of a Midwest metropolis that has been, at various times, the largest shipper of wheat on earth, America’s most “foreign” city, the nation’s beer capital, “The Machine Shop of the World,” and the epicenter of municipal Socialism. Renowned historian John Gurda chronicles the development of a human-scale metropolis, a community whose past has produced one of the most livable big cities in America and, at the same time, created some daunting social and economic problems. This fourth edition of the book features a thoroughly updated text and an all-new chapter that brings Milwaukee’s story up to the present day.

John Gurda is a Milwaukee-born writer and historian who has been studying his hometown since 1972. He is the author of 22 books, including histories of Milwaukee-area neighborhoods, industries, and places of worship. In addition to his work as an author,

Published by the Milwaukee County Historical Society. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.