[milwaukee-electric] Re: A Little More About the Creeks

[Ken and Tracie]

So the trench between 46th and 47th? Shows you my memory is 
failing.........I thought it was between 48th and 49th Streets. My mistake.

That used to be a meandering stream between the McGovern Park lagoons and 
Lincoln Creek. They straightened it and made the trench, probably at the 
same time Lincoln Creek was straightened. The other creek (which runs 
through Dineen Park) wasn't placed into a tunnel between Melvina and Lincoln 
Creek until 1955, according to a friend whose grandfather, and two 
subsequent generations, lived on 61st and Capitol.

Capitol Drive was extended past 35th Street before Lincoln Creek was moved 
to the center of Congress. Larry Allan sent me a link concerning ice jams 
and people's concerns about them blocking the channel and forcing water over 
one of the Capitol Drive crossings near A.O. Smith. It was after Lake was 
renamed Capitol, since they used the name "Capitol" in the article.

Another article discussed whether or not Lincoln Creek was a "navigable 
waterway" which people may have used to float logs, etc. The concern was 
that some people along the creek's original channel would not want to lose 
access to the creek by it being relocated.

Back in the days of streetcars, when using dynamite to blow up ice jams in 
urban waterways was acceptable!

There was even talk of putting some of the Kinnickinnic River into box 
channel tunnels.

I once read an article that Mr. Whitnall didn't want any additional 
industrial development in the Menomonee River Valley. He wanted it to be a 
huge park for the region. I suppose that would have meant no industrial 
customers along the Rapid Transit line or the Milwaukee Road between 
Downtown and 42nd Street.

K.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary Schnabl" <gSchnabl at SWDetroit.com>
To: <milwaukee-electric at lists.dementia.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 5:59 PM
Subject: [milwaukee-electric] Re: A Little More About the Creeks


> What was the straight trench at 46 1/2 Street used for? Just rainfall?
> Being so straight (although its extremity today is curved before
> emptying into Lincoln Creek), it had to have been dug at around the same
> time that the creek was first rerouted.
> At around 1951 or so, the creek was again dug out with heavy equipment
> and deepened a bit, destroying most water "wildlife" between 47th and
> 37th Streets for a couple years. Previously, there were water snakes
> (species?) and polliwogs/frogs, but no fish AFAIK. All the native
> cattails and such were destroyed, too. The creek was a bit gloomy right
> then--aseptic. At some time, the hill and woods north of 47th Street was
> flattened, but I failed to notice when that occurred.
>
> But the crayfish at the 47th Street dam were still very plentiful, and
> it was still very easy to catch dozens at an outing. I have no idea how
> deep it was there, but I reckon maybe three to five feet, it that. That
> water there was so dirty that it always was impossible to see more than
> a few inches down.
>
>
> Gary
>
> On 7/17/2010 2:34 PM, Larry Allan wrote:
>> Give me a week or two. I will get the photos.Larry
>> On Sat, Jul 17, 2010 at 10:28 AM, Ken and 
>> Tracie<ktjosephson at embarqmail.com
>>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>
>>> The creek from the McGovern Park lagoons exits its tunnel behind this
>>> building. The building is on the east side of the 4900 block of West
>>> Hampton
>>> Avenue. I believe this location is now a pharmacy, same building. This
>>> photo
>>> dates from 1961.
>>> Perhaps Larry Allan can snag a couple shots of the building and the 
>>> creek
>>> if
>>> he gets a chance.
>>>
>>> K.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -- Attached file removed by Ecartis and put at URL below --
>>> -- Type: image/jpeg
>>> -- Size: 115k (118634 bytes)
>>> -- URL : 
>>> http://lists.dementia.org/files/milwaukee-electric/redowl006.jpg
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> -- 
>
> Gary Schnabl
> Southwest Detroit, two miles NORTH! of Canada--Windsor, that is...
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