[milwaukee-electric] Re: West Allis Junction/Belton

[Don Ross]

The name West Allis was a fantastic political fight.  The area was 
North Greenfield.  In 1902 a group decided to organize and make it 
West Allis.  If you look at the C&NW pictures, there was a station 
named Allis at National Avenue on the C&NW main and that was the 
location of the Allis plant along 1st St.  They wanted the Allis 
people to set up a new plant which turned out to be the Allis 
Chalmers plant on 70th & Greenfield.  Some of the locals wanted to 
keep the North Greenfield name for the new village.  The West Allis 
guys came in an hour earlier and voted the West Allis name.  The 
other folk came late and were quite PSd.  West Allis became a city in 1906.
Here is a cleaned up version and didn't tell the politics.
We moved in to the Mitchell Manor area in 1938,  Dad became an 
alderman in the 1950s.  Don L and I were on a committee to try to 
keep trolley service.
So   There was no West Allis or West Allis Junction until after 1902.

A Short History of the City of West Allis, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

 From 1837 to the Present, A city of Homes and Industry



The beginning of West Allis as an incorporated government dates to 
1902, although the area was sparsely populated by settlers as early 
as 1837. Indian tribes still roamed the area when a few courageous 
families established a hamlet at a location that is now South 81 st 
Street and West National Avenue. At that time, the area was known as 
"Honey Creek" and included a few small houses, a blacksmith shop, 
sawmill, post office, two churches, and a log schoolhouse. The 
stagecoach passed through this settlement weekly, to and from 
Wisconsin's eventual state capitol, Madison, Wisconsin. In addition 
to carrying passengers, the stage also was used for hauling the mail.



The little Honey Creek settlement saw its first bit of progress in 
1880 when the Chicago Northwestern Railway built its line through the 
hamlet to Madison. M The railway company called its station "North 
Greenfield". In 1887 the area was platted and the village officially 
became "North Greenfield".



In 1891, the Wisconsin State Agriculture Society established the 
Wisconsin State Fair at its present location. The establishment of 
the fair grounds made it necessary to provide public transportation 
facilities from Milwaukee to this area. Residential, industrial, and 
commercial progress was stimulated by the decision to locate the 
state fair in North Greenfield.



Sunday, November 25 th 1900, is a significant date in the history of 
West Allis. On that day, Stutley I. Henderson, whose family was one 
of the area's original settlers, called upon Charles Allis of the 
Edward P. Allis Company (later named the Allis Chalmers Manufacturing 
company) for the purpose of selling him property for the location of 
Allis' new plant. The original Allis factory had been located in 
Milwaukee. One hundred acres of land (around present day South 70 th 
Street and W. Greenfield Avenue) were sold to the Allis Company at a 
cost of $25,000.00. Construction of the huge plant was then started 
on the location served by both the Milwaukee Road Railroad and the 
Chicago Northwestern Railroad with a spur line joining the two railways.



By 1902, the Allis Company has started its factory. Other industrial 
plants, including the Rosenthal Corn Husker Company and the Fred 
Prescott Company had also established factories in West Allis. The 
industrial boom gave impetus to the building of homes for the owners 
and employees of the factories with the result that hundred of 
residences sprung up in the area that was still principally meadows 
and woodlands.



Much residential growth had taken place in the east part of the city, 
west of the boundary, which now is South 56th Street, and south of 
the Milwaukee Road tracks. North Greenfield was the focal shopping 
area at the west limits of the city, and the area lying in both the 
towns of Greenfield and Wauwatosa had two locations where there was a 
concentration of residences. Civic leaders felt that it would be well 
to incorporate the entire area so that it could have a village form 
of government. The name of "West Allis" was adopted for the village, 
which was incorporated on May 31, 1902 with a census of 1018. An 
election of officers for the new village was held on July23, 1902 
with Fred W. Henderson elected village president.



On April 2, 1906, Governor J. O. Davidson declared the village of 
West Allis to be a city of the fourth class with a population of 2, 
306. The first mayor of the city was Frank E. Walsh.



With the occurrence of World War I in 1917, the community experienced 
another tremendous industrial boom. Progressive refinements and 
improvements resulted in the staffing and equipping of the city's 
various governmental services. The 1920s as a whole were kind to West 
Allis. Prosperity, busy factories, and expansion of public 
improvements made it a good place in which to live and work. The 
city's population soared during the decade. Climbing out of the 
depression of the 1930s West Allis experienced a new period of growth 
immediately following World War II and remained a vibrant, 
manufacturing based community until the early 1970s.



While West Allis expanded its boundaries in a conservative manner 
during the first half century of its progress, it still had only four 
square miles of territory in 1953. Most of its industrially zoned 
property was occupied and building lots for residential purposes were 
scarce. In light of this situation, the city government annexed 
several square miles of area in the towns of Greenfield and Wauwatosa 
during the 1950s. After the annexations, West Allis grew to some 11.5 
square miles.



By 1990, West Allis had weathered several long recessions, the worst 
of which occurred in the early 1980s. Many longtime companies, 
including the city's namesake, Allis-Chalmers, were hard hit. 
Allis-Chalmers ceased all production in the city in the late 1980s.



West Allis became a city in transition with its economy becoming 
increasingly diverse. Service industries, retail and office parks, 
and multifamily residences, are springing up in areas where 
manufacturing concerns once dominated. While manufacturing is no 
longer the backbone of the community it still plays a very important 
part in West Allis' future. New industries are still attracted by 
West Allis workers' reputation for skill and quality.



West Allis is now (2002) the eighth largest city in the state with a 
population around 63,000. The community boasts six parks, a library 
with over 206, 996 books, the Wisconsin State Fair, 42 churches, 16 
public schools, more than 2000 businesses, and numerous recreational 
opportunities.



West Allis today still measures up to its motto of the past "A city 
of Homes and Industries". West Allis remains true to its progressive 
history and continues to be a leader among Wisconsin's municipalities.




At 12:51 AM 7/21/2011, you wrote:
>Nevertheless, there must have been some reason or another for the
>nomenclature and its being included on the 1934 Milwaukee map...
>West Allis itself was probably an evolution from people referring to
>E.P. Allis's second Milwaukee-area plant (originally in 1860 in the town
>of Wauwatosa, north of Greenfield--the southern limits for Wauwatosa
>township). His second plant was supposedly referred to as West Allis, in
>contrast to his smaller, original plant, located somewhere in Milwaukee.
>Somehow, the name stuck, and the village or city later became West Allis.
>
>It stands to reason that Belton probably originally bore the West Allis
>Junction name sometime after 1860 and was designated as such on older
>19th Century maps, but subsequently was renamed. Newer maps, based upon
>the older ones, simply retained the older nomenclature
>
>Gary
>
>
>On 7/21/2011 1:31 AM, Don Ross wrote:
> > I was agent for the Chicago&  North Western agent at West Allis in
> > 1952 for a month.  I never heard of West Allis Junction.
> > Don R
> >
> > At 10:44 PM 7/20/2011, you wrote:
> >> Gary S:   Nice photo..... location clearly marked
> >> "Belton'.
> >>
> >> Growing up in Wauwatosa at 68th and Bluemound Road, back in the 1930's,
> >> and being very interested in Railroads, I must add that I've never heard
> >> Belton refered to as West Allis Junction.
> >>
> >> Occassionaly, a map-maker will not update changeing details, while
> >> marking new issues with progressive year
> >> marked  publications.
> >>
> >> Knowing when the C&NW Belt Line was built, would shed more light on this
> >> topic.
> >>
> >> Don L.
>
>
>--
>
>Gary Schnabl
>Southwest Detroit, two miles NORTH! of Canada--Windsor, that is...
>
>Technical Editor forum <http://TechnicalEditor.LivernoisYard.com/phpBB3/>