[milwaukee-electric] Re: Oldest Custard Stand

[Gary Schnabl]

On 6/1/2011 12:01 PM, Don L. Leistikow wrote:
> Gary S and list:   The boundaries of the City of Wauwatosa, are a really
> unusual configuration.  Suburbs are printed in various colors on my copy
> of a 1939 TMER&T Map.
>
> The eastern bundary in  is mostly a straight line except for a bulge to
> the east for a few blocks, up to Hawley Road  Then, Bluemound Road is
> the south line except for a protrusion south to  about 40' north of
> Mount Vernon.  Thes protrusion runs west to 71st street then, refuining
> to Bluemound Road.   Another such segment, appears west of 84th street,
> south to the Rapid Transit Liner then west to 89thstreet where ithe
> booundary  extends north to the Miwaukee County Institution Grounds.
>
> Similiar ragged  Wauwatosa City limits exist on the western and northern
> borders.
>
> When TMER&L  purchased land for the RTL between 100th and Lapham and its
> end of the private right of way between 7th and 8th off Clybourn
> streets, the property west of the Menomonee Valley, was known as the
> Town of Wauwatosa.
>
> The corridor between Wauwatosa and West Allis, became City of Milwaukee
> property.  Therefore, I believe that the Town of Wauwatosa, was larger
> than what became the City of Wauwatosa.
>
> An oddity was that although I coudl see Juneau High School five blocks
> from my house, I went to Wauwatosa High School.
>
> Don L.
When I lived in Wisconsin, I was a certified building inspector and also 
a level-4 tax assessor. So, I know a bit about surveyed governing bodies 
in Wisconsin--towns, villages, and cities. Counties are something 
different. A town is generally the unincorporated region of a township 
(36 square miles, a 6-mile square). So, at various times, there could be 
the town of Milwaukee, the town of Wauwatosa, etc.

The original town of Wauwatosa was bounded by 27th Street, Greenfield 
Avenue, Hampton, and whatever is six miles west of 27th Street. At 
sixteen E/W blocks per one Milwaukee mile, the western boundary would be 
roughly 96 blocks west of 27th. But, its western boundary is the county 
line--124th Street, 97 blocks west. So, maybe 28th Street might once 
have been the eastern boundary.

At various times, parts of West Milwaukee (still a village today), West 
Allis, Wauwatosa (city), and Milwaukee were carved out of the town of 
Wauwatosa. Earlier, up to its annexation by Milwaukee in 1897, the 
southern part of the community of North Milwaukee was also carved out of 
Wauwatosa. As North Milwaukee went north of Hampton, it was also carved 
out of yet another town, probably Granville or some such.

As far as railroads are concerned, both the NW and NE corners of the old 
town of Wauwatosa are railroad yards--Butler (formerly CNW--now UP) and 
whatever the yard (originally Milwaukee Road) it is called that the old 
30th Street Industrial Corridor goes through. And West Milwaukee was 
once a big railroad community whose numerous residents there worked at 
the Milwaukee Road yards in the valley.

Gary


-- 

Gary Schnabl
Southwest Detroit, two miles NORTH! of Canada--Windsor, that is...

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