Long Description:From the Lake Parks Friends web site
("http://www.lakeparkfriends.org/history.shtml"
target="_blank">visit link) :
"Lake Park is located on land the known history of stretches back
into antiquity. A prehistoric "Indian Mound" reminds today's park
visitor of the original inhabitants of the area. Although we do not
know who built this mound, it is believed to have been peoples of
the Mid-Woodland Culture (300BC-400AD), primarily hunter-gatherers
who constructed mounds as burial or ceremonial centers. Originally
one of a series of conical mounds that were later destroyed (some
even in the development of the park), this single mound is the last
known remaining within the city of Milwaukee. It was discovered in
l905 by the Wisconsin Archeological Society, and a historic plaque
was put atop the mound in l9l0.
Descendants of these ancient peoples may have been Menominee
Indians, who were given "possessory title" to all lands east of the
Milwaukee River by the treaty of l831. However, in l835, tribal
lands were surveyed by the U.S. government and sold to settlers,
many of whom lived in eastern cities and desired these lands for
their timber.
One notable exception was Gustav Lueddemann, who purchased a
large part of what is now the northern section of the park in l849.
He built his home there, keeping much of the native forest intact,
and opened his grounds to the public as a picnic and recreation
area, known as "Lueddemann's on the Lake." This northern section
still retains the oldest native trees and vegetation in the
park.
In l854, the U.S. Lighthouse Service acquired 2 acres on which
to build North Point Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters. Erected in
l855, by l888 these structures had to be rebuilt and moved 100 feet
to the west to avoid creeping bluff erosion. This 2-acre piece of
land, stretching from Wahl Ave. to Lake Michigan, bisected the area
on which the City of Milwaukee desired to build Lake Park and in
l893, park builders received permission from the federal government
to complete their plan without disturbing the lighthouse. Thus, the
beacon from the lighthouse guided ships on Lake Michigan for 139
years until the U.S. Coast Guard decommissioned it in l994. Through
a joint partnership of Lake Park Friends and Watertower Landmark
Trust, a citizen group, North Point Lighthouse Friends, Inc., was
formed and has worked since that time to restore and preserve these
historic structures. In 2003, the property was formally transferred
to Milwaukee County. Now, finally part of the park, and enjoying
placement on the National Register of Historic Places since l984,
this property will see renewed life as a maritime museum/conference
center open to the public.
Already by l860, forwarding-looking Milwaukee leaders voiced
desires to build a series of parks for the respite of inhabitants
of the growing city. Considered "gardens of the poor," these parks
were to offer the joys of natural beauty to citizens who could not
afford the manicured gardens of the wealthy. Acquiring land,
however, took time. The major impetus came in l889, when the City
of Milwaukee created its first Park Commission, under the
presidency of Christian Wahl. They immediately began to purchase
acreage for parks throughout Milwaukee and contacted the eminent
landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to design three parks,
Lake Park, River Park (now Riverside Park), and West Park (now
Washington Park), plus Newberry Blvd. connecting Lake and River
Parks. Of the three, it is Lake Park which today most closely
retains the original form and intent of its designer.
Olmsted's vision reflected the "Romantic" style of the great
parks of Europe - great stretches of open, meadow-like spaces
interspersed with large trees left to develop their open growth,
sinuous paths leading to surprising vistas, wilder areas of
shrubbery and undergrowth to add mystery and for the protection of
wildlife, preference for natural rather than formal landscaping and
gardens, and the attractions of bodies of water. In Lake Park,
Olmsted could take advantage both of Lake Michigan and the streams
running through the ravines. This emphasis on natural beauty was,
he felt, both psychological and morally restorative to the city
dweller living in cramped spaces. He was very democratic and
resisted all attempts at privatization, insisting that his parks be
open to all people without charge. He distinguished between two
forms of recreation: "active" (sports and playgrounds) and
"passive" (walking, attending concerts, enjoying nature) and
provided for both, cautioning that "active" areas not be so large
or so many as to disturb persons coming to the park for "passive"
reflection and enjoyment.
Work on the park was intense during the following decades,
commissioned by the Milwaukee Park Commission under the supervision
of the Olmsted firm, who made frequent visits to the city. Walks,
carriage drives, ravines with paths, brooks, waterfalls and rustic
bridges (designed by Christian Wahl) were completed by l894. Steel
Arch and Brick Arch Bridges designed by Oscar Sanne were built by
l893. In l895, the Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company's
tram station, designed by Howland Russell, brought visitors to the
park to enjoy free concerts sponsored by the tram company. A formal
entrance to the park at Newberry Blvd. was planted in l896. The
park's famous "Lion Bridges" spanning the lighthouse ravines were
completed in l896-7. Bridge design was by Oscar Sanne; the lion
sculptures were designed by Paul Kupper and donated to the park by
the Electric Railway and Light Company. By l898, fill in part of
one of the ravines resulted in the creation of a large open meadow.
In l899, a "horse barn" was completed. In addition to housing the
park's horses, this building also provided space for tools,
blacksmith shop, and park offices; today it serves as the park's
service building. In l903, the Pavilion and Band Shelter, designed
by the firm of Ferry and Clas, was opened to the public. The firm
also designed the Concrete Footbridge north of the Pavilion (l905)
and the Grand Staircase leading up to it (l908).
Opportunities for "active recreation" were considered early in
the park's history. A 6-hole golf course was built on the open
meadow in l903; in l930 it was expanded to 18 holes. A children's
playground was built in l906. Tennis courts were installed by l909.
Lawn bowling appeared in the park by 1919; later, new bowling
greens (1961) and clubhouse (l962) were erected. Ice-skating on
then-existing ponds was popular early in the century. In l965, an
ice-rink warming house was built in the area which had once been
the Lueddemann's home, later a children's pavilion, and today
offices of Lake Park Friends. In more recent years, other
opportunities to enjoy sports have been provided, including an
above-ground ice rink and baseball and soccer fields. However, true
to Olmsted's caution that these not be too large or too numerous,
they remain simple fields which revert to open "meadows" in
off-season periods. A County bicycle path was built in l967 and an
exercise/jogging trail in l978.
Wars have also left their impact on the park. An equestrian
statue honoring Civil War physician, Brigadier General Erastus B.
Wolcott, donated by his surviving wife Laura Ross Wolcott, M.D.,
was erected in l920. Following WWI, three memorial plaques were
placed in the park dedicated to the soldiers of that war. And the
Cold War that followed WWII saw the placement of a Nike missile
tracking station in the park - which, with waning fears of a
Russian invasion, was removed in l970.
Erosion along the bluffs has been a perennial problem for the
park, which has been met in several ways, some controversial. In
l905, a beach was created to protect the cliffs and to make it
possible to lay out a "Shore Drive" envisioned by the Olmsted firm.
In l929, this road (now "Lincoln Memorial Drive") was widened and
extended through the north part of the park to accommodate growing
automotive travel. In 1999-2000, the drive was further rebuilt with
a center division. Both along the lakeshore and within the park,
parking lots have needed to be constructed. Another solution to
combat erosion has been placing of fill along the lakefront,
resulting in the extension of the park's eastern boundaries and
creating what is now "Lake Park East," an area primarily used as a
soccer/rugby field. For many years, this area had been the location
of a gun club.
A major political change occurred in the l930's (l934-7) when
the City of Milwaukee transferred park lands to Milwaukee County
with the proviso that they always be used as public park land. In
l995, the County rented out the upper level of the Pavilion to a
private restaurant ("The Bistro") but with the stipulation in the
lease that "the entire first floor meeting room shall remain open
and available to the public."
