Estabrook Park is a

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...

park in the village of

Shorewood, Wisconsin Shorewood is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 13,859 at the 2020 census. History In the early 19th century when the first European American settlers arrived, the Shorewood area was controlled by Nativ ...

and is home to the

WITI TV Tower The WITI TV Tower is a lattice communications tower located in Shorewood, Wisconsin, which transmits the signal of several television and radio stations in the Milwaukee area, including its namesake, Fox owned-and-operated station WITI (channel ...

and the historic Benjamin Church House. It was named for

Charles E. Estabrook Charles Edward Estabrook (October 31, 1847December 3, 1918) was an Americans, American teacher, educator, lawyer, Eugenics in the United States, eugenicist, and Republican Party (United States), Republican politician from the U.S. state of Wisco ...

, a distinguished Wisconsin lawyer and politician, and is located on a nearly 125 acre, strip of land between the

Milwaukee River The Milwaukee River is a river in the state of Wisconsin. It is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 19, 2011 Once a locus of industry, the river is now the c ...

and the former

Chicago and Northwestern Railroad The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

, now converted into part of the

Oak Leaf Trail The Oak Leaf Trail (formerly 76 Bike Trail) is a paved multi-use recreational trail system which encircles Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Clearly marked trail segments connect all of the major parks in the Milwaukee County Park System. History ...

Amenities

There are

picnic area A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

s, soccer fields, a disc golf course, a

softball diamond Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

, a

dog park A dog park is a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners. Description Dog parks have varying features, although they typically offer a 4' to 6' fence, separate double-gated ...

, a beach volleyball court, a

skatepark A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairsets, q ...

, and the Estabrook Park

Beer Garden A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees. Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...

. File:Estabrook Park picnic area signage.jpg, Picnic area signage File:Estabrook Park playground.jpg, Northern

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

File:Estabrook Park dog park and signage.jpg,

Dog park A dog park is a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners. Description Dog parks have varying features, although they typically offer a 4' to 6' fence, separate double-gated ...

and signage File:Estabrook Park Picnic Area Signage and Playground.jpg, Picnic area signage and southern playground File:Estabrook Park playground with whitetail deer in the foreground.jpg, Southern playground with whitetail deer in the foreground File:Estabrook Park soccer field signage.jpg, Soccer field signage

History

The riverside site was home to the Milwaukee Cement Company from 1875 to 1911. The park was established in 1916, and the first parkway in the Milwaukee River Parkway system was added in 1927. Significant development took place in the early and mid-1930s, led in part by the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

. In 1937 Milwaukee County constructed a dam at the park to raise water levels for recreational purposes. A year later the Benjamin Church house was restored and moved to the park in 1938. The

was erected within the park in 1962. In 2018 the dam was removed. File:Estabrook Park Maintanance Headquarters.jpg, Estabrook Park Maintenance Headquarters File:Estabrook Park historical marker.jpg, Historical marker File:Estabrook Park Historical Plaquue.jpg, Estabrook Park Historical Plaque

Pond

There is a small

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...

, sometimes called Estabrook Park Lagoon, covering about to a maximum depth of and with a small island near the north end. It is reported to contain

panfish The word panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an American English term describing any edible freshwater fish that usually do not outgrow the size of an average frying pan. It is also commonly used by recreational anglers to refer to any ...

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the wild have ...

, chinese mystery snail, and

Eurasian watermilfoil ''Myriophyllum spicatum'' (Eurasian watermilfoil or spiked water-milfoil) is native to Europe, Asia, and north Africa, but has a wide geographic and climatic distribution among some 57 countries, extending from northern Canada to South Africa. It ...

. There have also been sightings, depending on the season, of painted turtles,

red-eared slider The red-eared slider or red-eared terrapin (''Trachemys scripta elegans'') is a subspecies of the pond slider (''Trachemys scripta''), a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is the most popular pet turtle in the United States, ...

common snapping turtle The common snapping turtle (''Chelydra serpentina'') is a species of large freshwater turtle in the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far east as Nova Scotia ...

muskrat The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitat ...

American bullfrog The American bullfrog (''Lithobates catesbeianus''), often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is a large true frog native to eastern North America. It typically inhabits large permanent water bodies such as swamps, po ...

American toad The American toad (''Anaxyrus americanus'') is a common species of toad found throughout Canada and the eastern United States. It is divided into three subspecies: the eastern American toad (''A. a. americanus''), the dwarf American toad (''A. a ...

Canada geese The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), or Canadian goose, is a large wild goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America, and it is o ...

mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

wood duck The wood duck or Carolina duck (''Aix sponsa'') is a species of perching duck found in North America. The drake wood duck is one of the most colorful North American waterfowl. Description The wood duck is a medium-sized perching duck. A typi ...

blue-winged teal The blue-winged teal (''Spatula discors'') is a species of bird in the duck, goose, and swan family Anatidae. One of the smaller members of the dabbling duck group, it occurs in North America, where it breeds from southern Alaska to Nova Scotia ...

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos ...

green heron The green heron (''Butorides virescens'') is a small heron of North and Central America. ''Butorides'' is from Middle English ''butor'' "bittern" and Ancient Greek ''-oides'', "resembling", and ''virescens'' is Latin for "greenish". It was long c ...

red-breasted merganser The red-breasted merganser (''Mergus serrator'') is a diving duck, one of the sawbills. The genus name is a Latin word used by Pliny and other Roman authors to refer to an unspecified waterbird, and ''serrator'' is a sawyer from Latin ''serra'', ...

hooded merganser The hooded merganser (''Lophodytes cucullatus'') is a species of merganser. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Lophodytes''. The genus name derives from the Greek language: ''lophos'' meaning 'crest', and ''dutes'' meaning 'diver'. The ...

pied-billed grebe The pied-billed grebe (''Podilymbus podiceps'') is a species of the grebe family of water birds. Because the Atitlán grebe (''Podilymbus gigas'') has become extinct, the Pied-Billed Grebe is now the sole extant member of the genus ''Podilymbus'' ...

ring-billed gull The ring-billed gull (''Larus delawarensis'') is a medium-sized gull. The genus name is from Latin ''Larus'' which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific ''delawarensis'' refers to the Delaware River. Description ...

s, and belted kingfishers in and on the water. Canada geese, mallards, and wood ducks have been observed to lay eggs, incubate them, and hatch broods of goslings and ducklings. File:Estabrook Park Pond.jpg, Estabrook Park Pond, facing west File:Canada goose and goslings on shore of Estabrook Park Pond.jpg,

Canada goose The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), or Canadian goose, is a large wild goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America, and it is o ...

and goslings on shore of Estabrook Park Pond File:Great Blue Heron on Estabrook Park Pond.jpg,

Great Blue Heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos ...

on Estabrook Park Pond File:Painted turtles and red-eared sliders sunning themselves on a log in Estabrook Park.jpg, Painted turtles and

s sunning themselves on a log in Estabrook Park File:Estabrook Park Fishing Plaquard.jpg, Estabrook Park Fishing Plaquard File:Estabrook Park Fishing Notice Plaquard.jpg, Estabrook Park Fishing Notice Plaquard

Beer garden

"Estabrook Beer Garden brought back the tradition of public beer gardens to Milwaukee." "Estabrook Beer Garden is part of the Milwaukee County Park System, developed and operated under contract by ABC Estabrook INC d/b/a Estabrook Beer Garden." File:Estabrook Park Beer Garden.jpg,

Beer garden A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees. Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...

Disc golf

There is a 20-hole disc golf course covering much of the northern end of the park. File:Estabrook Park disk golf marker.jpg, Estabrook Park

disk golf Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...

marker File:Estabrook Park disc golf course pay station.jpg, Estabrook Park disc golf course pay station File:Estabrook Park disc golf course target.jpg, Estabrook Park disc golf course

target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

Antennas

There are four broadcasting

antenna Antenna ( antennas or antennae) may refer to: Science and engineering * Antenna (radio), also known as an aerial, a transducer designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic (e.g., TV or radio) waves * Antennae Galaxies, the name of two collid ...

in and near the park: one, free-standing

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

antenna located entirely in the park at the south east corner, and three triangular lattice

guyed mast A guyed mast or guyed tower is a tall thin vertical structure that depends on guy lines (diagonal tensioned cables attached to the ground) for stability. The mast itself has the compressive strength to support its own weight, but does not ha ...

antenna located just across the Milwaukee River from the park, each with a guy-wire anchor located in the park. From north to south, they are: *

WVTV WVTV (channel 18) is a television station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, affiliated with The CW and owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. The station's studios are located on Calumet Road in the Park Place office park near the I-41/US 45 ...

* WMVS *

WTMJ-TV WTMJ-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Kenosha-licensed Ion Television station WPXE-TV (channel 55). WTMJ-TV's studios are loca ...

File:Estabrook Park pond with antenna towers.jpg, Estabrook Park pond with antenna towers across the river in the background File:Antenna mast guy-wire anchor 1 in Estabrook Park.jpg, Antenna mast guy-wire anchor 1 File:Antenna mast guy-wire anchor 2 in Estabrook Park.jpg, Antenna mast guy-wire anchor 2 File:Estabrook Park soccer field with antenna tower across the river in the background.jpg, Soccer field with antenna tower across the river in the background File:Antenna mast guy-wire anchor 3.jpg, Antenna mast guy-wire anchor 3 File:View of WITI TV tower and Benjamin Church house in Estabrook Park.jpg, View across

soccer field A football pitch (also known as soccer field) is the playing surface for the game of association football. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play". The pitch is typically made of natural tu ...

and Benjamin Church House at south end of park File:Witi tv tower shorewood wisconsin.JPG,

detail in southeast corner of park Milwaukee Formation section

Geology

The park comprises a mostly flat plateau at about above sea level, a bluff descending about to the Milwaukee river at about above sea level, and some flat areas along the river bank. The

Milwaukee Formation The Milwaukee Formation is a fossil-bearing geological formation of Middle Devonian age in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. It stands out for the exceptional diversity of its fossil biota. Included are many kinds of marine protists, invertebrates, a ...

is exposed on the descent to the river.

Gallery

File:Estabrook Park Plaque.jpg, Estabrook Park

Plaque Plaque may refer to: Commemorations or awards * Commemorative plaque, a plate or tablet fixed to a wall to mark an event, person, etc. * Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military personnel after World War I * Pla ...

File:Estabrook Park Stairway.jpg, Estabrook Park

stairway Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

down bluff to

File:Milwaukee River.jpg,

along west edge of park File:Estabrook Park Underpass.jpg, Estabrook Park

underpass A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube constr ...

to Wilson Drive

References

External links

Milwaukee Country Parks: Estabrook Park MapWisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Estabrook Park LagoonFriends of Estabrook Park
Protected areas of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Parks in Wisconsin {{MilwaukeeCountyWI-geo-stub Civilian Conservation Corps in Wisconsin Removed dams in Wisconsin