Jones Island is an industrialized peninsula in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. It began as a marsh island between the

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

and Kinnickinnic rivers, and now forms the city's inner harbor design.

History

Extensive filling and channelization of the area began in the mid-19th century when city co-founder

Byron Kilbourn Byron Kilbourn (September 8, 1801December 16, 1870) was an American surveyor, railroad executive, and politician who was an important figure in the founding of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was the 3rd and 8th mayor of Milwaukee. Biography Kilbour ...

advocated a "straight cut" from the Milwaukee River near the

Menomonee River The Menomonee River is one of three primary rivers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, along with the Kinnickinnic River and Milwaukee River. Description Named after the Menomonee (also spelled Menominee) Indians, the word was given to the Menomonee peo ...

confluence out to

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. This channel was made in 1857 and is still in use today. Prior to that, the natural outlet for all three rivers was at the southern end of Jones Island where the Kinnickinnic now turns north to flow out of the straight cut. This area was later filled to provide railroad access. It was initially settled by Kashubian and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

immigrants in 1870, who made their living by fishing

. Having never officially obtained a deed for the land, they were considered squatters by the City of Milwaukee and the vast majority of them were evicted in the 1920s to make way for a shipping port as part of an inner harbor design. The last Kashubian holdouts left the island in the early 1940s Shipping formed around the natural inner harbor created by the rivers, but designs were made for an outer harbor. Long piers built in and on the exposed edge of Jones Island was used for a system of docking terminals. After years of false starts, changing designs, and petitioning the federal government for funding, an inner harbor design was finalized that also included improvements to the outer harbor and breakwaters. Currently Jones Island is home to the

Port of Milwaukee The Port of Milwaukee, branded as Port Milwaukee, is a port in the city of Milwaukee on Lake Michigan. It primarily serves Southeastern Wisconsin, Southeastern Minnesota, and Northern Illinois. The port owns of rail that connect to two Class I r ...

, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District's primary wastewater treatment plant, and other municipal services. It also supports the Hoan Bridge, a long span bridge. The land is heavily industrialized and only contains a couple of mature trees.

Notable people

* George L. Tews,

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who operates machine tools, and has the ability to set up tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling machines. A competent machinist will generally have a strong mechan ...

, businessman, and three-time

Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

References

External links

Urban Anthropology Tour: The Kashubes of Jones IslandHistoric MapJones Island on Milwaukee Neighborhoods Guide from UWM Library
{{Authority control Neighborhoods in Milwaukee South Side, Milwaukee Exclaves in the United States

History

Notable people

See also

References

External links