The Milwaukee River is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

in the state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. It is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed May 19, 2011 Once a locus of industry, the river is now the center of a housing boom. New condos now crowd the downtown and harbor districts of

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

attracting young professionals to the area. The river is also ribboned with parks as it winds through various neighborhoods. Kayaks and fishing boats share the river with party boats. An extensive Riverwalk featuring art displays,

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on i ...

launches and restaurants lines its banks in downtown Milwaukee.

Description

The river begins in

Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Fond du Lac County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 104,154. Its county seat is Fond du Lac. The county was created in the Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and later organized in 1844. Fond du ...

and flows south past Grafton to downtown Milwaukee, where it empties into

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

. Cedar Creek, the Menomonee River and the Kinnickinnic River are the three main tributaries.

Watershed

The Milwaukee River

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

drains in southeastern Wisconsin, including parts of

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

, Fond du Lac,

, Ozaukee, Sheboygan,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and Waukesha counties. The Milwaukee River watershed is part of the Lake Michigan subbasin; this subbasin is itself a part of the St. Lawrence River Watershed, which is fed by the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

History

The Milwaukee River area was populated by Native Americans in the time before European settlement.

Jacques Marquette Jacques Marquette S.J. (June 1, 1637 – May 18, 1675), sometimes known as Père Marquette or James Marquette, was a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Sainte Marie, and later founded Saint Ign ...

and

Louis Jolliet Louis Jolliet (September 21, 1645after May 1700) was a French-Canadian explorer known for his discoveries in North America. In 1673, Jolliet and Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit Catholic priest and missionary, were the first non-Natives to explore and ...

navigated from Lake Michigan through the Milwaukee River on their way to the Fox River and the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. Previously (circa 1834-35) the river had been known as the "Maynawalky," while the present-day Menomonee River was known as the "Milwalky". Google Books: ''An Accompaniment to Mitchell's Reference and Distance Map of the United States; Containing an Index of All the Counties, Districts, Townships, Towns, &c., In the Union; Together With an Index of the Rivers; By Which Any County, District, Township, &c. or River, May Be Found on the Map, Without Difficulty'

Samuel Augustus Mitchell, 1834, Mitchell & Hinman Publishers. Accessed September 19th, 2019. In the early 19th century, three towns were formed across the banks of the Milwaukee and Kinnickinnic rivers: Juneautown by

Solomon Juneau Solomon Laurent Juneau, or Laurent-Salomon Juneau (August 9, 1793 – November 14, 1856) was a French Canadian fur trader, land speculator, and politician who helped found the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was born in Repentigny, Quebec, Cana ...

, Walker's Point by

George H. Walker George H. Walker (October 22, 1811September 20, 1866) was an American trader and politician, and was one of three key founders of the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served as the 5th and 7th Mayor of Milwaukee, and represented Milwaukee in the ...

and Kilbourntown by

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 Kilbo ...

. The

quarrel Quarrel may refer to: * A heated disagreement * Crossbow bolt, a crossbow's projectile also known as a quarrel * Quarrel (James Bond), a ''James Bond'' character ** Quarrel Jr., his son * ''Quarrel'' (video game) * ''The Quarrel ''The Qua ...

over the formation of a bridge across the Milwaukee River was a key point in the merging of the three towns into the city of Milwaukee in 1846.

Bridges

The Milwaukee River has numerous movable bridges spanning it, allowing for pedestrian and vehicular traffic. These bridges include several different types, including bascule and hydraulically-powered table bridges. There are also many fixed bridges, as well as several pedestrian-only and railroad trestles. The following is a partial list of bridges that cross the river, from north to south: * Brown Deer Road Bridge * Range Line Road Bridge * Good Hope Road Bridge * Green Tree Road Bridge * Bender Road Bridge * Silver Spring Drive Bridge * Hampton Avenue Bridge * I-43 Bridge * Port Washington Road Bridge * Capitol Drive Bridge * Locust Street Bridge * North Avenue Bridge (Milwaukee), North Avenue Bridge * North-Humboldt Pedestrian Bridge * Humboldt Street Bridge * Holton Street Viaduct (1926) * Pleasant Street Bridge * Cherry Street Bridge * McKinley Avenue Bridge aka Knapp Street Bridge * Juneau Avenue Bridge * Highland Avenue Pedestrian Bridge * State Street Bridge (Milwaukee), State Street Bridge * Kilbourn Avenue Bridge * Wells Street Bridge (Milwaukee), Wells Street Bridge * Wisconsin Avenue Bridge * Michigan Street Bridge * Clybourn Street Bridge * I-794 Bridge * Saint Paul Avenue Bridge * Water Street Bridge * Broadway Bridge aka Milwaukee Street Bridge * Hoan Bridge There are also several

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

(former

Chicago and North Western Railway 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 bef ...

) railroad bridges crossing the Milwaukee River, including: * north of Bender Road * south of Silver Spring Drive * Railroad Swing Bridge #1556 (1915)Final Designation Study Report
(Spring 2005). Milwaukee Department of City Development.

Description

Watershed

History

Bridges

Parks

Dams

See also

References

External links