Cold Spring Park

Cold Spring Park

Neighborhood History

In the mid-1800's, the west side was home to two large tracts of cleared land that were rented for outdoor exhibitions, fairs, and sporting events. The largest and longest-lived of the two was Cold Spring Park, which took its name from a natural spring on the northwest corner of the grounds. It was located between 27th Street, 35th Street, West Juneau Avenue, and Vliet Street. Although the 60-Acre tract was two miles from downtown Milwaukee, it was accessible from two plank roads. A grove of trees stood on the grounds and the whole area was surrounded by a forest.

Throughout its early history, Cold Spring Park was associated with the sport of horse racing. Published references to racing at the site go back to 1848, when trotters were said to have run there. Driving clubs were popular in the 1860's and 1870's among the well-to-do. Members would hold invitational meets thoughout the year.

In 1871, the mare Goldsmith Maid, broke the world record by trotting a mile in two minutes and 17 seconds. This event was commemorated in a nationally distributed Currier and Ives color print.

Businessmen who took an interest in the course in its heyday include Jerome I. Case, I.H. Brodhead, John T. Burnham, Henry Bently, Charles Bradley, and C.M. Cottrill.

The Cold Spring House, a hotel located adjacent to the park, accommodated visitors and drivers before and during races. It was notorious for its gambling, cockfights, courtesans, and dances.

The size and location of Cold Spring park made it ideal for uses other than horse racing. It was the location of the second annual fair and exhibition of the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society in 1852. In Preparation for the fair, Cold Spring Park was graded and the entire area enclosed with a board fence. The fence followed the perimeter of the race track, while the interior was devoted to exhibitoin tents and cattle pens. The spring and three newly-dug wells supplied water for animals and visitors. Benches were placed among the trees to accommodate fairgoers. An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people were said to have attended. When in Milwaukee, the fair alternated between sites on today's Wisconsin Avenue and Cold Spring Park.

During the Civil War, Cold Spring Park became the site of camp Washburn, housing the 2nd Cavalry, 30th infantry, and 39th Regiment. This was one of three sites in Milwaukee chosen for military encampents during the Civil War. Camp Life required the construction of barracks, a sutler's shop, a guard house, and auxiliary structures. Muddy ground forced the 30th infantry to move to Camp Reno near the lakefront in 1864. In 1865, the camp was vacated and its operation moved to Camp Randall in Madison. The camp structures were destroyed by fire two months later. By April, 1866, the Wisconsin Agricultural and Mechanical Association was again operating the park as a race track.

Cold Spring Park was also host to various traveling circuses (Barnum, Forepaugh, Robinson) as well as Colonel William Cody's Wild West Show. The Light Horse Squadron performed martial arts exhibitions there. In the summer of 1890, more than 12,000 Knights of Pythias encamped in the vicinity for a national conclave. The park was used as a drill ground.

From 1880 to 1910, Milwaukee unerwent a dramatic increase in population, not only from internal growth, but from a new surge of post-Civil War foreign immigration. New housing was needed for both the rising middle and upper classes as well as the newcomers. Older city neighborhoods did not provide a sufficient supply of affordable housing. to accommodate this need, working class neighborhoods were created on Milwaukee's west side, abutting those of the wealthier classes. The Cold Spring Park horsecare line facilitated further growth, providing a link between Cold Spring Park and downtown Milwaukee.

The West side neighborhoods that achieved distinction during this period were those located along or near one of the newly-established boulevards. Creation of municipal parkways as city streets was introduced in Milwaukee with the creation of Highland Boulevard in 1896. McKinley Boulevard was created in 1906. The boulevards not only had landscaped esplanades down the middle of the roadway, but traffic was restricted, prohibiting all forms of heavy loads and undesirable vehicles.

Highland and McKinley Boulevards, though attracting diffenerent income groups, were almost all German-American. Highland Boulevard, at the upper end of the income scale, was the residence of the wealthiest industrialists and businessmen who settled in this part of the city. Because of its strong German character, it was affectionately called "Sauerkraut Boulevard." Likewise, Mckinley Boulevard was the residence for an equal number of German-Americans who were of the professional and managerial classes. The neighborhood between the two boulevards was settled by managers, skilled craftsmen and laborers of the German heritage.

After almost 100 years, the Cold Spring Park neighborhood is still home to people of various income levels and occupations. The Greman heritage is reflected today in the architectural design of the many homes, although a variety of other architectural styles are also present.