Menomonee Valley in Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
A Changing Landscape
Hank Aaron State Trail
Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2019
1. A Changing Landscape Marker
"All the marsh proper...would, in the spring, be literally alive with fish that came in from the lake... And the number of ducks that covered the marsh was beyond all computation."
James Buck, 1830s
In its original state, the Valley provided habitat for plants and animals, supplying abundant food for generations. Surrounding wetlands collected rainwater and then slowly released it, providing clean water to springs and seeps along the bluff.
In the mid-1800s, Milwaukeeans filled the marsh with soil, gravel, and industrial and household waste to create dry land. They straightened the river and cut canals to provide shipping routes. Tanneries, lumberyards, stockyards, and other businesses moved into the Valley. These changes provided jobs for thousands of people, but damaged the Valley's natural resources. In the late 1900s, industrial decline left the Valley
this page online
Businesses, neighbors, and community groups are working to once again change the landscape of the Valley by balancing its economy and ecology. The Hank Aaron State Trail is part of this part of this process to return green space to the Valley.
Learn more, do more...Get involved with the Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail.
Erected by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Menomonee Valley Partners, Inc., Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act, Grant #NA03NOS4190106.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) series list.
Location. 43° 1.762′ N, 87° 57.56′ W. Marker is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in Milwaukee County. It is in Menomonee Valley. It can be reached from Frederick Miller Way
Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2019
2. A Changing Landscape Marker
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Wisconsin. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Milwaukee Road Shops (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Machine Shop of the World (approx. 0.3 miles away); Hank Aaron - Changing Times (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Hank Aaron - Changing Times (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Hank Aaron - Changing Times (approx. 0.3 miles away); Hank Aaron (approx. 0.3 miles away); Hank Aaron State Trail (approx. 0.3 miles away); Immigrants and Silver City (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milwaukee.
More about this marker.
Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2019
3. Hank Aaron State Trail & Menomonee River
Credits. This page was last revised on June 17, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2019, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 438 times since then and 24 times this year. Last updated on June 16, 2023, by Jim Schaettle of Madison, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 27, 2019, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
