Bay View in Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Bay View's Rolling Mill

Photographed by Paul F, May 24, 2010

1. Bay View's Rolling Mill Marker

Inscription. Near this site in Bay View stood the Milwaukee Iron Company rolling mill, the first major heavy industry in the region and an important producer of iron and steel for the Midwest. The mill, which opened in 1868, transformed ore from Dodge County and Lake Superior area mines into iron products including thousands of tons of rail for the region’s growing railroads.

By 1885, more than 1500 people were employed at the plant, some recruited from the iron-producing districts of the British Isles, and the village of Bay View grew from a rural crossroads to an industrial community surrounding the rolling mill.

On May 5, 1886, the mill was the scene of a major labor disturbance. Nearly 1500 strikers from around Milwaukee marched on the Bay View mill to dramatize their demand for an eight-hour work day. The local militia, called to the scene by Governor Jeremiah Rusk, fired on the crowd, killing seven people.

The mill closed in 1929, and the buildings were demolished a decade later. But the community of Bay View remains: a neighborhood of mill workers houses, shops and churches.

Erected 1985 by Wisconsin State Historical Society and Bay View Historical Society. (Marker Number 275.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce

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• Labor Unions • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1842.

Location. 42° 59.967′ N, 87° 53.38′ W. Marker is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in Milwaukee County. It is in Bay View. It is at the intersection of East Russell Avenue and South Superior Street, on the right when traveling west on East Russell Avenue. Located on the northeast corner of South Superior and East Russell. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Milwaukee WI 53207, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Navigation Buoy (approx. ¼ mile away); Johanna Brotch: Female Ship Owner (approx. 0.7 miles away); Bay View’s Immigrants (approx. 0.9 miles away); Jones Island Community Site (approx. 1.3 miles away); St. Josaphat Basilica (approx. 1½ miles away); March to Kosciuszko Park (approx. 1.6 miles away); Saint Stephen Lutheran Church (approx. 1.9 miles away); Lake Protestant Cemetery (approx. 2.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milwaukee.

Also see . . . Bayview [sic] Massacre. An extensive history of

Photographed by Paul F, May 24, 2010

2. Bay View's Rolling Mill Marker

the events leading to the Bay View massacre (or tragedy), the events on May 5 and 6, as well as the aftermath of the strike on the "Links To The Past Genealogy" website. (Submitted on October 19, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)

Photographed by Paul F, May 24, 2010

3. Bay View's Rolling Mill Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 26, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 2,872 times since then and 123 times this year. Last updated on July 18, 2014, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 26, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.