This community of some 21,000 people from numerous ethnic backgrounds is proud of its accomplishments, heritages and hopes to bring memories of the past and continue a bright outlook to a promising future. 

This area before the 1800's was known as the Northwest Territory, visited by traders, trappers, and Native Americans, who came to better hunting and fishing grounds. 

The only means of travel was by foot or horseback, oxen or horse drawn vehicle. There were only rough trails which followed the lake shore from Fort Dearborn (now known as Chicago) to Fort Howard (now known as Green Bay), known as the Military Road which led around stumps of cut trees, through swamps, over ravines and hills; slow tedious travel at best. The Potowatami and Menomonee tribes had moved freely from the lakeshore to the inland depending on weather and food supply. 

Credit must be given to the adventuresome men and women who were looking for more interesting places to live and make a living. As the Erie Canal was built connecting Lake Erie to Lake Huron, water travel opened up considerably, becoming faster than land travel by foot, ox teams or horses. Remember, no hotels or motels; a covered wagon at best and the ground under the stars at night. Meals were by the campfire if meat was available for the taking or hunting. No restaurants or fast food places like Taco Bell, Burger King, McDonald's, Hardee's, KFC or Pizza Hut existed. 

Word had reached the communities along the east coast that the government was opening up land in the Northwest Territory for sale at $1.25 per acre in 1838, under the Pre- emption Act. Information was out that this was rich, fertile ground, prairie-like and forested in part with good water supply. Men began leaving their families to explore. A few of those who came were Elihu Higgins, John Fowle and family, Dibley and family and the McCreedy family. Elihu sent word back to his father-in-law, Oliver Rawson, to bring his family of eleven. These pioneers claimed great areas of land along the creek and along the lakeshore and built homes, cleared land to farm and began foundations of a settlement. Population grew at a tremendous rate in the southwestern part of Wisconsin in the 1840's and 1850's. 

Milwaukee County was the governing unit made up of townships. This area was part of the Lake Township, which was too large for the board members to travel to meetings and do town business in one day. In 1841, the area was divided. As the area was around a deep beautiful stream with an abundance of white oak trees, they decided to name the settlement Oak Creek. 

By 1846, there was evidence of a school, town officers and churches for worship. The early settlers found the land good for farming, raising livestock, and numerous businesses flourished in the area. There were gristmills by Higgins and Fowle, which were mills where wheat, oats, corn, and barley were ground for food for people and cattle. John Fowle also ran a sawmill to cut the oak trees into lumber for homes, barns and businesses. The settlement with a post office and general stores was located near the First Congregational. 

Church and School on Pine Street and Hawthorne Avenue, which was on the road to market. The mill was located on the east side of Mill Road and Oak Creek Parkway across from the lagoon spillway which was near the site of the Mill dam that provided water power for the sawmill and gristmill. 

The first houses and buildings were built of logs cut in the area. In a few years, more sawmills were operating and lumber was available. The red clay found along the creek banks and lake bluffs was good material for making bricks. When baked in a large oven or kiln, the red clay turned a creamy yellow color and was known as "Cream City Brick." There were several brickyards in the vicinity in the 1850's, 1860's and 1870's. Quantities of cream city brick were shipped by scows and tugboats from the harbor at the mouth of the creek to markets in Michigan and to towns along the lake shore. You can see evidence of the use of cream city brick here and in many surrounding communities. Discarded bricks and remains of the brickyards are often found when residents landscape property or excavate for a new building. 

Memorabilia of the past and possibly the oldest man- made helpers in the city are the grinding stones from the John Fowle grist mill built in 1840, located on either side of the spillway of the lagoon. John Fowle, a wheelwright and millwright, with the help of William Sivyer, a mason who came to Milwaukee as a chimney builder for Solomon Juneau, made the grinding stones from granite boulders found in the creek.

 It is fortunate that the grinding stones were found after being abandoned in the creek. They were retrieved, cleaned and reinforced with metal and placed on either side of the spillway of the lagoon thanks to Dennis Rankin, a relative of the John Fowle family, and the first president of the South Milwaukee Historical Society, when it was formed in 1971. The retrieval of the stones was a part of the city's Bicentennial Celebration in 1975. This was accomplished with the help of Dennis' friends, co-workers, and the cooperation of the County Park Commission. It would seem fitting to have a marker placed at the site on the parkway so their significance is recognized. They were made in 1840 and added greatly to life in the rural settlement. Give some thought to it. Remember, this is before electrical conveniences, Fireplaces gave heat by burning wood and also provided a place to cook food, heat water and stay warm. The early houses were made of logs, without running water or indoor plumbing. They used natural light, firelight or candlelight for lighting. No electricity. No radios. No televisions. No computers. 

By 1870, many more homes and some farms were built along Hawthorne, North Chicago and Rawson Avenues. The population by 1890 was over 500. The village government was incorporated and the name changed to South Milwaukee in late 1891. The matter of incorporation was projected as of August 8, 1892 with a population of 518 and finalized and granted December 3, 1892. 

In the 1890's, numerous events rapidly took place. There were rumors and speculation that the settlement along Oak Creek was in need of and ready for change, expansion and a new outlook for growth financially. To preserve the beauty of the natural area, plans for a new city to rival Milwaukee were made. Milwaukee and the surrounding area was rapidly developing in the industrial age. The rumors interested the farmers who had more acres than they could farm selling the farmland, at the huge prices that were offered. The Civil War was over and those men returning in later years became some of the most prominent citizens of the community. In the spring of 1890, William M. Williams and his brother-in-law Fred E. Mansfield began securing options on acreage in the territory with a view to starting a new town. Options were taken on farm land near the lake and buyers were quickly purchasing land which had not sold before for $100 to $200 per acre, now sold for $900 to $1,000 per acre and more. 

Williams was born at the Town of Lake, located just north of South Milwaukee, in 1843. He was the son of a pioneer family which settled there and he married the daughter of a pioneer family of Oak Creek, Mary Mansfield.
		Mary's mother was Electra Rawson (daughter of Oliver Rawson.) Williams engaged in farming at Oak Creek, later became a grocer there and even served as Postmaster of the little village. In the early 1880's, he moved to Milwaukee and started in the contracting business.
While constructing railways for the Wisconsin Central Company late in 1887, and perhaps having noticed how communities sprang up along the line, he conceived the idea of starting the suburb at Oak Creek.

 After securing several land options, Williams and Mansfield took the matter to Fred W Rogers, a Milwaukee capitalist who soon interested others in development of the enterprise. The options were transferred to the South Milwaukee Company which incorporated on June 20, 1891 with George B. VanNorman as president; E.H. Bottum, vice-president; John S. George, secretary; Fred Rogers, treasurer; and Thomas Shea, Francis Boyd and Thomas Spence on the board of directors. 

By 1891, the South Milwaukee Company, an incorporated group of energetic, well directed real estate promoters with realistic enterprising business methods and financial backing, organized a group to stage a "land boom" to entice industries into the area.

 The idea was to re-plan and extend this typical rural settlement into an industrial suburb, a rival of Milwaukee with a strong industrial base along the shore of Lake Michigan with spacious streets and grand homes. A downtown plan was platted and laid out in lots, streets were named and industrial spaces were allocated for sale. 

Although other developers jumped on the bandwagon, buying up land, platting and selling sites on the south and western boundaries of the town which had been set aside from Oak Creek, taking the name of South Milwaukee and incorporating as a village in 1892, the South Milwaukee Company held the choicest land along the lake and through the business center of the town.