One of the joys that make Milwaukee a special place to live are the many green spaces and parks. I can’t prove this, but our city may have more parks per capita than any U. S. big city — all due to the foresight of our Socialist leaders of late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
Our County Park system is composed of 157 parks, 125 miles of multi-use trails and 14 golf courses. It grew out of our earlier municipal park systems developed by leaders like Victor Berger, Emil Seidel, Dan Hoan and Charles Whitnall, all Socialists who viewed recreational activities as necessary as other necessities of life. Interestingly, Berger’s wife, Meta, was the inspiration behind the development of the Milwaukee Public School’s Department of Municipal Recreation and its own creating of playgrounds, soccer and baseball fields and other sites. (Pickup John Gurda’s 1999 book, The Making of Milwaukee for a great summary of these developments.)
This week, with its unusually warm and sunny weather, I took my walks in two parks near my home; both were large acreage of greenery and water nestled between traffic-heavy thoroughfares and tightly populated neighbors of home and small, sometimes grubby, industrial buildings.
I was astounded to find this gem of a tiny pond along a park trail on a warm afternoon recently (photo at left). I had passed it dozens of time without stopping and looking at it. My oh my, what I had been missing! It seems like a swampy pond in the midst of a dense remote forest; yet, it sits less than 75 feet from one of Milwaukee’s busiest roadways.
In another park, located smack-dab among industries and homes is the lovely tiny lake pictured here.
Why don’t you take time out for a walk in the park? There are plenty to chose from. And, what surprising and inspiring sites you’ll find. Believe me, too, that you’ll arrive home refreshed and happy. Wouldn’t that be great?
Look at the pictures closely. Can you reply to this blog and tell me in which parks they were located?
My walks inspired me to write a bit of verse. You can read it here.
Ken Germanson – Oct. 9, 2020
Advoken's Blog 
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