Walking / Biking Tour

In 1917, the Village of East Milwaukee was poised for growth. New homes, small businesses, schools and churches were replacing farms, primarily east of Oakland Avenue. Street paving had begun.

Members of the Village Board of East Milwaukee (incorporated in 1900) decided the growing community needed a more significant name “Shorewood,” inspired by the stately trees that overlooked Lake Michigan, became the official name on August 1, 1917.

This tour guide is designed to highlight village history and development leading up to 1917, which provided a foundation for the village we see around us today.

At that time:

• Most of the community’s housing was located east of Oakland Avenue.
• The population was about 1600.
• Chickens, cows and horses were allowed west of Oakland.
• There were about 500 homes.
• Most businesses were neighborhood corner stores .
• Electric streetcar routes along Downer and Oakland Avenues provided transportation to and from Milwaukee.

The newly-named Shorewood was poised to take advantage of a Milwaukee housing shortage .. Construction of streets, sidewalks, gas, water and sewer pipes had begun in earnest. People were eager to move out of the city to “healthier-areas.

Over the next decade, the land west of Oakland became available for development. Approximately 200 homes were c.onstructed every year, and the first sections of Lake Bluff Elementary and Shorewood High School were completed. By 1930, the population was over 13,000.