Welcome to Milwaukee - Wisconsin SuperMall

The Milwaukee metropolitan area has a population of well over 1.5 million, and is located about 90 miles north of Chicago and about 250 miles east of Minneapolis on the shore of Lake Michigan.

The Potawatomi Indians called it "the gathering place by the river." But it was once just a shoreline along the Great Lake now called Michigan, a jumping-off place into the remote and western wilderness. To American pioneers the area that is now Milwaukee represented a new beginning, a place to make dreams come true.

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First came the fur traders, who were followed closely by land speculators. The land had all the ingredients needed to attract and sustain pioneer families. Vast amounts of water, timber and rich soil quickly yielded their fruits and supported domestic farm animals. Businesses grew up to transport and transform the area's natural resources. There were wheat traders, meat packers, tanneries, shipyards, brickyards and breweries. Milwaukee was nicknamed "Cream City of the Lakes" for the light golden color of its bricks. In the late 19th century it pre-dated Hollywood as the principal center of panoramas (huge traveling paintings).

A Place to Call Home
Industry and business attracted thousands of people from the Eastern seaboard and beyond. Milwaukee became the primary destination of European immigrants from 1840 until well into the 20th century. First to arrive in great numbers were the Irish, Germans and Scandinavians. They were followed by Poles, Czechs and Italians.

The immigrants' concepts of freedom fostered new political ideas, and in the early 1900s Milwaukee was the stronghold of Socialist thought. It was the first major U.S. city with a Socialist mayor, Emil Seidel.

The city also raised its share of home-grown talent and heroes. It was home to the well-known MacArthur clan, which included Judge Arthur MacArthur and his grandson General Douglas MacArthur. Increase Lapham, the first State Geologist, helped found the National Weather Bureau. Author Edna Ferber and poet Carl Sandburg were both local reporters. Actors Spencer Tracy, Pat O'Brien and Gene Wilde, all trace their roots to Milwaukee.