I certainly have. WUWM has the answer, courtesy of local historians.
Thinnes says it was that combination of independent spirit and manufacturing might led South Milwaukee to establish, early on, its own infrastructure including a water filtration system, sewer system and its own street and address scheme.
“South Milwaukee, they didn’t really feel they were a continuation of the City of Milwaukee, so they tried to keep their own identity. And when this whole process started, they decided, no, they were not going to do it; they were going to keep their street numbering system and keep their street names,” according to Milwaukee address history buff Carl Baehr.
If city founders wanted to have their own identity they could have come up with a name that was more conducive to its own identity rather throwing the word south before Milwaukee. That naming decision has created many identity issues for our modern day city and its residents.
Speaking of SM street names… During SM’s early days we had streets with the names of Pewabic,, Nemahbin, and Keweenaw. These were changed around 1916. Bonus points if anyone knows what these streets are called today!
Please share – inquiring minds want to know!
Glad to!…. These three streets (Avenues, actually) ran eastward from North Chicago to Lake Drive and are known today as Park, Sycamore and Elm.
I hope we will keep our own “identity” when the City of Milwaukee wants to bring a trolley line down here because no one is riding it.