Decoding The First Five Lines

I had always wondered about the first five lines of the Milwaukee verse...

 

View the three stories of Mitchell

As you walk the beating of the world

At a distance in time

From three who lived there

At a distance in space

 

 

The three stories of Mitchell are likely Mitchell Hall at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.  It is only a few blocks away from Lake Park.  I will be taking photos of Mitchell Hall next week.

 

But after you "view the three stories of Mitchell", you are supposed to come past the "three who lived there".

 

But there are five street blocks you must walk to get from Mitchell Hall to Lake Park, where you can "step on nature, cast in copper". 

 

Those five street blocks are:

 

• Downer Avenue
• Hackett Avenue
• Summit Avenue
• Shepard Avenue
• Marietta Avenue

Marietta Avenue is explained in lines six and seven.  But what of the other four?

 

I had an opportunity today to visit the library and do some research about Milwaukee street names.  In fact, there is an excellent reference book by Carl Baehr (a local historian) entitled "Milwaukee Streets: The Stories Behind Their Names". 

 

 

It was an excellent book.  And it is where I learned that Byron Preiss was right.

 

Downer Avenue was named for Jason Downer, former member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Hackett Avenue was named by Edward Hackett, a real estate mogul.

Shepard Avenue was named by Clarence Shepard, who owned a hardware business.

 

And Summit Avenue?  It was named because it overlooks Lake Michigan.

 

So, when travelling from "the three stories of Mitchell" to Lake Park, you will only walk past three street blocks named after those "who lived here".

 

Here are copies of the pertinent pages from Carl Baehr's book...

 

 
 

Citation: 
Baehr, C. (1994). Milwaukee Streets: The Stories Behind Their
Names (1st ed., Wisconsin). Milwaukee, WI: Cream City Press.