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Around Thanksgiving,
1968, I was sent from.....
I was a brakeman for the Milwaukee Road in 1951 Ed Godec- Lodi, WI
I was born in 1932 in Milwaukee... Dick Barmann
PICTURE TAKEN AT THE OPENING OF THE 41 TWIN THEATRE FROM THE ROOF 1948 CHEERS JEFF JEFF KOSTER |
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grew up in Milwaukee in the late 70's Early 80's.... Remember all the car frames at AO Smith on 35th and Capitol. Don't forget seeing the latest AMC car on the corner of Richards and Capitol drive. Godfather's pizza on 71st and Capitol. Zwiefel Ford on Lisbon ave. The little Red school house on Appleton Ave. Great memories on this site, hope these few helped. I was born in Milwaukee, 1938...... Originally lived on the "Polish" south side around 11th and Mitchell St right across from Schusters. We lived there until about 1944 when we moved out to the "suburbs" around Humboldt Park. I remember the holidays in Milwaukee, especially Christmas, when we would listen to the radio and Santa Claus reading off toy lists from all The hopeful kids. I believe Billy the Brownie would help Santa with the lists. As we got closer to Christmas, there were calls placed up to the North pole to talk to Santa as he got ready for the big trip down here. I loved walking into the Sears-Roebuck store on Forest Home Ave and the smell of the roasted nuts and the noise of the vacuum cleaner demo being run right across from the roasted nuts. Somehow I would always get my dad to take a walk past the electric train dept hoping he would loosen up on his purse strings. The Grand and Schusters were stores for the well-to-do people, so we never went to those stores. We patronized Goldmans, Hills, etc. As I got to be about 12-13 yrs old, the winter probably was more fun than summer, especially the ice skating at Humboldt Park and the sled riding down the Humboldt Park hill. Now that I think back about it, that park was like my 2nd home. I still live close to Milwaukee and every time I go there I still go past some of my favorite places of fun, eating, dancing, etc. I had so much fun that it makes me feel kind of sad to hear the younger people talk about how bored they are. That was never the case with me or my friends. So much has changed that most of my memories of Milwaukee almost feel surreal. However the good memories and all of the fun we had will always seem almost like yesterday. Jim W.
The Streets of Retro Milwaukee? Jack toal. ex- Milwaukeean Madison, WI |
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What a walk down Memory Lane – love this site! I was born in 1945 in Milwaukee; my parents were natives too. Until 1957, we lived at 10th & Clark & walked or took the bus everywhere. Started grade school at St. Boniface & it was a huge event when the old school was torn down & a brand new building came into being. No AC, of course; we slept with the windows open & I’d hear a quartet of neighborhood boys harmonizing on the street corner. My grandpa lived upstairs in our duplex – he was from Sweden & worked as a masseuse at the Pfister Hotel. My uncle was a toy buyer for Schusters so we always rec’d good presents – their Christmas parade holds many happy memories for me. A bunch of us kids frequented Hoyt Pool in the summers or braved the lake at Bradford Beach. We later moved out to the boonies near Mount Mary College. I graduated from Pius High & worked at the main library downtown while attending Marquette. All the elderly Germans would cool off or warm up in the library while reading German newspapers. Once, a patron died in his chair there & I was spooked because I had just walked by him. I miss Mama Mia’s (loved the greasy garlic bread), frozen custard, real brats & my Mom’s dill pickles.
Sue Janda Haley
Wisco 99
Revisited
Randy Paul, I read your notes on Wisco 99. I can fill in the story of the company. I am the son of the founder who was Willard T Hansen. the company was started in 1938. It consisted of one station on State Street in Milwaukee [ an area called Pigsville ]. It wasn't until 1946 that the 1st Wisco 99 super station was built. It was a brand new concept of getting people in and out quickly. the stations were large, had 4 islands and 8 pumps, they were clean and each customer would be greeted by at least two or three attendants depending on the amount of business. all glass on the car was cleaned, oil checked, battery levels checked and the transaction concluded as quickly as possible. Every person who worked had to go to Wisco's school before they would interface with the customer. How you treat, greet and handle customers and their expectations. There was a definite culture. The company was sold to the Pure Oil Company of Ill. in 1958, at that time there were 40 stations in Milw, Madison and Racine. They were selling approx 40 million gallons at that time. The company was merchandised heavily in radio, some TV [Boston Blackie] and outdoor advertising. Promotions such as double stamp day, ladies day gifts, were part of the promotions. There would be big promotions at the opening of new stations with gifts and special pricing. Cars would line up for blocks during some of the openings. The stations were 24/7 and a lot of the help was high school and college kids. The typical corner gas station would pump about 25,000-40,000 gallons a month. On grand openings Wisco would do that in one day. The average gallonage for Wisco stations was 200,000- 300,000 gallons a month. At that time gas was selling for .17 to .24 per gallon. So now you know the rest of the story. The founder, Willard T Hansen passed away at guess...99. Two months short of his 100th birthday. Don Hansen
Milwaukee holds such a deep place in my heart. The memories of precious people and places will live on in me for the rest of my years. I grew up on Vliet street in the 60's and 70's until I left in 1976 for a career in the military. I went to Saint Michael's school and can remember the scent of charcoal in the air on early brisk winter mornings. The excitement of trudging through the freshly fallen winter snow as I played along the snow banks, and watched the canals the formed underneath them as the snow melted. On the corner of 24 th and Vliet there was an old time candy store with the big glass display case, and I believe the proprietors name was Woody. That kindly old gentleman always had a smile on his face as he patiently filled our candy requests 1 penny at a time. May God bless him. Across the street was Anne's restaurant where my mother took me to eat after school and after I gave her my 3rd grade project/gift, two Christmas candle holders. Just west of Anne's restaurant was the Empire fish company which incidentally was directly across Vliet street from the Saint Michael's Church Catholic Nun's Covent. There also was a Bardhall oil distributor across the street. More to come.
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Don’t let your Milwaukee memories fade away! Milwaukee is unique among American cities. Throughout the ‘40s, ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, Milwaukee was the quintessential American town, the best place in the world to call home. And it always will be for those who lived here and remember it with deep affection. Viewers of Happy Days and Lavern and Shirley can only imagine how much fun we had! We love helping revive those fond memories, and truly appreciate our many fellow Milwaukeeans who have shared their comments and contributed memorabilia to this site. Though we’ve maintained Retro-Milwaukee without support from advertisers, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to do so. Can you please help? Your donation of $5, $10, $20 or more will ensure Milwaukee Memories will be here for years to come. Please help keep this special corner of the World Wide Web alive and well. Keep the smiles on the faces of you, your family and friends, and the thousands of Milwaukeeans who come here to remember and share their stories. Yes, I want to keep Milwaukee Memories alive!
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