Juneau Park, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is situated on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. It is popular for its short distance to downtown Milwaukee, lakefront walking path, and vantage point for fireworks displays.
Public art
Built in 1887 and designed by Richard Henry Park, the Juneau Monument is a tribute to the city's first mayor, Solomon Juneau. (reprint from Milwaukee Sentinel, 7 July 1887). Also built in 1887, Leif, the Discoverer by sculptor Anne Whitney is a replica of her statue of Leif Erikson in Boston.
Gertie the Duck Gertie the Duck, an icon of Milwaukee history, was moved with her ducklings to the lagoon at Juneau Park in the mid-1940s for their safety. The story of a duck, Gertie, and her efforts to watch over nine eggs— and ultimately hatch six ducklings on a wood piling below the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge—was reported by Gordon MacQuarrie of the Milwaukee Journal and became an inspiration for many war-weary Americans near the end of World War II.Sandin, Jo. "Home Sweet Home". The Milwaukee Journal, March 31, 1995.Bauer, Fran. "Gertie co-author remembers famous fowl". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 1, 1997, p. B3. Passers-by, the Boy Scouts, and a Wisconsin Humane Society officer watched over Gertie and her growing family.Gould, Whitney. "Mallard memorialized Gertie, City's Famed duck gets statue in her honor". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 25, 1997 Final, p. B1. Besides local newspapers, the story was picked up in national and U.K. press.Johnson, Don L. "'Millie' Finds City Life Just Ducky". Milwaukee Sentinel, May 28, 1980 Final, p. A1. After surviving bad weather and a nearby fire, the ducks were relocated to the Juneau Park lagoon.
References
Further reading
External links Juneau Park Friends Map of Juneau Park