The first Hispanic residents of Milwaukee were Mexican tannery workers who arrived in 1920. In his four years of research for The Making of Milwaukee , the quiet-spoken historian came across some bad memories as he pored over old documents and newspapers, digesting the contents of local histories written in the 19th and early 20th centuries. There were Native Americans, whose societies began to implode upon contact with European traders and trappers until they were displaced. But there are so many inspiring, just plain interesting aspects of Milwaukee's past that it must have been tempting to paint too rosy a picture. I'm interested in how things have changed.
Nothing stands still, especially in cities.
Nor has Gurda stood still since he returned home from Boston College in 1969. For several years he worked at the Journey House community center on 16th and Washington, not far from the neighborhood where he was raised by his parents and Polish-immigrant grandparents. That sense was galvanized when he wrote a report on the neighborhood served by Journey House, published by the Council on Urban Life. Along the way he earned a master's degree from UW-Milwaukee for a thesis on Jones Island, the fishing village that became the port of Milwaukee. John's knowledge is incredible and his voice and demeanor is perfect for radio-he sounds so warm and accessible.