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The Progressive Generation defined our earliest days. A Bridge War between Juneautown and Kilbourntown in 1845 led to their unification and the city of Milwaukee – population 10,000, was founded in 1846 with Solomon Juneau as its first mayor. By 1860, Milwaukee was one of the nation's top 20 cities with a population of 45,246, and the country's leader in beer production. Children of the post-Civil War era, the Missionary Generation, came of age as labor anarchists, campus rioters and ambitious first graduates of black and women's colleges, giving rise to the Bible Belt, Christian socialism, Greenwich Village, the Wobblies, renewed labor and women's suffrage movements.

Horse-Drawn Streetcar

Milwaukee's first streetcar line was as much a sign of the times as it was of great value to the city's growing population. The original route began operation on May 30, 1860, on what is now Water St. from Erie St. to Juneau Ave., by the River & Lake Shore City Railway Company. Before long there were three different horse car companies serving the west side and south side as well. By 1880, there were more than 14 miles of track served by 32 cars, 280 horses and 250 men. Public transportation had come to Milwaukee to stay.

Originally used to identify a group of American literary expatriates living in Paris, the Lost Generation is now used more generally to describe the generation who came of age in the U.S. during and shortly after World War I. As Milwaukee grew and the development of electric power improved, workers of all trades and backgrounds were needed to fill the demand. By 1899, Milwaukee was a very diverse city with most ethnic groups concentrated in particular neighborhoods. For instance, the Bay View area became predominantly British, Russian Jews settled on the northeast side and the Third Ward district went from being an Irish community to an Italian neighborhood.

First Electric Streetcar

The first electric streetcar trip took place in April 1890, down Wells St. from 11th to 34th streets. Almost immediately, Milwaukee's horse-drawn streetcars began giving way to their electric successors. By January 29, 1896, Milwaukee became the world's first major unified and electrified mass transit system. All the street railway systems were consolidated and were part of The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company (TMER&L Co.). Early on it took two men to operate the maroon colored streetcars. One drove while the other collected the fares.

In 1918, WWI ended, the troops returned home and it was a year of renewal and celebration. It was at that time that Milwaukee's Airport was renamed General Mitchell Field. The upswing of the social scene led to the start of the “Roaring Twenties” where bowling and beauty contests were just two of many Milwaukee pastimes. In the late 1920s to early 1930s, Bronzeville was settled by African Americans in the Sixth, Second, Ninth and Tenth wards of Milwaukee which comprised 94 percent of the city's 7,501 black population. The Greatest Generation describes the generation of Americans that fought and won World War II. They later became the “Establishment,” and the parents of the Baby Boomers. Milwaukee industry played a large role in this war effort, including the manufacturing of bomb casings and tank parts.

City Streetcar

The electric streetcar remained the backbone of Milwaukee's transit system through WWII. But toward the end of the 1930s, streetcars were being replaced by trackless trolleys and motor buses. The last streetcars were built by the St. Louis Car Co. in 1930. Ironically, Wells St., which was the site of the first electric streetcar line, also became the scene of the last streetcar on March 2, 1958. In a 1938 court ruling, TMER&L Co. was prohibited from owning the dual monopolies of transit and electric power generation. While it took until after WWII to be fully implemented, TMER&L Co., one of the nation's premier transport companies, was divided, and from it separate companies emerged. One was the predecessor to today's We Energies, and the other was The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Transport Co., a predecessor to today's Milwaukee County Transit System.

Trackless Trolleys

In the early 1920s, Milwaukee became one of the first cities in the U.S. to use double-decker buses. These original buses came with an open upper deck which was modified to be enclosed and heated. Also in the 1920s, most of the streetcars were rebuilt into one-man configurations distinguished by their orange and cream color scheme. In 1936, another transit innovation was launched with the introduction of the swift and silent trackless trolley. Closely resembling motor buses, the trackless trolleys were electrically powered from overhead wires. They quickly replaced many streetcar lines and were a prominent part of Milwaukee's transit fleet until 1965 when they finally gave way to diesel buses.

Amid a worldwide increase in birthrates, the Baby Boomers were born during or just after World War II. In this generation, a record number of people attended college and obtained, perhaps in many cases, the first college degree in their families. This increase in education led to higher family incomes, allowing them the resources to produce more children.

Post-War Trackless Trolley and Diesel Buses

With the end of WWII, Milwaukee continued to replace its aging streetcar fleet with trackless trolleys as well as gasoline powered motor buses. At their peak in 1949, there were 400 trackless trolleys in operation with 100 assigned to route 19 alone. Gasoline powered buses supplemented the streetcars and trackless trolleys on many routes.

Born between the Baby Boomers and Generation X, Generation Jones included those who were children in the 1960s and teens in the 1970s. Their name signifies a large, anonymous generation with unfulfilled expectations. During this era, The Milwaukee Braves won The World Series in 1957 and the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory (The Domes) opened in 1964, formally dedicated by the first lady, Lady Bird Johnson. Milwaukee was also awarded its second professional basketball team, the Milwaukee Bucks. More than 14,000 fans participated in a contest to name the team. In 1971, three years after the Bucks formed, they won the NBA Championship.

The New Look Bus

In the 1950s, the first generation of diesel buses came to Milwaukee replacing the remaining streetcars. Then in 1960, the transit bus got an extensive design makeover, and the New Look bus, introduced by General Motors in Milwaukee, with an orange and cream color scheme, soon became the industry standard. After the completion of the first freeway link between the west suburbs and downtown in 1964, the Freeway Flyer was initiated using these New Look buses. It was an instant success, not only catching on here, but across the country. In 1975 Milwaukee County purchased the Milwaukee & Suburban Transport Corp. and the buses were repainted in two-tone green, a combination said to be favored by then County Executive John Doyne and County Board Chair Bill O'Donnell, both Irish Americans.

This generation was influenced by the launch of MTV, the popularization of Web technology and the evolution of 80s glam fashions into grunge. Inspired by Summerfest – Polish Fest, Festa Italiana, German Fest, African World Festival, Irish Fest, Mexican Fiesta, Indian Summer, Asian Moon Festival and Arab World Fest were created to celebrate Milwaukee's diverse and culturally rich history. And the Milwaukee Brewers, formed in 1970, went on to play to a seventh and deciding game in the 1982 World Series. Milwaukee also witnessed history when Hank Aaron hit his record-setting 755th home run in 1976.

Milwaukee County Takes Ownership

After Milwaukee County took over the transit system, one of the first improvements made was to order 100 new buses from the Flxible Company. These were the first Milwaukee buses equipped with air conditioning and wheelchair lifts and arrived in mid 1978. Starting in 1983, MCTS also started a program to rebuild many of the New Look buses originally purchased in the mid 1960s. Both the Flxible and rebuilt buses were painted white with a green stripe reflecting the new MCTS color scheme. That design was used until 2000 when the current MCTS colors were introduced.

The Y2K scare fizzled as we woke up January 1, 2000, to life as usual. And Wisconsin Energy, a one-time owner of public transit in Milwaukee, acquired Wisconsin Gas in 2000 and merged it with Wisconsin Electric to form We Energies. More than a decade of planning and over four years of construction culminated on April 6, 2001, when Miller Park opened its doors, becoming the first and only fan-shaped retractable roof in Major League Baseball.

MCTS Today

In the 1990s, service was expanded in order to connect workers to jobs in areas previously unserved by transit. Other 1990s innovations included the Commuter Value Program, offering employers an employee benefit of reduced transportation costs; and U-PASS, giving unlimited MCTS rides to students at UW-Milwaukee, Marquette University and MIAD. During the 1980s, Milwaukee County embarked on a facilities modernization program that resulted in the rebuilding or replacement of all MCTS facilities. Today MCTS operates six facilities: three garages for bus operations, a downtown Transit Center, a fleet maintenance base and an administrative headquarters.

Milwaukee County’s public transportation history is as much our story as it is Milwaukee County Transit System’s. From the first electric streetcars of the late 1800s – operated by our predecessors at The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company – to the more nimble “trackless trolleys” of the 1930s and beyond, our company has improved the quality of life for the people we serve. Today, our commitment to the people of Milwaukee County continues as we work to provide safe, reliable energy service. We’re proud to be named the best utility in the Midwest for keeping your power on.

The Milwaukee Brewers are proud of their contributions to the quality of life in Milwaukee County over the years. The community has come to appreciate fan-based professional baseball in its hometown from the 1900s with the Negro League Milwaukee Bears, to the World Series Champion Milwaukee Braves, to today’s Milwaukee Brewers. Our contributing sponsorship to this historic bus campaign is as much of a recognition of the community’s storied love affair with our favorite national pastime, as it is a show of appreciation by the Milwaukee Brewers for your continued support for baseball throughout the generations.

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