They don’t call Milwaukee the “Hollywood of Southeastern Wisconsin” for nothing [citation needed]. We’ve got our fair share of Brew City born, bred, or based celebrities, and The Squeaky Curd is sitting down with them at local watering holes to talk English majors, Cicerones, Socialists, and Milwaukee.
Cover photo by Historic Milwaukee, Inc. All subsequent photos by Joe Powell for The Squeaky Curd unless otherwise noted.
Milwaukee is a city with character and characters, built upon both a proud, and at times, troubling history. For nearly five decades, John Gurda has been the preeminent local keeper and teller of that history, sharing the evolving stories with our growing city for the purpose of reflecting, enjoying, and learning. We were so excited to sit down with John at a world-renowned beer bar in Bay View that’s part of local history in its own regard: Romans’ Pub.
The Squeaky Curd: As a Milwaukeean, where do I probably know you from?
John Gurda: I’ve been doing local history for 45 years. It’s all I’ve done.
TSC: In your opinion, what would you like me to know you for?
JG: I define history as “why things are the way they are.” I’d hope I’ve been a provider of context, a teller of stories.
TSC: What’s your connection to Milwaukee?
JG: I grew up in Jackson Park and Hales Corners. My extended family owned a hardware store in the city, and that was a huge part of our orbit growing up.
TSC: How did you become a Historian?
JG: After attending Boston College, I came back to Milwaukee and worked for a few years at Journey House doing everything. We were struggling to find funding, and so another employee and I put together a case statement about Journey House and its place in the neighborhood to shop around town.
To be honest, I just wanted to write. I was an English major; I didn’t give a rat’s ass about history before. But writing this case statement, I started to notice ties between local histories, a story that included my neighborhood and my family.
TSC: Did you get the funding from your case statement?
JG: No, but I did get a career in history. It was okay though, Journey House is huge, now funded and doing great work.
TSC: What makes Milwaukee a desirable place for you to live and work?
JG: It’s in a really rare sweet spot between large & small. I like to say it’s “manageable”, and “human-scale”. I also like that we’re on this path from Chicago to Milwaukee to Green Bay up to the UP: it’s all kind of on the edge of the wilderness.
TSC: What’s your favorite thing to do in Milwaukee?
JG: I used to be a regular at a bar called Big John’s Tap on South 12th. You can go out for drinks a lot more before you have kids. Gordie’s (in St Francis) is a similar type of place that Milwaukee’s famous for: like drinking in someone’s living room.
I really enjoy biking around Milwaukee. We’ve got a great trail system. There’s also plenty of places to cross country ski, like on the golf course at Grant Park (in South Milwaukee). Just make sure you leave before 10PM when they lock the gates, otherwise you’ll end up having to call 911 to get out like I had to once.
TSC: What are you drinking right now? Why did you choose to come to Romans’ Pub?
JG: This is an Alaskan Amber. I stick with the Ambers; we’re Baby Boomers whose taste-buds sometimes need a jolt.
Romans’ is close to my home and has one of the best selections in the city. Mike Romans is a certified Cicerone, so he knows his beer. Plus he’s been manning the bar here for about as long as I’ve been working with history.
Mike Romans chimed in from behind the bar: John and I are kind of Milwaukee history, now.
TSC: If you could have a drink with one other local celebrity, who would it be?
JG: George Walker (no hesitation). He was one of the three founders of Milwaukee, and probably was the kind of guy you’d want to rub elbows with. He had a harder time getting his part of the city set up compared to Juneau and Kilbourn. I’d enjoy talking with him about his efforts.
TSC: If you could say one thing to someone just moving to Milwaukee today, what would it be?
JG: Milwaukee has 5x per capita more park space than Chicago. Most people don’t know that. We once had Socialists running the city, but Socialists who were literally a constructive force. Go to the Lake: it’s more than half parkland up and down from the city.
There’s even parks in the most urban settings. I did my master’s thesis on Jones Island (Milwaukee’s waste-water treatment area). I love asking people if they’ve ever been to Kaszube’s Park on Jones Island. I get a lot of blank stares, but a few nods every now and then.
TSC: After decades of researching, speaking about, and writing about history, how does it stay interesting for you?
JG: History’s not static, it’s moving. We’re all just one point along the lengthening path.
We’d like to thank the Milwaukee historian John Gurda for the great company and engaging stories.