Reading Journal 2023: Milwaukee Mayhem: Murder and Mystery in the Cream City’s First Century

Reading Journal 2023: Milwaukee Mayhem: Murder and Mystery in the Cream City’s First Century
Author: Matthew Prigge

I visited Brewtown, or Cream City last summer. While I had been to and through Chicago a few times over the years, I had always been intrigued by its much smaller counterpart barely an hour north over the Wisconsin border..

When one speaks highly of a place, it’s usually with the phrase “character’. And character is typically closely related to history. The less history, the less character.

Milwaukee has history, but as this books title suggests, that history is connected to its murder and mayhem. So much so it is literally imprinted into the place’s cultural evolution. When we were there it seemed every bit as vital to know about its Harley’s and its brews as it was to know the history of its fascination with the madness. A place made of ghosts and horror stories. And no matter how the city has been built up around these stories, boasting spacious streets, historical neighborhoods, a grassroots vibe, and a definite rivertown spirit, there remains a sense of fascination with the cities shadowy corners and darker edges. Something to embrace and to celebrate as part of its character.

I had picked this book up at one of the local shoots, but I decided to hold off until spooky season to give it a read. It’s not exactly what I expected. I was hoping for something more narrative driven and substantive. Something with a bit more reflection and commentary. What this is instead is a series of short true stories that fit into one of the following four categories- Murder, Accidents, Vice, and Secrets.

Which is not to say it’s bad. I really liked the opening intro which sets the stage for the history of mayhem, formulated as it is around the river and it’s brides. The East-West divide, as it typically goes. When one doesn’t like the other? Just tear down their bridge.

For what it is though, a very casual romp through stories with limited but verified data, it’s a fun read. It was easy for me to imagine these stories through recalling the still existing streets and buildings today, especially from our Dahmer walking tour.

Gotta love when a small city sitting in shadow of the much bigger metropolis down the road finds their own way by just embracing the crazy. As they say, history breeds character, and Milwaukee has a good dose of it to share.