Origin of name of Bluemound Road

[Barbara Jean Kuehl]

Michael L. Hess (mh...@omnifest.uwm.edu) writes:

> Where did the name for Bluemound Road in Milwaukee come from?

I was born and raised in Milwaukee and have lived here for more years
than the lines on my face belie. From what I know about the naming of
roads in Milwaukee, all the roads with names like Fond du Lac, Beloit,
Appleton, and Bluemound were named that way because they were the
original highways (before expressways) to those cities. Check your
Wisconsin map. Does Bluemound Rd. lead to Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
(south of Madison)?

BJ

[Michael L. Hess]

I have two questions:

1. Where did the name for Bluemound Road in Milwaukee come from?

2. What is the proper spelling? Is it two words, or one?

I would appreciate a response from anyone who thinks they know. Thanks!

[R.R. Jake Jakoubek]

In article <3olps2$q...@uwm.edu> b...@alpha1.csd.uwm.edu (Barbara Jean Kuehl) writes:

>Michael L. Hess (mh...@omnifest.uwm.edu) writes:

>> Where did the name for Bluemound Road in Milwaukee come from?

>I was born and raised in Milwaukee and have lived here for more years

>than the lines on my face belie. From what I know about the naming of
>roads in Milwaukee, all the roads with names like Fond du Lac, Beloit,
>Appleton, and Bluemound were named that way because they were the
>original highways (before expressways) to those cities. Check your
>Wisconsin map. Does Bluemound Rd. lead to Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
>(south of Madison)?

I believe Bluemound Road was (is?) the very old Hwy. 18, in which case,
Hwy. 18 does go to Blue Mound west of Madison. Does anyone know of
another Blue Mound Hill west of Milwaukee?

-- Jake
------------------------------------------------------------------
R.R. "Jake" Jakoubek | work: rrja...@cacd.rockwell.com
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402 | play: ja...@netins.net
http://www.netins.net/showcase/jakoubek/

[WTMJ]

Michael L. Hess asks:

> Where did the name for Bluemound Road in Milwaukee come from?

> What is the proper spelling? Is it two words, or one?

In Carl Baehr's book, Milwaukee Streets: The Stories Behind Their Names,
he writes:
Blue Mound Road
During the 1830s, Blue Mound Road was built following the Indian trail
from Milwaukee to Blue Mounds in Dane County. The Blue Mounds are so
called because of a bluish tint produced by copper in the soil.
Sean O'Flaherty
News Operations Manager
WTMJ

[PCC Warren]

>>I believe Bluemound Road was (is?) the very old Hwy. 18, in which case,
>>Hwy. 18 does go to Blue Mound west of Madison. Does anyone know of
>>another Blue Mound Hill west of Milwaukee?

If you are refering to the large hill on Blue Mound (two words, by the
way) Road in between Elm Grove and Brookfield, that is the North American
Transcontinental Divide, dividing the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic
ocean watersheds.

Blue Mound Road, east of Barker Road in the Town of Waukesha, is still US
Highway 18, but at one time it was also US 16, STH 19, and STH 30, all
still existing in places west of Milwaukee.