100th Birthday of Grant Park - 2010
100th Birthday of Grant Park 2010
100 Things to do in the Park
1. Drive through the park
2. Walk on the beach
3. Throw stones in the water
4. Look for drift wood
5. Find fossils in rocks on the beach
6. Observe the shapes of the clouds
7. Watch the stars
8. Watch the waves/tides
9. Build a sand castle
10. Look for cliff swallows
11. Walk on the Seven Bridges Trail
12. Learn the names of all the wild flowers
13. Take photos of all the wild flowers
14. Take photos of whatever you think is beautiful
15. Write a poem about the park
16. Write a song about something in the park
17. Ride the bike trail
18. Play golf on the golf course
19. Listen to a concert in the park
20. Enjoy a fish fry in the park
21. Sit and commune with nature
22. Play soccer
23. Write a story about something you did in the park
24. Listen for owls
25. Weed out garlic mustard
26. Help the Park People with a project
27. Buy something in the pro store
28. Make a donation to the parks for continued park maintenance
29. Pick up trash in the park
30. Pick grape leaves (before July 4th) and make sarma
31. Meditate on the beauty of nature
32. Help to make a labyrinth
33. Find and name all the trees that grow in the north temperate zone
34. Sit and read park history
35. Grant Park is the highest site on the western side of
Lake Michigan; find the marker in the park
36. Walk/run/joy on the bike trail
37. Dance in the park
38. Fish in the pond or creek
39. Watch a soccer game
40. Catch a salmon in Oak Creek
41. Watch the ducks and geese in the mill pond
42. Hike along the creek
43. Watch the water go over the Mill Pond dam
44. Help on a clean up the park day
45. Count the many shades of green you see
46. Read a book in the park
47. Bird watch—how many different kinds of birds do you see?
48. Paint a picture of the park
49. Sit on the beach and watch the sunrise
50. Take photos of the park and make a calendar or scrapbook
51. Have a cook out
52. Buy take out and have a picnic
53. Look for deer in the park
54. Sing in the park
55. Get a suntan/sunbathe
56. Float a boat down Oak Creek
57. Float a boat in Lake Michigan
58. Splash in the water
59. Go for a swim
60. Roller skate in the park
61. Rent a jet ski
62. Use a metal detector to hunt treasure
63. Look for the ripply rock (3-4 feet high)
64. Sit on a natural park bench
65. Winter bird watch
66. Look for Hawks nests in the winter (sticks only in the nest)
67. Snow shoe in the park
68. Cross country ski through the park
69. Locate Indian mounds in the park
70. Fly a kite
71. Have a family reunion
72. Spend a evening in the Scout House
73. Visit Willoway for a tour
74. Ice skate on the mill pond
75. Make a leaf rubbing
76. Collect colorful leaves
77. Play tennis
78. Hit a baseball
79. Enjoy the use of the playground equipment
80. Screen for crayfish in the creek
81. Play hockey on the frozen pond
82. Fish off the rocks by the Lake
83. Walk across the bridge on Oak Creek
84. Look for turtles
85. Go to Mass in the park on Easter
86. Look for wild onions and garlic in the spring
87. Look for deer antlers
88. Hunt for acorns
89. Look for different kinds of mushrooms
90. Walk in the rain
91. Hunt for pinecones
92. Take a nap
93. Practice your golf in the park
94. Walk barefoot in the grass
95. Count the sail boats on the Lake
96. Go geocaching in the park
100. Play horseshoes
101. Learn to mimic a bird song
102. Launch your kayak on the beach
103. Wash off your feet at the beach house
104. Weed out honeysuckle and buckthorn shrubs
105. Look for Skunk Cabbage and Marsh Marigolds in spring
106. Follow the Oak Leaf Trail around Milwaukee County
Things to Remember:
It is a violation of the law to:
throw stones at the birds.
collect feathers or nests.
pick wild flowers in the park.
The flowers are for everyone to view and enjoy.
Do not feed the ducks and geese for sanitation and health reasons.
Be safe and stay on regular trails when going up and down bluffs.
Always leave the park looking better than when you arrived.
Grant Park History: (South Lake Dr. South of College Av.)
The land was purchased by John Fowle and sons in 1834 from the
U.S. Govt. and sold to Milwaukee County in 1910. The golf club house
was Alfred Fowle’s home. The park was first named Wilson Park, for the
President, and later changed by the park board. It is located in the City of
South Milwaukee and has two miles of shoreline. The 210.327 acres include
picnic areas, tennis courts, play areas, beach, lagoon and nature trails.
In the days of the Yellowstone Trail, (A trail across America from Boston
to Seattle, marked with yellow stones,1913-30) the park had a camp grounds,
a resident swan, greenhouse and nursery where thousands of plants were
raised for use in other county parks and boulevards in Milwaukee. Fred
Wulff, the park’s planner, lived in the park with his family. His house is still
there and is known as the Scout House. He later developed the County
Nursery on S. 51st Street and Puetz. Grant Park is the second largest county
park and is known for having the most wild flowers. Mr. Wulff planted at least
one of every variety of tree that grew in the North Temperate Zone. The park
has the highest bluffs on the western side of Lake Michigan. The Seven Bridges
foot trail leads down into a Ravine which follows Eb’s Creek, named after
Ebenezzer Dibley, who farmed the north end of the park. Come, enter the
“wild wood and haunts of nature” for they beckon you.
100 ideas compiled with help from Steve Schreiter, Jerry Potter
and Jan Schumacher. Thanks to Alexis Gassenhuber for the idea.
Edited by Katherine Leffel
Lois Schreiter, VP, South Milwaukee Historical Society
