Milwaukee Walks: Estabrook Park

It’s the home of the Benjamin Church House, Milwaukee’s earliest surviving home, as well as a dog park, fishing pond, beer garden and much more.

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Milwaukee History

Estabrook Park, established in 1916, was named after Charles E. Estabrook, a Milwaukee lawyer and politician. Extensive work was done in the early 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) including a dam now removed. It’s bounded on the west by the Milwaukee River, on the east by Wilson Boulevard, on the south by Capital Avenue, and on the north by Hampton Boulevard. There are parking lots scattered throughout the park with grass and picnic tables nearby.

It’s the home of the Benjamin Church House, Milwaukee’s earliest surviving home, built in 1843-1844. It was restored by the New Deal-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) and moved to Estabrook Park in 1938. It has an herb garden that was typical for that time and there are tours on Sunday afternoons in the summer.

There is a dog park, a small fishing pond, a Frisbee golf course, and children’s playground near the seasonal beer garden. There’s a soccer field along Hampton Avenue and practice area at the south end as well. There is a baseball field, a vintage skateboard park and a sand volleyball court.

Bikes and Hikes

Following the river, mostly at street level, there’s a wide paved path which is shared with bikes. There are parts where you’re surrounded by nature. Or if you’re in a rush, there’s the wide macadam trail along the old Chicago & North West Railroad bed that runs all the way from downtown to places further north. It’s part of the Oak Leaf Trail.

My favorite walk is the river path with easy access from behind the beer garden. There are wide fieldstone steps leading down to a short board walk running parallel to the river. At flood stage it provides an exciting platform to view the rushing river. The old falls/rapids were recently modified to facilitate fish migration including sturgeon. I follow the trail north when we’ve had several dry days. The trail is not overly challenging, but wearing flip-flops would be a mistake.

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Walking north, the Milwaukee River is on your left and there are places where you can get down to the water. On your right, the bank climbs 20 feet of dense vegetation—shrubs and trees —to street level. The river broadens and there are ponds, backwaters, and small islands alongside the bank. Ducks and the occasional heron patrol the river. Eventually the river turns west on its way to Lincoln Park. Often there are no sounds of the city, and it seems as if you’ve escaped to the Great White North.

At one point the trail opens and you could be standing on prairie that was there 200 years ago. Old tree trunks, half-hollowed, lying on their sides record the passage of time. Cuts in the banks on your right carry draining trinkles to the river. Larger ravines wind back exposing a fertile mix of vegetation.

Go Slow

If you tire, there are several stairways that lead up to the paved trail for a leisurely walk back to the parking lot.

Go slowly. Look for little things—learn to distinguish mayflies from dragon flies. You’ll be able to find fungus growing on trees; choke cherries or nuts from oak, hickory trees as well as black walnut trees can be found on the ground. There are birds or little critters who may wonder where you are going in such a rush when there is so much to see.

And remember, nature is not static. There are continual changes. These pictures were taken ten days after I wrote this article. Patches of Queen Anne’s Lace were beginning to close, swaths of black eye Susans were in full bloom, and golden rod was making its debut, while out over the river pairs of dragon flies were playing.

Try savoring this walk as if it was a rich, delicious dessert. You deserve it!