Solomon Juneau: Founder and First Mayor of Milwaukee

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Photo by Tom Jenz

Solomon Juneau statue in Juneau Park

Solomon Juneau statue in Juneau Park overlooking Lake Michigan

When I was a boy in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, I often heard my mother telling friends and family members about her father and five uncles. All six had been lawyers, and one, Paul Husting, had been a Democrat U.S. Senator from Wisconsin. The mother of these six lawyers, Mary Husting, had been the daughter of Solomon Juneau, the founder of Milwaukee, which was named Juneautown in the early going. Naturally, Solomon Juneau stories and folklore have been passed down our family tree.

Born in 1793 in Repentigny, Quebec, a small farming village near Montreal, Solomon Laurent Juneau was French Canadian. He grew up in a family of fur traders, and this background influenced his future endeavors as a trader, land speculator and politician. As a teenager, Juneau entered the fur trade, working for the Hudson’s Bay Company before becoming an independent agent.

In 1816, Juneau moved to the Wisconsin Territory, where he initially worked as a clerk for the American Fur Company in Prairie du Chien. His work brought him into contact with the indigenous peoples of the region, including the Potawatomi, Menominee and Ho-Chunk tribes. In 1818, Juneau settled in a temporary trading post located at the confluence of the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan. Promoting this location as a trading hub, Juneau established a permanent trading post, which marked the beginning of a future city. This French Canadian was the first white resident, and soon became a prominent figure in the area, known for his ability to mediate between the local native tribes and the growing number of European-American settlers. 

Along his journey, Juneau encountered the young adventurer Jacques Vieau, a well-established trader who employed Juneau as a clerk. Soon, Vieau gave Juneau control of his area trading agency. 

In 1820, Juneau married the granddaughter of Menomonee Indian Chief Ah-ke-ne-po-way, and it is believed the couple eventually had 16 children, three dying in early youth. The couple took up residence at what is now the corner of North Water Street and East Wisconsin Avenue. Tall and muscular, ‘Solomo,’ as he was known to his native partners, developed good relationships with the local Potawatomi and Menominee tribes. He went on to build a thriving business on the east side of the Milwaukee River. By the mid-1830s, Juneautown had transitioned from a secondary outpost to a trading center, and eclipsed Green Bay as the base for the region’s fur market.

City Development

Solomon Juneau's vision for this growing outpost city extended beyond fur trading. In 1833, Juneau and his business partner, Morgan L. Martin, began surveying and platting the land for what would later become the city of Milwaukee. They laid out streets and promoted the area to new settlers. Their goal was to establish a commercial center along Lake Michigan. Juneau’s efforts bore fruit as the settlement grew rapidly. He established various businesses, including a general store and a ferry service across the Milwaukee River. These ventures not only boosted the local economy but also attracted more settlers, stimulating a thriving community. 

Meanwhile, Juneau learned English and became an American citizen. Then in 1833, Juneau met Morgan L. Martin, a Green Bay lawyer. They would maintain a lifelong professional and personal relationship. Combining Martin’s legal and real estate experience with Juneau’s pre-emption claim to valuable lands, the two set out to turn the trading post into a city. Juneau was a savvy merchant and businessman, who was enthusiastic about townsite development and real estate speculation.

Sales from the Juneau-Martin land holdings made fortunes for both men and launched Juneau into political prominence. He sold supplies to the booming construction industry, oversaw real estate sales, and hired contractors to grade streets. In 1835, he became the first postmaster of Milwaukee. Juneau and Martin donated land for a county courthouse at present-day Cathedral Square. In 1836, they built a classy hotel, the Bellevue House, at Wisconsin and Broadway. The following year, Juneau helped launch a newspaper, the Milwaukee Sentinel, and backed almost every public improvement. At one time, Juneau owned all the land that now comprises the entire Milwaukee downtown. A generous entrepreneur, he gave some plots of his land to settlers.

Through the 1830s, more settlers, mostly German, flocked to this developing region. In 1837, Juneau was chosen president of the town administration that oversaw the East Side, served as Milwaukee County Register of Deeds, and acted as a director of the Milwaukee and Rock River Canal Company. Beside the Juneautown settlement, the settlers established Kilbourntown east of what is now the Milwaukee River, and also Walker’s Point south of what is now central downtown. As time went on, the three settlements fought a small-scale civil war over the issue of bridges. In 1846, the rivals made peace when all three sides came together and became the city of Milwaukee, a word derived from the Potawatomi Tribe. The Potawatomis pronounced the word as Mahn-ah-wauk, meaning “council grounds.” But Solomon Juneau had been badly affected by the Panic of 1837. Rising costs and plummeting land values sank him into debt. Despite these difficulties and an ongoing rivalry with West Side founder Byron Kilbourn, Juneau retained a good reputation among contemporaries.

Juneau’s Legacy

As Milwaukee’s population grew, the need for organized municipal governance became apparent. In 1846, Milwaukee was officially incorporated as a city, and Solomon Juneau was elected as its first mayor. There were 20,000 residents. His tenure as mayor was marked by efforts to improve infrastructure, including the development of roads, schools and public services. His leadership laid the foundation for Milwaukee’s transformation from a frontier settlement into a swelling city.

Solomon Juneau’s impact on Milwaukee extends beyond his role as its founder and first mayor. He was instrumental in establishing the city’s first newspaper, the Milwaukee Sentinel, which remains in publication today as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In addition, his advocacy for education led to the establishment of Milwaukee’s first public school.

Juneau’s wife was Native American, and his relationship with the Indian tribes also left a lasting legacy. His ability to maintain peaceful and respectful interactions with the indigenous population was crucial during a time of increasing tension and displacement of Indians in America. This aspect of his legacy is often remembered as a testament to his diplomatic skills and cultural sensitivity.

Always the frontiersman, Juneau left Milwaukee in 1854. He founded a settlement named Theresa in Dodge County, opened a grist mill and general store, and reentered the fur trade. The settlement later became Juneau, Wisconsin. Solomon Juneau died on November 14, 1856, during a trip to the annual Indian payments at the Menominee reservation. His body was returned to Milwaukee for a funeral held at St. John’s Cathedral. The pallbearers in his funeral procession were four chiefs of the Menominee Nation including Chief Oshkosh. Originally buried in a Catholic cemetery near 22nd Street and Wisconsin Avenue, Juneau’s grave is now located in the Calvary Cemetery.

Solomon Juneau's life story is a testament to the spirit of exploration, entrepreneurship, and community-building that characterized the early American frontier. As the founder and first mayor of Milwaukee, he played a pivotal role in shaping the city’s early development and laying the groundwork for its future growth. His legacy lives on in the city he helped create, serving as an enduring reminder of the impact one individual can have on the course of history.

As for my mother’s account of her great great-grandfather, the family story goes that at the end of the Great Depression, Solomon Juneau’s house was sold to the city of Milwaukee and became the Downtown library. My mother received an official letter informing her the financial proceeds would go to the Juneau descendants. She and my dad went out to dinner to celebrate only to later find out that her share was only $33. It is an ironic tale even if the truth rests on uneven ground.