Juneau Park, located in
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, is situated on a bluff overlooking
Lake Michigan. It is popular for its short distance to downtown Milwaukee, lakefront walking path, and vantage point for fireworks displays.[1]
Gertie the Duck, an icon of
Milwaukee history, was moved with her ducklings to the lagoon at Juneau Park in the mid-1940s for their safety.[5] The story of a duck, Gertie, and her efforts to watch over nine eggs— and ultimately hatch six ducklings on a wood piling below the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge—was reported by Gordon MacQuarrie of the Milwaukee Journal and became an inspiration for many war-weary Americans near the end of
World War II.[5][6] Passers-by, the Boy Scouts, and a Wisconsin Humane Society officer watched over Gertie and her growing family.[7] Besides local newspapers, the story was picked up in national and U.K. press.[8] After surviving bad weather and a nearby fire, the ducks were relocated to the Juneau Park lagoon.[5]
References
^"Juneau Park". Park Milwaukee. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
^Fischer, William Jr. (February 7, 2017).
"Solomon Juneau". Historical Marker Database. HMdb.org.