Runaway Horses Plagued Vliet Street
Killing and injuring many in the 19th century. Then the streetcar arrived.
Killing and injuring many in the 19th century. Then the streetcar arrived. Back to the full article.
Killing and injuring many in the 19th century. Then the streetcar arrived.
Killing and injuring many in the 19th century. Then the streetcar arrived. Back to the full article.
You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.
If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.
Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us
Carl, I enjoyed reading this article and didn’t realize there were so many runaway horses. A correction, a streetcar motorman was called a motorman (motormen, plural). An engineer operated freight and passenger trains.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motorman
https://books.google.com/books?id=yeFEAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA22&lpg=RA1-PA22&dq=milwaukee+motorman&source=bl&ots=w1zILYa3YN&sig=LnmUJ5nlS00S4dx71CqVexESW9w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiIvNrfwN3RAhVLTCYKHbWCDz4Q6AEIIDAB#v=onepage&q=milwaukee%20motorman&f=false
I’ve also read that the street is actually supposed to be pronounced “vlee-ay” but everyone in this town pronounces it “vuh-leet” instead. Any idea which is correct?
@Dan, I think motorman sounds better than engineer but that was the word used in the articles I read. Thanks.
@Mama, the Dutch pronunciation is “Vl-ee-t.” “Vlee-ay sounds French. The word means “stream’ or “brook” in Dutch.
Carl, when and where were the articles published? The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Co. (TMER&L, predecessor of We Energies and Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) and the public transit industry then and, to a lesser extent, now use motorman for streetcar, interurban (light rail) and rapid transit operators.
Dan, The sources are as follows;
The Milwaukee Journal (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), Monday, June 16, 1890; pg. 3.
The Milwaukee Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), Monday, June 16, 1890; pg. 3.