Milwaukee Founders and Beer Barons Bobblehead Series Unveiled to Celebrate 414 Day

MILWAUKEE – This morning, to celebrate Milwaukee’s 414 Day, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled the first Milwaukee Founders and Beer Barons Bobblehead Series. The bobbleheads include Milwaukee founders Solomon Juneau, Byron Kilbourn, and George H. Walker, and Milwaukee beer barons Valentin Blatz, Frederick Miller, Frederick Pabst, and Joseph Schlitz. The bobbleheads are being released in conjunction with Milwaukee Day (aka 414 Day) which is celebrated annually on April 14th. The special edition bobbleheads are being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.

The Milwaukee founders bobbleheads are standing on a cream city brick base bearing their names, while the Milwaukee beer barons bobbleheads are standing on a beer barrel base bearing their names. All seven bobbleheads are dressed fashionably in clothing from the period. The bobbleheads, which will be individually numbered to 2,025 for the Beer Barons and 1,846, are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. Expected to ship in October, the bobbleheads cost $35 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.

Solomon Juneau, born in Repentigny, Quebec, worked as a clerk in the fur trade before becoming an agent for the American Fur Company in Milwaukee. Juneau had been summoned to the Milwaukee area by Jacques Vieau, a French-Canadian fur trader and the first permanent white settler in Milwaukee. In 1818, Vieau hired Juneau, based on the accounting prowess Juneau had become known for, and Juneau’s reputation for being able to deal well with local Native Americans. Juneau went on to found what was to become the City of Milwaukee. He was the first mayor of Milwaukee from 1846 until 1847 and was appointed its first Postmaster.

Byron Kilbourn, born in Granby, Connecticut, first visited Wisconsin in 1834 and worked as a government surveyor in the Green Bay area. He later deemed the area near the Milwaukee River to be a promising location for commerce, and he purchased land there. In 1837, Kilbourn founded Kilbourntown (present-day Westown) and was a key figure in the Milwaukee Bridge War in 1845. Along with Solomon Juneau and George H. Walker, Kilbourn went on to form the City of Milwaukee. Kilbourn was elected Milwaukee’s third and eighth mayor, serving two non-consecutive terms in 1848 and 1854.

George H. Walker, born in Lynchburg, Virginia, moved with his family to Illinois in 1825. The fur trade brought him to the vicinity of the Milwaukee River in 1883, and, on March 20th, 1834, he established himself on the south bank of the river. In June 1835, he founded the settlement of Walker’s Point and established a fur trading post. In 1846, Walker’s settlement, combined with two rival villages – Solomon Juneau’s Juneautown and Byron Kilbourn’s Kilbourntown – to incorporate the City of Milwaukee. Walker was elected Milwaukee’s fifth and seventh mayor, serving two non-consecutive terms in 1851 and 1853. Walker represented Milwaukee in the Wisconsin State Assembly and he also served as the city’s supervisor, register of the land office, alderman, and was one of the builders of the city’s first streetcar line in 1859.

Valentin Blatz, born in Mittenberg, Bavaria, immigrated to America in August 1848 and moved to Milwaukee in 1849. Blatz, who worked at his father’s brewery in his youth, established a brewery next to Johann Braun’s City Brewery in 1850 and merged both breweries upon Braun’s death in 1852. The Blatz Brewing Company became one of Milwaukee’s industrial brewing giants. The brewery produced Milwaukee’s first individually bottled beer in 1874. In 1875, Blatz was the first Milwaukee brewery to have a bottling department to package beer and ship nationally. The company operated from 1851 to 1959, when it was purchased by Pabst Brewing Company.

Frederick Miller, born in Riedlingen, Wurttemberg, emigrated with his young family to the United States in 1854. After spending the first year in New York, the Millers moved to Wisconsin in 1855. Miller, who learned the brewing business in Germany, founded the Miller Brewing Company at the Plank Road Brewery in 1855. The brewery’s location in what is now the Miller Valley provided easy access to raw materials produced on nearby farms. Following Miller’s death at age 63 in 1888, the company was run by his three surviving sons and son-in-law Carl. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016 and operates the Miller Brewery at the site of the original complex.

Frederick Pabst, born in the Kingdom of Prussia, emigrated with his parents to the United States in 1848. Settling first in Milwaukee, and then Chicago, Pabst later became a cabin boy on a Lake Michigan steamer. By the time he was 21, Pabst had earned his pilot’s license, and was captain of one of these vessels. In this capacity, he met Phillip Best, the owner of a small but prosperous brewery founded by his father, Jacob Best. Pabst married Best’s daughter, Maria, on March 25th, 1862. For the next year and a half, Pabst continued to navigate the waters of Lake Michigan as a ship’s captain, until an accident in December 1863 led to a change in career when he purchased half of Best’s brewing company. Before long, Pabst raised the output of the Best brewery to 100,000 barrels a year. He became president of the corporation in 1873. In 1882, Pabst added blue ribbons around the necks of “Best Select” beer bottles. In 1889, the brewing company’s name was changed to the Pabst Brewing Company. The brewing company’s renowned “Blue Ribbon” label was introduced in the 1890s. In 1899, the company sold 100 million barrels and officially changed the brand name to Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Joseph Schlitz, born in Germany, emigrated to the United States in 1850 and assumed management of the Krug Brewery in Milwaukee in 1856. In 1858, when he married George August Krug’s widow, Anna Maria Krug, he changed the name of the company to the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. He became more successful after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, when many of Chicago’s breweries that had burned never reopened. Schlitz established a distribution point there and acquired a large part of the Chicago market. “The beer that made Milwaukee famous” was an important innovator in the national brewing industry and the largest brewery in the U.S. for a significant part of the 20th century. Schlitz first became the largest beer producer in the U.S. in 1902 and enjoyed that status at several points during the first half of the 20th century.

“We’re excited to unveil the Milwaukee Founders and Beer Barons Bobblehead Series on 414 Day,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “These seven men are notable figures in the history of Milwaukee and instrumental in the city’s growth. These bobbleheads are sure to be popular among history buffs and beer lovers!”

About the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum:
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which is located at 170 S. 1st St. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, opened to the public on February 1st, 2019. The HOF and Museum also produces high quality, customized bobbleheads for retail sale as well as organizations, individuals, and teams across the country. Visit us online and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.