Water Irony

“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink” is a line within the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner. That stanza could also apply to the city of Waukesha, Wisconsin. The water woes of Waukesha received a big helping hand last week when, on June 21, the eight governors of the states which make up the Great Lakes Water Compact unanimously agreed to water diversion from Lake Michigan for use by the city of Waukesha. The story of Waukesha water is a story of feast to famine, and of a community once demanding control of its water resource now dependent upon a state it once spurned. The story is not only one of irony, it is one of hubris, waste, and lack of appreciation of water as a resource. In a sense it holds a lesson for the rest of us. This story of Water Irony will be divided into two parts, the first will deal with the history of Waukesha water, and why this situation is so ironic, and the second post will deal with the current water situation and its relation to land use patterns.

Post Caard of Waukesha Spring in 1910
State Historical Society photo

If there was ever a poster child for the term suburb in Wisconsin during the 1950’s and 1960’s it was Waukesha, WI. Of course, other names, have since replaced Waukesha, think Pewaukee, or Delafield. Waukesha was not always a conglomeration of cul-de-sacs, and wide streets. Its main growth, like most of the suburban experiment, was post World War II, with the city growing by about 10,000 persons a decade from 1950 to 1980. Since that time growth has been slightly more moderate, as the city added about 6,000 to 8,000 persons from 1980 to 2010. Since 2010 growth has been quite low at only about 771 persons. Part of the reason for its current slow growth may be its water woes.

Spring in Waukesha, probably known as Hobo Spring

However, before it was a poster child for suburban America, Waukesha was known for its water. Its growth in the late 1800’s was due to its popularity of being known as “Spring City”, or “Saratoga of the West.” As mineral springs were encountered by settlers, bottling plants would later commandeer the springs and set up bottling operations in the 1870’s. This led to the city obtaining the moniker “Saratoga of the West.” But, its own local history says it became a nationally recognized destination for those “seeking relaxation, and restoration of the mind and body.” Grand resorts were built to welcome visitors, and the lakes provided recreational opportunities. Perhaps it housed the Kellerman (think “Dirty Dancing”) resort of the Midwest. Thousands, yes thousands, of people were attracted to Waukesha for its clear spring water, and the healing properties it supposedly possessed. The city, according to Sarah Gardner in a February 2015 article, noted that during the summer months 25 train loads a day filled with people would arrive in Waukesha. They came to drink the pure, cold water. One report says that a Chicagoan named Matthew Lamin provided financial and other resources to market the mineral waters of the city. Lamin was the proprietor of the Fountain Hotel. However, John Schoenknecht in his work on the early days of this Saratoga of the West commented that in 1868 Richard Dunbar claimed the spring water of Waukesha cured him of diabetes after he drank 12 glassfuls in one day. The historic record, from my research, is not clear if Dunbar was a descendant of the popular “snake oil” salesmen of the era, or if his descendants are now in India destroying computer software and then offering to cure it for a price. Dunbar would begin shipping the water by the barrel full to other states. Long before plastic water bottles we had natural spring water from Waukesha being sent around the country in wooden barrels. It was a hopping place, with theaters, casinos and dance halls. Today, many would not see Waukesha as a recreation destination, but in the late 1800’s it was. Waukesha jealously guarded its dozens of springs, which some have estimated was at over 60, and the fame it brought the then small city.

Bethesda Spring in Waukesha, first major spring located and put to use
date of photo unknown

Guard the water they did with shotguns, pistols and clubs. At that time, Chicago’s water supply was worse than that of Flint today. Rumor had it that the Chicago mayor kept Waukesha water in his office. With the coming of the Columbian Exposition in 1893, James McElroy (some reports say he was from Chicago, the State Historical Society says he was from Kansas City) hatched the idea to draw water from a Waukesha spring and pipe it outside of town and have it delivered to the fair to sell. Waukesha residents, were awakened by the fire bell just before midnight. It was not to alert residents to a fire, but rather to a train loaded with workers to put McElroy’s plan into action. They were going to lay the pipe in the dark even though they had been denied permission. After a tense standoff, the train departed back to Chicago with all the workers aboard. We may think what great environmentalists the Waukesha residents were in desiring to avoid such a transfer of water.

Milwaukee Record Editorial Cartoon

An editorial cartoon in the Milwaukee Record depicted a large hog named “Chicago” wallowing in the McElroy’s spring surrounded by stern-faced residents with pitchforks and clubs. One person in the cartoon had a revolver pointing it to the pig’s head. Yet, if one report is to believed, their reasons were not altruistic. Rather, they were concerned that if the water was piped out of town, they were not concerned about the transfer and waste of water, but simply with the tourists who would stop coming. McElroy had the last laugh as spring water from in or near Big Bend, was used to in his operation for those who made their way to Daniel Burnham’s White City.

Hygeia Spring sign, in/near Big Bend, WI

The peak of Waukesha’s fresh mineral spring water ended in the early 20th century, although the last water bottling did not go out of business until about 1997. The glory days of the Waukesha springs are now far behind, presenting the irony of the situation. What we see is a lesson in waste and hubris. There is also additional irony in that they were dependent upon the positive vote of the Illinois Governor for water this past week, when 124 years ago they met a train of workers with guns and clubs to protect their water supply in the late 19th century. (They are probably fortunate the mayor of Chicago did not have a vote.)  What they did not do was to protect the water supply from themselves. We can learn from the past, so tune into the next blog post to find out more of what happened and the present day situation.