On 3 May 1845, a schooner rammed into the Spring Street bridge. Rumors spread that east ward residents, angry at the west warders for refusing to pay for bridge maintenance, had paid the schooner’s captain to damage the west ward-supported Spring Street bridge. West warders held a meeting and decided that the Chestnut Street bridge (supported by Solomon Juneau) had become an “insupportable nuisance”. The west warders gathered tools and took down the west half of the Chestnut street bridge, collapsing it. Angry east warders gathered weapons, included an old cannon (loaded only with clock weights) that they rolled up to the east side of the river. The cannon was aimed at Kilbourn’s home, but the east warders held their fire when they learned that Kilbourn’s young daughter had just died.

The village trustees voted to remove the Oneida bridge and use the pieces to repair the Spring Street bridge. This would have removed both of the east warder’s preferred bridges. Angered by this, east warders gathered on 28 May and destroyed the Spring Street bridge, followed by the bridge on the Menominee.

The next few weeks were tense: east and west warders on the “wrong side” of the river were attacked and injured, east warders spread rumors of an attack on Kilbourn’s Milwaukee river dam, and by early June the trustees ordered that all bridge work be done under armed guard.

Tempers slowly cooled as the year went on. In December, the trustees put together a plan for three new bridges, and drafted a city charter. Finally, on 31 January 1846, the city of Milwaukee was formed (thank you Wikipedia)

The Bridges War and its resolution makes for a great learning moment for future citizens of Milwaukee to set their differences aside and come together for a greater good.

The Colors of the Flag