Wisconsin History Day By Day

Related Web Sites:
Wisconsin Train Wrecks and Accidents

Streetcar photo

History of "The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company


Read More About It

"Milwaukee: A Chronological and Documentary History" by George Lankevich


Vocabulary:

street railway car
drawbridge


Interesting Fact:

Milwaukee had horsedrawn streetcars in the 1870's but changed to electric streetcars in the 1890's.


Study Questions:

  • Did the accident prompt new safety measures regarding drawbridges in Milwaukee?
  • What were the reasons why streetcars became obsolete?
  • Did your community have streetcars at one time? If so, when and how long were streetcars used?


    U.S. historical events that occurred on February 4:

    1789: George Washington is elected the first president of the United States.
    1861: Delegates from six southern states meet to form the Confederate States of America.
    1945: President Franklin Roosevelt meets with Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin at the Yalta conference.



    • February 4

    February 4, 1895: A Milwaukee street railway car plunged through an opened drawbridge killing three passengers.

    Wisconsin History Day By Day homepage
    January - December calendar page