Why does it smell funny by the lake?
Have you ever been on the beach on a sunny day and caught a whiff of something a little … funky? It might just be Cladophora. That’s a type of algae that washes up on the shore in the summer. When it sits under the sun for a long time, it starts to really stink, and the smell spreads all across the lakeshore. Another possible culprit is Jones Island, which is right by the Hoan Bridge. It’s a “water reclamation facility,” which means it cleans up all the water (and other stuff) people flush down their toilets. That’s smelly work, and sometimes the resulting odor wafts around the city.
Where did the Domes come from?
Have you visited the Mitchell Park Domes? Walking into the trio of structures is like stepping into a different part of the earth – they’re filled with plants and designed to mimic the climate of jungles and deserts. How did they get here? Well, in 1958 an architect named Donald Grieb came up with the design, but it took nearly 10 years to actually build them. They’re the world’s only “conoidal” – or cone-shaped – glass domes!
READ MORE FROM MILMAG MINI HERE.
Does Milwaukee have a flag?
It actually has two! Why? It’s kind of a weird story. The city of Milwaukee has an official flag that was designed more than 70 years ago – but a lot of people don’t like it. So 10 years ago, there was a contest to design a different flag. An artist named Robert Lenz made one that’s way simpler – a sun rising over the lake – and it became very popular. But the city never made that one “official,” so it’s called “The People’s Flag.” Which one do you like better?
Why do people call Milwaukee “Cream City”?
Our city has a nickname that might seem kind of weird. Cream City? Does it have to do with … milk? No, “cream” actually refers to a kind of brick. Over a century ago, Milwaukee was well known for making bricks that were almost yellowish – people thought of it as cream-colored. You’ll see it all over if you visit the Third Ward neighborhood. We built so many buildings of those bricks that people started calling Milwaukee “Cream City.” Even though we don’t make them anymore, the name stuck!
How did Wisconsin get sand dunes?
If you’ve ever been to Kohler-Andrae State Park, you might have seen the dunes – big, swooping mounds of sand. They were made way, way back – about 15,000 years ago – when Wisconsin was still covered in frozen glaciers from the ice age. When those glaciers melted, they left behind enough water to fill Lake Michigan. Waves on the lake pushed sand onto the shore, and heavy wind blew it up into those swooping dunes you see today.
