Introduction
MICHAEL STOTLER - JONES ISLAND
Jones Island is a heavily industrialized peninsula just south of downtown Milwaukee. The island was originally a marshy area that has been extensively filled and channelized since the 1850's. The area was initially settled by fishermen of German and Kashubian descent. These populations were evicted in the 1940's in order to expand shipping operations from the area.
On first glance, Jones Island appears to be a wasteland. There are no mature trees in the immediate area. Vegetation is scarce. Much of the ground is covered by gravel or salt. There is a small City of Milwaukee park with grass and a single picnic table that appears to get very little use. It's not the ideal place for a picnic, being smaller than the footprint of many suburban homes and also wedged between a yard full of shipping containers and a gravel parking lot.
Despite the barren and forbidding landscape, beauty can be found on Jones Island. It just takes a while to appreciate it. About Michael
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