Summary Information
Fish Creek Park Company Records
1892-1970
Milwaukee Mss 88
0.4 cubic feet (1 archives box and 1 roll)
UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)
Fragmentary records of a small land development company in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, documenting the development of Fairy Chasm, an area known for its environmental beauty; its controversial partial annexation into the Village of Bayside; and the sale of some acreage to the organization Nature Conservancy.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mil00088 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
The Fish Creek Park Company was a small land development company formed in 1892 in what is now the Village of Bayside, Town of Mequon, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. Fish Creek Park, or Fairy Chasm as it was later called, came into being when a group of Milwaukee businessmen led by Jacob F. Donges purchased two farms totaling 146 acres just beyond the north boundary of Milwaukee County on Lake Michigan's western shore. The area was a uniquely beautiful woodland, cut by a ravine and full of many species of flowers, plants, and wildlife. Formally incorporated on September 13, 1892, the company was empowered to buy and sell real estate. Its charter authorized 146 shares of stock at 285 dollars per share. During the first ten years of the company's existence, the stockholders were permitted to use the land in any way they chose, from Sunday picnics to construction of summer homes. By 1900, seven summer residences had been or were being built.
At this point, it was decided to implement a more systematic method of dividing the land in order to avoid future conflicts. The land was surveyed, platted into lots, and eventually sold to stockholders. Three tracts were held as “reserved land” for the use of all members. Because the company retained the right to make rules and regulations governing company-owned property, it was able to maintain control over the development of the area. Along with this control went the obligation to maintain roads and paths to the beach. Raising money to meet this obligation was a problem that plagued the company throughout much of its history. Volunteer contributions by stockholders and proceeds from annual picnics met a portion of this need.
By the early decades of the twentieth century, the area was well settled, both with summer homes and year-round residences. A dam was built, activities were organized, and a feeling of community spirit developed. In 1942, the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the company was celebrated. But by this time, problems in the original survey and platting of the area also began to surface. Quarrels arose over property lines, and eventually a resurvey and new plat were prepared. At this time also, the name was officially changed to Fairy Chasm.
Soon after this, the continuing need for financial self-sufficiency on the part of the community led to a split between North and South Fairy Chasm. The eventual annexation of the latter into the newly incorporated Village of Bayside raised a considerable amount of controversy and had to be settled by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. This move, however, did not mitigate the financial problems. The final solution attempted was the formation of the South Fairy Chasm Association in 1968, followed shortly thereafter by the North Fairy Chasm Association; both were autonomous and supposedly more manageable legal entities. At this point, the only asset retained by the original Fish Creek Park Company was twenty acres of reserve land, which was deeded in 1970 to Nature Conservancy, a non-profit corporation devoted to environmental conservation. In January of 1971, Articles of Dissolution were filed, officially ending the Fish Creek Park Company.
Scope and Content Note
The records reflect the land development company's effort to preserve the unique beauty of the area, as well as the financial autonomy of the company. Although the papers contain material from early as well as later periods of the company's history, the record is by no means complete. One folder consists simply of two typescript pamphlets, both of them histories of Fairy Chasm prepared by former residents. Two ledger books from the years 1899-1911 and 1925-1958 contain the most complete series of minutes of Board of Directors' meetings, as well as miscellaneous notations. The proceedings folder covers only the years 1931-1941 and contains copies of resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors, as well as minutes of Board meetings and the president's report for the years 1940 and 1941.
The bulk of the folders in this collection contain information on land transfers during the company's history. The folders include records of the adoption of a new plat, circa 1938-1940, the annexation of South Fairy Chasm into the Village of Bayside, circa 1954-1955, the dispute over the proposed sale of reserve lands, 1959-1960, and the sale of the remaining reserve land to Nature Conservancy, 1970. The correspondence folder deals only with the years 1950-1959, the years when the collection's donor, E. Eugene Kohls, was president of the company.
The collection also contains financial statements and maps of the area from circa 1938.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by E. Eugene Kohls, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1980. Accession Number: M80-535
Processed by Colleen Wickey and Joanne Hohler, February 1984.
Contents List
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Correspondence, 1950-1959
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Financial Statements, 1944-1945, 1950, 1953, 1955
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Histories, 1942, 1980
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Land Transfer Records
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Adoption of New Plat, 1938-1941
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Annexation of South Fairy Chasm, 1955-1956
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Box
1
Folder
6
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Dispute on Sale of Reserve Lands, 1959-1962
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Transfer of Reserve Land, 1969-1970
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Maps
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Box
1
Folder
8
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1938
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Oversize Roll
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“Maps of Fish Creek Park,” undated
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Minutes
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Box
1
Folder
9
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1899-1911
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Box
1
Folder
10
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1925-1958
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Box
1
Folder
11
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Proceedings, 1938-1941
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