A general list of topics by decade from the correspondence; list should not be considered exhaustive or in chronological order.

1878-1899

• • Construction and paving of roads within the City.
• • Design of and issues concerning water and sewerage processing.
• • Estimates of City population based on number of branch connections for water pipes.
• • 1897 correspondence to City Engineer of Baltimore, Maryland containing a detailed discussion of the Milwaukee sewerage system.

1900-1909

• • City initiatives such as bridges along the Milwaukee, Kinnickinnic, and Menomonee rivers.
• • Construction of the various viaducts throughout the city; Development of the flushing tunnel from Lake Michigan to the Kinnickinnic River in Bay View.
• • Electrification of the City.
• • Correspondence with Secretary of War regarding replacement of the Milwaukee River Bridge, also regarding a tunnel from Lake Michigan to Russell Avenue in Bay View.
• • Additional correspondence regarding proposed bridges and bridge replacements.
• • Correspondence regarding the first electrical lighting plant for the City with discussion of power station, conduits, wiring, and lamps.
• • 1909 document provides first mention of the City Engineer’s automobile and its registration.

1910-1919

• • Construction of the extension intake and pumping stations including reports and correspondence surrounding their building and operation.
• • Development of the city refuse incinerator at Jones Island.
• • Correspondence regarding Jones Island pumping station, sewerage issues, refuse incinerator and use of electricity generated by the Jones Island incinerator.
• • Correspondence about Jones Island and Linwood Avenue intake tunnel.
• • Correspondence regarding typhoid deaths in Milwaukee and contaminated water supply issues.
• • Correspondence discusses abatement of Menomonee Valley sewage nuisance.
• • War Department correspondence includes a U.S. Committee on Rivers and Harbors 1906 study report.
• • 1916 Correspondence to Cleveland, Ohio City Engineer discusses a methane explosion at the Linwood Avenue intake tunnel during construction.
• • Box 59 consists of a subset of City Engineer correspondence related specifically to the various Flushing Stations and Jones Island sewerage treatment plant as well as the Linwood Avenue Tunnel and Riverside Pumping Station. These subsets have their own Indexes containing the names of correspondence recipients.

1920-1929

• • Water supply to the City.
• • Building of pumping stations and water intakes in Lake Michigan.
• • Milwaukee River and Kinnickinnic River flushing stations.
• • Maintenance and upgrades to North Point and Riverside pumping stations.
• • Incinerator performance during City growth.
• • Creation of a uniform system of house/street numbering/naming throughout the city.
• • Proposals for the 35th Street viaduct.
• • 1925 War Department Corps of Engineers letter discussing Lake Michigan’s fluctuating water levels including historical data.
• • Correspondence regarding water flow on the St. Clair and Niagara Rivers.
• • 1926 letter regarding city residence requirements for all City employees.
• • 1927 letter from U.S. Coast and Geological Survey regarding magnetic declination of the compass needle as it relates to old boundary lines in both the city and state.

1930-1939

• • Upgrading city infrastructure such as viaducts, bridges, streets, rail grade crossing eliminations, increase street lighting and continued standardizing house/street numbering/naming.
• • W.P.A. projects discussed.
• • Construction of parks and playgrounds; Water quality studies.
• • Sewerage disposal and construction of water purification plant.
• • Milwaukee River shoreline mapping, legal rights.
• • City begins studying the development of a single high pressure pumping station to supply the fire department with high pressure water sources.
• • 1933 citizen referendum mandates budget reductions in City Government as a result of the Great Depression.
• • 1934 City and County rock excavation begins from the Milwaukee River bed.
• • Estabrook Dam planning.
• • Plans for municipal bus system to replace T.M.E.R. & L. Co. streetcars.
• • Committee of Unemployment Relief.
• • 1930 traffic study of Kinnickinnic Avenue includes a traffic count and transportation types for the time period.
• • Garbage is still collected by horse-drawn carts and then hauled by truck to the city incinerator.
• • 1932 Citizen’s Bureau of Milwaukee study analysis of City of Milwaukee’s financial system and Socialist policies.
• • 1935 correspondence between the City Engineer and New York City Engineer regarding the consumption of water in Milwaukee, including costs, per capital usage, types of usage, etc.
• • 1936 correspondence between City Engineer and Paul Gaines of Glencoe, MN regarding the theory and practice of street naming and numbering.
• • 1937 documents on the “Greendale Project” concerning house numbering and street naming.

1940-1949

• • Maintenance and repair of city infrastructure supersedes new projects.
• • Widening and resurfacing of streets is a major topic in 1940 and 1941.
• • Discussions begin with regards to constructing safety lighting and other measures to safeguard the water supply.
• • Department/city government defines legal holidays, employee seniority determinations, overtime studies, and general personnel issues.
• • 1945 Mayor’s Post-War Planning Conference and studies for projects such as: airport facilities for the County, bridges, a new hospital, extension of the library system, new parks, education expansion, “slum” clearance, creation of a public Housing Authority, post-war housing plan, street widening, public transportation expansion, construction of new public museum, lake front expansion, public parking facilities.
• • Development of smoke abatement and air pollution regulations at both the city and county level.
• • 1948 Civic Council of the City Club of Milwaukee document discusses objectives set in 1942 for the City such as consolidation of the city and county government services, lakefront development, expansion of city limits and expanding city and county representation in state senate and assembly.
• • 1948 documents from Mayor Frank Zeidler regarding the funding and building of a new type of road, the expressway, through Milwaukee from City Engineer Joseph Schwada, discussing expressway construction through the city and suburbs.
• • 1948 letter from City Engineer to Assistant City Attorney presents the history of ownership and legal agreements, pertaining to land for the planned Metropolitan War Memorial Center.
• • 1940 letter discusses tentative plans for a vehicular tunnel beneath the Milwaukee Harbor Entrance.
• • 1940 letter details information regarding the layout of land west of the Milwaukee River, Kilbourntown, and Walker’s Point.
• • 1940 letter regarding a study of wave action along shore of Lake Michigan as well as an additional document detailing the descriptions and elevations of bench marks along the city of Milwaukee lakeshore dating back as far as 1902.
• • 1940 letter from American Water Works Association discusses concerns of sabotage or intentional destruction of water supply and utilities and includes a printed study called “Sabotage and Water Service”.
• • 1944 letter presents statistics regarding occurrence of typhoid and other water-borne diseases in the city from 1934 thru 1943.
• • City engineer receives letters from other cities for information on the street naming and numbering system developed by Milwaukee.

1950-1958

• • Downtown reconstruction projects: these included W. Kilbourn Ave., W. Hampton Ave., W. Wells St., and N. 2nd, N. 4th, N. 5th, and N. 10th Streets.
• • 1952 letter summarizes water consumption and sanitary sewage flow by month for the year 1951.
• • 1953 report pertaining to a large street lighting initiative being implemented throughout the city.
• • 1948 through the 1950s are discussions, plans, legal issues and progress on annexations of land to the City of Milwaukee from Towns of Granville, Wauwatosa, and Oak Creek, the Villages of Whitefish Bay and West Milwaukee, and Cities of Cudahy, Greenfield, West Allis, and Glendale along with various documents, sketches, and drawings for these municipalities.
• • 1954 document details the history and proposed consolidation of Town of Lake into the City of Milwaukee.
• • 1954 details the history and annexation of Town of Milwaukee to surrounding communities of Glendale, Fox Point, Bayside, and River Hills and subsequent rezoning of this land. Similar 1954 documents with background and historical information for Town of Granville, Wauwatosa, Greenfield, Town of Franklin and Town of Oak Creek.
• • 1950 letter concerning a building encroachment on S. 13th Street mentions that the City of Milwaukee Building Inspection Department did not keep records of building permits until 1890.
• • 1950 letter to city engineer details a dismissed lawsuit by the City of Greenfield regarding its annexation.
• • 1951 letter dated regards the history and performance of flushing the Milwaukee River pollution via tunnel and flushing station.
• • 1953 essay by George Parkinson of the Civil Defense Administration titled “The H-Bomb’s Effect on Administration and Planning of the City of Milwaukee,” which briefly introduces a new era in city planning, operation, and survival.
• • 1954 document from Title Guaranty Title Company of Wisconsin presents information regarding land ownership along 11th Street between Canal St. and S. Menomonee Canal.
• • Copy of original 1872 deed of sale of this plot by George Burnham, Guido Pfister, and others to the City of Milwaukee.