Clarence S. Gruetzmacher (1887-1956) was born in Milwaukee and worked for the City of
Milwaukee for 40 years, mainly as a civil engineer. Gruetzmacher began his
employment with the city in 1908 as a chainman for the Department of Public Works
and later became a street construction inspector. In 1919, he was put in charge of
water main design and construction for the Bureau of Engineers, where he spent the
remainder of his career. Gruetzmacher was elected Chairman of the Wisconsin Water
Works Association in 1936, and was also a member of the American Society of Civil
Engineers as well as the Masons. He retired in 1948 and moved to Oregon, where he
later died.
In 1914, Gruetzmacher conducted a survey of the properties on Jones Island in
Milwaukee. The island was predominantly settled by Polish immigrants, also known as
the Kashubs (or Kaszubs). Never having obtained a deed for owning their property,
these residents were considered squatters by the city. Assisted by Ralph Cahill,
Ingar Olsen, and John Davis, Gruetzmacher and his team met with the local residents
and gathered historical information on who lived on each property and drew small
corresponding plat maps, showing the placement of the structures and property lines.
These cards appear to be Gruetzmacher’s notes for a city project after Jones Island
was condemned in 1914.
