Wisconsin State Fair Park
Encyclopedia
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
suburb of West Allis
West Allis, Wisconsin
West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 61,254 at the 2000 census. Its name derives from Edward P. Allis, who started the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company in the 19th century. The site of the town was...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It has been the location of the Wisconsin State Fair
Wisconsin State Fair
The Wisconsin State Fair is an annual event held at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. The modern fair takes place in August and lasts 11 days.-History:...
since 1892. It also hosts other venues such as the Milwaukee Mile
Milwaukee Mile
The Milwaukee Mile is a -long oval race track in West Allis, Wisconsin that seats about 40,000 spectators. It operated as a dirt track until 1953. The track was paved in 1954....
, the oldest continuously operating motor speedway in the world, and the Pettit National Ice Center
Pettit National Ice Center
The Pettit National Ice Center is an indoor ice skating facility in West Allis, Wisconsin featuring two international-size ice rinks and a 400-meter speed skating oval. Located adjacent to Wisconsin State Fair Park, the center opened on December 31, 1992, and was named for Milwaukee philanthropists...
, a U.S. Olympic training facility which is independently owned.
History
In 1891, the Wisconsin Agricultural Society purchased almost 100 acres (40.5 ha) of farmland from George Stevens, in what was then North Greenfield (Honey Creek settlement), in order to secure a permanent site for the Wisconsin State Fair. The fairgrounds later became a staging ground for Camp Harvey during the Spanish-American WarSpanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
and World Wars I and II. Two Wisconsin historical markers, which are positioned at the entrance of the Wisconsin Exposition Center, document this history for visitors.
The grounds of the State Fair, at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is an agency of the state of Wisconsin. Its purpose is to preserve, protect, manage and maintain the natural resources of the state. The WDNR has the authority to set policy for itself and to recommend regulations for approval by the State Legislature...
park site, contain one of only two Indian effigy mounds remaining in Milwaukee County. (The other is located at Lake Park
Lake Park, Milwaukee
Lake Park, located on Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is an urban park covering . The park is located just north of the Milwaukee Art Museum. Lake Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park in New York City along with many others.Lake Park is home to the last...
in Milwaukee.) Four pre-historic mounds originally populated the location, which were built by the Woodlands People from 100 to 1000 AD. They contained artifacts dating to 8000 BC, some of which can be found at the West Allis Historical Museum.
Wisconsin State Fair Park was also the location of a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
informally known as the Dairy Bowl. It hosted the NFL's Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
from 1934 to 1951 when the team played in Milwaukee. The 1939 NFL championship game
NFL Championship Game, 1939
The 1939 National Football League Championship game was held on December 10, 1939 at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This was the seventh NFL championship game played...
was played here. In 1940 and 1941, the Dairy Bowl also served as the home of the Milwaukee Chiefs
Milwaukee Chiefs (AFL)
The Milwaukee Chiefs were a professional American football team that competed in the third American Football League in 1940 and in 1941. The team played its home games in the Dairy Bowl in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
of the third American Football League.
On the 25-27 July 1969 the Midwest Rock Festival
Midwest Rock Festival
×The Midwest Rock Festival was a music festival held at the State Fair Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the 25th-July 27, 1969.The festival featured Led Zeppelin, Buffy Sainte-Marie, The First Edition, Sweetwater, Pacific Gas & Electric, SRC and Shag ; Blind Faith, Delaney and Bonnie and Friends,...
was held at the State Fair Park.
Park facilities
- Ag Village
- Master Spas Pavilion
- Milwaukee MileMilwaukee MileThe Milwaukee Mile is a -long oval race track in West Allis, Wisconsin that seats about 40,000 spectators. It operated as a dirt track until 1953. The track was paved in 1954....
- Pettit National Ice CenterPettit National Ice CenterThe Pettit National Ice Center is an indoor ice skating facility in West Allis, Wisconsin featuring two international-size ice rinks and a 400-meter speed skating oval. Located adjacent to Wisconsin State Fair Park, the center opened on December 31, 1992, and was named for Milwaukee philanthropists...
- RV parkRV parkA recreational vehicle park or caravan park is a place where people with recreational vehicles can stay overnight, or longer, in alloted spaces known as "pitches"...
- Special Guest Centers
- Tommy G. Thompson Youth Center
- Wisconsin Exposition CenterWisconsin Exposition CenterThe Wisconsin Exposition Center is an exhibit hall and exposition facility located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, Wisconsin and commonly referred to as the 'Expo Center.' It is owned and operated by the State of Wisconsin and staffed by...
- Wisconsin Products Pavilion
- Parks of MilwaukeeParks of Milwaukee-List of parks in Milwaukee County park system:The Milwaukee County Park system was awarded the 2009 National Gold Medal Award "for excellence in the field of park and recreation management" by the National Recreation and Park Association.-Other parks:...