Kilbourn Dam

The Kilbourn Dam, located within the Kilbourn Canal, was built in the 1830s to help link Milwaukee with western ports. Railroads were invented, making canals obsolete. The canal was soon filled in and became Commerce Street, aptly named for the many factories erected on the riverfront strip. The dam remained, serving merely aesthetic use until the 1990s. The water below the dam became popular for fishing for the Polish residents of Brady Street.