Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.
Issue link: https://uscgproceedings.epubxp.com/i/707823
32 Proceedings Summer 2016 www.uscg.mil/proceedings material that built the city, along with other communities in southeast Wisconsin. Within three years, the city's first lighthouse began its oper- ation, thus initiating Milwaukee's relationship with the modern-day Coast Guard. Congress appropriated $1,000 to construct a lighthouse north of the Milwaukee River mouth, and it remained in service until moved to a higher bluff in 1855. Two other lighthouses were added, along with a Coast Guard lifesaving station and support base, which further solidified Milwaukee as a maritime hub, ready to drive the area's economy. By the early 1900s, a time of industrialization and vibrant immigration, a newly created outer harbor accelerated Milwaukee's growth by allowing vessels to avoid navigat- ing through the web of bridges built within the city. The newly created 467-acre port stimulated trade, business, and employment, and the port became a premier provider of transportation and distribution services for its commercial customers. The Port of Milwaukee is a diverse transportation hub on the Great Lakes, transacting business within the U.S. and internationally. The Great Lakes region, including the eight surrounding states as well as the province of Ontario, Can- ada, has been named "North America's Economic Engine" for good reason. In 2012, this region had an economic output of 4.9 trillion U.S. dollars. In fact, if it were its own country, the Great Lakes region would rank as the fourth-largest economy in the world, following behind only the United States, China, and Japan. The region also accounts for 28 percent of the combined U.S. and Canadian economic activity, and sup- plies 46 million jobs. 1 Economic Impact Opened for business in 1835, Milwaukee's location on Lake Michigan, near the mouth of three rivers — the Milwau- kee, Kinnickinnic, and Menomonee — made it a natural focal point for maritime trade. Lumber schooners from the northern end of Lake Michigan steadily brought in the raw A Port for All Ages The Port of Milwaukee's rich transportation and trade history. by Mr. Pe T er h I r T he Senior Trade Development Representative Port of Milwaukee C dr d an s o MM a Deputy Commander Sector Lake Michigan U.S. Coast Guard Regions The Port of Milwaukee. Photo courtesy of Discovery World, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.