This history was written and compiled by Forest Johnson and edited for length by MPS Communications.
Students from Milwaukee Public Schools were planting trees and studying nature at Potter's Forest long before other nature centers and programs were developed in the area. First developed for the study of conservation education, Potter's Forest programs evolved into a focus on environmental education.
How Did MPS Acquire the Forest?
As early as 1943 individuals from local conservation groups and the Milwaukee Public Schools attempted to acquire property for a school forest to develop a conservation education program. Wilhelmine La Dudde of the Women's Conservation League of America and Walter Nichols, Assistant Superintendent of MPS, led the search and acquisition of the land for the new school forest.
The fifty acres of land that became Potter's Forest was acquired in 1947 and dedicated on June 5th, 1949 in the name of Milton C. Potter, former MPS Superintendent and promoter of the project. The early years saw a great deal of student activity with planting hardwood and conifer trees. In addition there was other conservation work to restore the land to create a more natural condition. Ken Beers and Roy Swenson were two MPS naturalists who led many of the early nature and conservation activities at the forest. Students continued to visit Potter's Forest for more than forty years for nature and environmental education field trips.
The Ropes and Challenge Course
In 1994 a collaborative effort involving MPS staff from the Departments of Curriculum and Instruction, Special Education and Supportive Services, School to Work, Community Recreation, Facilities sand Maintenance ,and Insurance and Risk Management was organized to develop a new Ropes and Challenge Education Program for MPS students and staff. After a tour of the site, the selection committee immediately chose Potter's Forest as the prime location for the Ropes and Challenge Course. In the spring of 1995 the first elements of the course were installed and staff began training. Program implementation with students began in the fall of 1995. An environmental awareness segment was included as part of the initial programming effort.
The History of the Land
This area and the area just east of the present cabin were farmed beginning in the mid-1800s. Jacob Wagner built a brick farmhouse in 1869, and now the land is used for a barbershop at 9855 West Forest Home Avenue. Wally Jablonski, the present owner and barber, remembers finding many old farm implements on his property. Adam Roder was the last farmer on the land in the 1930s and early 1940s. The farm was subdivided and in 1947 MPS purchased 35.98 acres from Alma and Emma Toelle and 14.57 acres from Elizabeth Schwab to create the 50.55 acre Potter's Forest.
The mature hard wood forest which occupies 35 acres is undoubtedly the most striking feature of the property. An arborist from the Milwaukee Department of Forestry stated that it was the best stand of hardwoods he had seen in an urban area. Many have thought that the hardwoods at Potter's Forest were part of a virgin forest that once occupied this part of the state. Discussions with Wes Eisenhauer, former Gardener at Boerner Botanical Gardens and Milwaukee County Parks Supervisor, dispel this belief. Apparently, Potawatomi people in the area prior to the 1830's started fires on a regular basis to keep the area open for wildlife. Most large stands of trees in Milwaukee County date back only to about the late 1830's. Older individual or small groups of trees are possible, but the trees at Potter's Forest probably date back to the 1830-50 era - making them at least 150 years old.
Potter's Forest is a living laboratory of man's tremendous effect on the environment. From open grassland during Potawatomi management, barren farmland with wood lot during the agricultural period, and the present mature forest with open grassland. The land can only reflect the management of the occupiers. The Ropes and Challenge Education Program stresses environmental awareness and is committed to keeping Potter's Forest a natural jewel in an urban setting.
