Story - Where craft meets commerce

Welcome To CREAM CITY

A thriving city built on trade and commerce -as close to a blueprint for the American dream as one might imagine. A place where hard work was rewarded and forward was always the way.

Our Mark

The Token

At The Trade, we pay tribute to the rich tradition of the industrial-age trade token. Through our mark, The Token celebrates the hard work and shared values that make our state great. Upon check in, you'll receive "The Token" that is good for one The Trade Beer or Sprecher's Root Beer at the Craft bar during our 5PM toast to our great city.

Where once wilderness

A City Grows

Step by step, advancing into the wilderness of the unknown, intrepid explorers mapped and trapped thousands of acres of the rugged marshlands and lakeside forests that would one day become Milwaukee—an untamed frontier outpost destined to emerge as an international fur-trading empire and the cultural crossroads of the American Midwest.

Ode To

The Nobel Beaver

Wisconsin’s fur trade originated in the second half of the seventeenth century, with French-Canadians establishing valuable contacts among local native tribes that would endure for more than one hundred years. The beaver’s pelt, prized for its warmth and waterproofing was in high demand, fueled by European fashion and growing American affluence. The region’s fertile fur trading routes loosely followed indigenous trade routes with posts located at Mackinac, Green Bay, Portage, and Milwaukee. When the American Fur Company established itself here in 1808, Milwaukee became the undisputed epicenter of global fur trade and a Midwest city on the rise.

SOLOMON JUNEAU

A man of many talents, Solomon Juneau was a legendary trapper, trader, merchant, and land developer. He was also one of Milwaukee’s first permanent settlers, its first Postmaster and in 1846, elected the city’s first mayor.

Having worked his traplines and seasonal routes to great success, in 1818, Solomo, as he was known to natives, was employed under contract for the American Fur Company. The ambitious Juneau was revered not only for his trusted reputation among native tribes but also his keen business mind. A year later he was running the whole outfit.

Our Mark

The Token

Where once wilderness

A City Grows

1808

Young Solomon Juneau signs on as a Voyageur, trapping fur by canoe along the shores of Lake Michigan & what would one day be Milwaukee.

1825

Juneau returns to Milwaukee to work for American Fur, taking over the agency and setting up this trading post on the corner of what is now N. Water Street and E. Wisconsin Avenue.

1843

Commerce in the growing city begins to attract first European immigrants, including Germans, Irish, and Scandivians.

1844

Founded in Milwaukee by German immigrant Jacob Best, The Pabst Brewing Company grew from a small local producer to become America’s largest brewer from the late 1800s until 1946.

1849

Work begins on the Milwaukee & Waukesha roadbed, the city’s first railroad line, connecting it by rail to crucial trade routes across the country.

1865

The Milwaukee Iron Company, the first heavy industry in the city, fires up its gigantic blast furnaces, lighting up the night sky over the lake shore with a fiery glow for more than 60 years.

1880

Industrial workers now made up 44.6 percent of the local labor force. Reliant on wheat crops just one or two decades before, Milwaukee had become a center of industry.

1903

Two bench mates at a North Milwaukee bicycle factory, William Harley and Arthur Davidson form Harley- Davidson Motorcycles, kicking off an American cultural movement that endures to this day.

1919

By the end of World War I, virtually every industry in the city had contributed to the war effort. According to the federal census, Milwaukee’s manufacturing output had achieved a staggering 158% increase in those five years.

1924

The Milwaukee Electric Tool Company is established by Albert F. Siebert. Its iconic red tools with the lightning bolt logo continue to set the standard.

1941

The city’s industries quickly adapt to wartime production, evolving technologies to turn out their standard products for the Allied effort— upholding Milwaukee’s reputation as “Machine Shop of the World.”

1968

The Milwaukee Bucks become the newest members of the NBA.

1971

The Bucks sweep the Baltimore Bullets in the playoffs to win the NBA championships.

1993

As cities transition from industrial past to their recreational futures, Milwaukee’s River Walk was a step ahead, connecting downtown to Historic Third Ward neighborhoods with a roughly 20-block promenade along the Milwaukee River.

2001

Construction of the Quadracci Pavilion at Milwaukee Art Museum is completed, marking the city with a bold architectural statement on the shores of Lake Michigan.

2015

Redevelopment of Deer District commences, with ambitious plans to convert 30 acres of disused land, into a vibrant new neighborhood & cultural center in the center of the city.

2018

Fiserv Forum, a state of the art 17,500-seat stadium, opens its doors. Designed as the ultimate NBA facility, it is home to the 2-time NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks.

2021

The Milwaukee Bucks won the 2021 NBA championship, their first in 50 years.

Click to view timeline

THE TRADE HOTEL

Celebrating the rich culture of an evolving city, The Trade an Autograph Collection® Hotel by Marriott, pays homage to the hardworking history and modern spirit of today’s Milwaukee.

As the official hotel of Deer District, located in the historic heart of downtown, The Trade is a place where the style and spirit of today’s cream city shines bright; and the warmth of Wisconsin hospitality lives on. Infused with the big-game energy of Deer District, it is a place where this diverse and dynamic city comes together as one.

Offering 207 luxurious rooms and suites plus destination dining with a rooftop restaurant and lounge boasting stunning city views. Highlights include a 2-story VIP suite with a private entrance and over 9,000 square feet of sophisticated indoor/outdoor meeting spaces for groups of up to 400.

Merging modern convenience with timeless luxe, it is an experience unlike anything else in the city. The Trade Hotel. Where craft meets commerce.

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