This weekend is the annual Kaszube picnic on Jones Island at Milwaukee’s smallest park. Do you know the Kaszubes? Do you know the story of Jones Island? Are you curious why what is actually a peninsula is called an island?

Today Jones Island is home to an industrial port and sewage treatment plant, but it was once home to a vibrant fishing village where an immigrant community of Kaszubes filled the swampy land for fishing shanties, homes, saloons, and even a school. Learn more about the dramatic historic transformations along our freshwater coast by checking out the video above.

Explore more by accessing the Jones Island “Deeper Dive” by opening the Milwaukee Community Map in Google Earth Pro on Desktop. Fill in the circle button by “Jones Island” and then click the points of interest to explore different historic features in the interactive map.