The History department of the Milwaukee Public Museum supports and encourages the use of the collections and documentation for research, educational, and exhibition purposes. Any reasonable and appropriate request for access is considered. Given the significance and sensitivity of the collections, however, certain guidelines have been established to govern access, publication, and/or other uses of the Museum's cultural collections and related documentation.
Although it was officially chartered in 1882, its existence can be traced back to 1851, to the founding of the German-English Academy in Milwaukee. The Academy's principal, Peter Engelmann, encouraged student field trips, many of which collected various specimens—organic, geological, and archaeological in nature—which were kept at the Academy.
Today, Aztalan is a state park managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources whose goal is to preserve and interpret the site. Through archaeological investigations and historical work, many of the mysteries of Aztalan have been solved, but many questions still remain. For example: Who were the people who occupied Aztalan before the Mississippians? Why did the Mississippians come to Aztalan? What was the relationship of these people to others, such as the Late Woodland Effigy Mound builders and later, the Oneota? What caused the collapse of Aztalan?
“I think you should always bear in mind that entropy is not on your side.”
- Elon Musk
Under the cover of ice and cold, people, animals and even plants have adapted and evolved over time to survive and even thrive in the cold harsh winters.
“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”
- Gustave Flaubert, 19th-century French Novelist
Think you’ve been there and seen that? Not at an MPM Pop-Up Museum!
What is it?
A pop-up museum is a small, temporary exhibit outside the walls of MPM. Each time we pop-up we choose a new theme and ask you, our community, to showcase your objects and stories that fit that theme.
Transport yourself to a sensory wonderland.Stroll through a lush, tropical garden. Hear the murmur of a cascading waterfall and the soothing sounds of tranquil music. Watch as exotic butterflies emerge from their chrysalises and sip nectar right before your eyes.
This magical atmosphere, filled with swirls of brilliant color and fanciful patterns of butterflies in flight, can only be found in the Museum's Puelicher Butterfly Wing.