About Milwaukee's Gertie the duck

Wisconsinites and their fellow Americans were war weary but hopeful as spring sprung in 1945 and Allied forces made gains in both theaters of World War II.

In late April, the mood in the Badger State brightened another notch thanks to an unlikely source – a mallard duck.

On April 28, 1945, the Milwaukee Sentinel and Milwaukee Journal reported a hen mallard had built a nest and laid eggs atop wooden pilings adjacent to the Wisconsin Avenue bridge over the Milwaukee River in Milwaukee.

Within days the mallard was attracting thousands of people to the bridge in hope of seeing the duck’s eggs hatch.

The Journal initially referred to the bird as “Our Duck”; the Sentinel opted for “Ma Mallard” or “Mrs. Duck.” Finally, Journal outdoors editor Gordon MacQuarrie gave the duck a name that stuck: Wisconsin Avenue Gertie, Gertie for short.

Six ducklings hatched and along with Gertie were scooped up and put on display in a Gimbels’ Department Store window for a few days. Then the birds were transported to and released at the Juneau Park Lagoon.

By the time the ducklings were born, the story had gone national, an uplifting and real tale at a time when people really seemed to need it.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: About Milwaukee's Gertie the duck