The Milwaukee County Parks Department commissioned me to create this illustrated map of Doctors Park, one of over 150 parks in the county part system. In total, there are roughly 15,000 acres of green space containing hiking and nature trails, golf courses, dog parks, beaches, community centers, botanical gardens and beer gardens. Located on the border of Fox Point and Bayside on the shoreline of Lake Michigan, Doctors Park offers 49 acres of mature woodland situated on a bluff above a pebbly beach.
Dr. Joseph Schneider was a German immigrant who practiced ophthalmology and otology in Milwaukee for 45 years. He enjoyed gardening and nature and wanted to ensure that others could enjoy the lakefront property that gave him and his family so much enjoyment. Upon his death in 1927 he willed his private property to the city for “recreational purposes by my fellow citizens: that such natural beauty as it possesses be maintained and that it be devoted also as a refuge for wild birds.”
Because of his (and my) love of birds, I emphasized a few of the most common avian species that would be encountered in this park. I added labels on the plants and animals help educate and inform the viewer. The doe in the foreground was the first animal I placed on the map, after an encounter with one on a recent visit — she jumped over the low fence rail just a few feet from me as I was descending the Forked Aster Trail!
This map was created in Adobe Illustrator and is one of 9 commissioned by the Milwaukee County Parks for their 2019 Maptacular parks promotion campaign.