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Waukesha Springs Tour
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Located on the west side of Hartwell Avenue near Arcadian Avenue, Glenn Rock Mineral Spring was owned by Mayor Michael Glenn and his wife, Katherine from 1906-1912. Water from the spring was bottled on the property and shipped to locations outside of Waukesha. Today, Glenn Rock Motors is on the site of what once was Glenn Rock Mineral Springs.


Glenn Rock Springs postcard

Plant, Sky, Cloud, Font

Glenn Rock Mineral Spring was one of the earliest discovered springs, but it was not operated for a number of years. After gaining experience in water works in Minneapolis and Seattle, Col. Michael Glenn made his first visit to Waukesha to cure an ailment in 1884. His ailment was successfully cured, but he and his wife, Katherine, did not return to Waukesha to stay until 1903 when she was seriously ill.

Shortly after moving to Waukesha, Glenn invested heavily in real estate becoming the largest property tax payer at one point. Glenn Rock Mineral Spring was one of his purchases, but it started out as a lease from owner J. Mc D Randles in July of 1905. Randals allowed Glenn to construct bottling and shipping buildings on the property and their agreement also allowed him to remove the pipeline conveying water from the spring to Gittner Lumber Company on Arcadian. The following year, Glenn purchased the property from Randles. A few years later, the 1907 Memoirs of Waukesha County talked of Glenn Rock Mineral Spring saying that it employed 8 men and was able to ship one car-load of bottles a week. Water from Glenn Rock Spring was advertised as pure and healthful as well as consisting of qualities that, when mixed with wine and liquor diluted their harmful effects giving the water "effervescent energy" too. His "Still and Carbonized Waters" were patented in 1907.

In 1908, Glenn used his prior experience with water works and his experience as chair of the Hennepin County Board and ran for Mayor of Waukesha. He claimed that he had the expertise to refurbish the city's aging water system and he won the election. He was Waukesha's mayor until 1910 and left the city after his tenure. In April of 1910, the spring was leased to Deakin and Kiehl and by 1912 Glenn Rock Mineral Spring was sold to Martin Kroer, a wholesale grocery dealer. From 1912 through it's last listing in 1940, the spring was sold and renamed "Glenn Rock Waukesha Spring Company", Glenn Rock Springs Incorporated", and finally "Glenn Rock Springs Well".

In the summer of 1955, the springhouse was torn down and the spring was capped. The location of the spring would have been behind the location of Glenn Rock Motors today.

Schoenknecht, John Martin. Great Waukesha Springs Era 1868-1914. Edition 3. Waukesha, WI. John M. Schoenknecht, 2022.