"BASE BALL TO-DAY", c. 1915

Today, The Hop celebrates its "Grand Hop-ening", and Milwaukee has a streetcar again for the first time since 1958.

In honor of this momentous day, we present to you this postcard, circa 1915, showing two conductors posing on their streetcar.

On the streetcar's side, the letters "T. M. E. R. & L. CO." stands for The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company. Yes, that's right, the streetcars and electric power company were under one umbrella.

This particular style of car was introduced around 1906, and they remained in service until the 1940s. The conductors look very proud in their uniforms with heavy wool coats and brass buttons.

What's really interesting to us, though, is the sign on the front of the car.

BASE
BALL
TO-DAY
8th & Chambers Sts.

This, of course, refers to our own beloved wooden ballpark, then known as "Athletic Park" and still over a decade away from being renamed for Otto Borchert.

The streetcar was a reliable mode of transit to the ballpark for the rest of its existence, as seen in this Milwaukee Journal ad from May, 1936:

Who knows? In future expansions, we could be able to jump The Hop on our way to a game at Miller Park, just as baseball "bugs" did back in 1915.

(Photo credit: Chuck Quirmbach)