HISTORY HIGHLIGHT

CHAMPION IN CHIWAUKEE

In the spring of 1937, rumors began to circulate that Joe Louis planned to train for his upcoming championship fight at the Lakefront Stadium in Kenosha. For those few months while Louis trained in Kenosha, he stayed at the Fischer Mansion in Pleasant Prairie, located on the shores or Lake Michigan, south of 116th Street.

Originally, Louis had planned to train in Lake Geneva, but was denied housing due to his race. Until the Civil Rights Act of 1968, racially restrictive deed covenants were common. Pleasant Prairie welcomed Joe Louis, yet these practices were present here as well.

The Fischer Mansion was owned by Fred P. Fischer, a wealthy Chicago bed manufacturer. This was one of five houses built in Chiwaukee On the Lake.

THE BIG BRAWL

In the 1930s, boxing was one of the most popular sports in the country—and Joe Louis was a star. When he trained at Lakefront Stadium, everyone wanted to watch. For the price of $1.10 you could watch Joe Louis train for his big fight—the fight for the title of world heavyweight champion against James Braddock. On June 22, 1937, Louis won that fight, becoming the second Black world heavyweight champion. He remained the undefeated champion for nearly 12 years—the longest reign in heavyweight boxing history.