Wauwatosa Ask Now: Is it Blue Mound or Bluemound?

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Why does the Wisconsin Department of Transportation misspell Blue Mound Road on their signs?

Issue: Our reader asked that question regarding the one-word Bluemound designation, noting that the city's blue street signs spell it Blue Mound.

Status: The DOT tells us they consult with local jurisdictions on all their signage spelling, though Public Works Director Bill Porter said there seems to be no reason why the city would have agreed to the DOT spelling it differently.

Ask Now also looked into the issue pertaining to street signs that seem to change throughout the area. Blue Mound also is the moniker for green street signs in the city of Milwaukee all the way east to 49th Street. Bluemound as one word is on Brookfield street signs and appears to be the favored way the road is spelled in online Google and MapQuest maps.

The State Historical Society traces the road to its roots in the Village of Blue Mounds, situated 25 miles west of Madison. Reference Librarian Gayle Martinson said the road apparently became a paved, divided highway (US 18) in the 1920s, likely because of the influence of locally based state representatives who regularly traveled between Milwaukee and Madison.

In the interest of full disclosure, Now's newspapers and online editions use Bluemound — one word — as the preferred style.

Send questions to news@cninow.com.