Neville Public Museum of Brown County - Otto Stiller Collection

In 1945 the League of Women Voters was looking for a civic project to which it could devote its considerable energies. Mrs. Ralph Curtis Smith had the answer. One day while Mildred was sweeping her front porch, she suddenly realized how much soot had accumulated in the two days since she had last cleaned it. She deposited the dust, fly ash and soot she had swept up, placed it into a box, brought it to the meeting, and proposed that the members make their next project a cleanup of Green Bay. At that time, Green Bay, Pittsburgh and St. Louis were the three dirtiest cities in the United States. It was not something Mildred thought was an honor.

In the postwar era charcoal dust filled skies were supposed to be the sign of a prosperous city. Mrs. Smith was quoted as saying “One scrunched through soot and fly ash when he walked on the downtown streets and sidewalks. One eye doctor said that 90 percent of his business was taking soot and fly ash our of people’s eyes.” In 1950, a study of Green Bay air quality found 75 tons of dust and soot were being deposited every month in each square mile of downtown Green Bay.

The League took the contents of Smith’s candy box to a chemist to have it analyzed. The findings were sufficiently alarming to embark on a campaign to begin the cleanup of the city’s air.

Support was not universally popular. Nationally, the environment was not high on the agenda. It wasn’t until 1970 that the Environment Protection Agency was formed. The state’s Department of Natural Resources as presently organized didn’t take shape until 1967. Local skepticism and even resistance came from the business community. However, the cause was popular with women’s groups.

In 1950, after five years of hard work by the League of Women Voters, the city council approved an air pollution control ordinance. At the council meeting Alderman Edward Perkins told his fellow councilmen, “We have to pass this ordinance, we have 10,000 women on our necks.”

An air pollution engineer, Mr. Anthony Sidlow, from Cleveland was hired and dust pots were placed on tall buildings to monitor the air quality. An Advisory Board made up of three engineers and two league women was formed. One of the members was Mrs. Smith. After two years, Mr. Sidlow left to take a position in California. He was replaced with Mr. Arthur Linquist, an enthusiastic hard working inspector.

Fly ash was used for landfill, coal companies began to spray their coal with wetting compounds to reduce dust. Dusty roads were sprayed with sulfide liquor. Eventually, the soot and fly ash deposited per square mile was reduced to 18.2 tons per month.

Under Mayor Rachals the League almost lost their program, which was rated nationally as excellent. He still felt that chimneys belching smoke and fly ash were the sign of a prosperous city. The League of Women Voters put him on a panel program, and the next morning he called Mrs. Smith and requested her to reactivate the Advisory and Appeal Board. They were also allowed to work on litter.