Although "bubbler" and "drinking fountain" seem to have been used interchangeably, "bubbler" is the word that stuck in Milwaukee's cranium — and, as important, in our self-identity.

The company in 1914 promoted a water fountain created by Kohler as being fitted with a “continuous flow bubbler,” according to the UW-Madison dictionary. A former dictionary editor in 2015 ...

Vaux continued, “In this particular case, the competing terms ‘water fountain’ and ‘drinking fountain’ ended up spreading into most of the North, leaving only the starting and ending points of the ...

Bubbler was a term to distinguish a new type of drinking or water fountain from the old version that required a cup. Some words will always clue you in to where someone grew up.

La Crosse's historic bubblers are expected to remain in place as the city plans to install ADA compliant drinking fountains.