| Attraction Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Appleton Lock 2 Maritime Trails Marker | Steamboats on the Fox River The locks on the Lower Fox River were built for steamboats. When construction of the locks began in the 1850s, steam-powered vessels had replaced barges towed by mules and flat boats pushed by hand with long poles. The narrow locks favored steamboats with paddlewheels ... |
| Appleton Lock 3 Maritime Trails Marker | Locks on the Fox. The Fox River once crashed over waterfalls and surged through rapids, descending 170 feet over 39 miles between Lake Winnebago and Green Bay. Appleton and Kaukauna were founded near especially rough passages and steep drops. In the 1850s, European settlers sought to make the Fox... |
| Appleton Lock 4 Maritime Trails Marker | In the late 1920s, paddlewheel steamboats on the Lower Fox River gave way to barges pushed by diesel-powered tugboats. For several decades, the whistles of tugboats were as familiar to Fox Valley residents as those of trains are today. Fully loaded with 400 tons of coal, pulpwood, or other commod... |
| Appomattox Maritime Trails Marker | Just 150 yards from here, in 20 feet of water, lies the Appomattox, the largest wooden steamer ever to sail the Great Lakes, possibly the world. At nearly 320 feet long, she marks the limit reached by wooden shipbuilding techniques. Her builder, Captain James Davidson, pushed those limits well af... |
| Battle of Bad Axe Historic Marker | After holding off his pursuers at the Battle of Wisconsin Heights (about 11/2 miles east of present Sauk City), Black Hawk led his people over unfamiliar country toward the Mississippi. In the meantime, the Army alerted Ft. Crawford at Prairie du Chien. When the Indians reached the Mississippi, t... |
| Bayfield Historic Waterfront Maritime Trails Maker | Historic marker that celebrates the Bayfield waterfront's rich history. Located at the corner of 1st Street and Wilson Ave. at the entrance to the Madeline Island Ferry Dock. |
| Beef Slough Historic Marker | The Beef Slough was a sluggish branch of the Chippewa River that provided an excellent storage pond for the logs floated downstream by numerous logging companies. Here loggers were employed to arrange the mixed-up logs into orderly rafts to be towed by steamboats to sawmills down the Mississippi.... |
| Brule River Historic Marker | Historic marker at Stone's Bridge Canoe Landing that reads:'The Brule River has served as a passageway between Lake Superior and the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers for many centuries. The Indians traveled this route long before the first white man. DuLhut, passed through in June of 1680. A few ... |
| Brule River Historic Marker | Historic Marker that reads: 'The Brule River flows in the former channel of a larger river which once flowed in the opposite direction and drained melting ice from glacial Lake Duluth. The receding glacier created Lake Superior and also carved the valley now occupied by the Brule. Instead of flow... |
| Bullhead Point Maritime Trails Marker | To visit the Bullhead Point City Park in Sturgeon Bay: Head north on N. Duluth Ave. Keep going straight on Duluth Ave. when County Road C turns east. Bullhead Point will be on the right, across from the old stone quarry which is on the left. In 1931 three abandoned vessels were burned to the wate... |
| Cassville Ferry Maritime Trails Marker | Cassville's first ferry, a 40-foot row boat, crossed the Mississippi River in 1833. In 1836, 23-year-old New Yorker, Nelson Dewey was lured to Cassville by its promise as the potential capital of the Wisconsin Territory and crossed the Mississippi River via the Cassville Ferry. Twelve years later... |
| Christina Nilsson Maritime Trails Marker | This is a perfect site for snorkelers and kayakers! The schooner Christina Nilsson lies in 15' of water just off the Old Baileys Harbor Lighthouse. The site is a boat entry dive. On October 23, 1884, the Christina Nilsson departed Escanaba, Mich., carrying 525 tons of pig iron bound for Chicago. ... |
| Continental Maritime Trails Marker | The wreck of the steam-powered bulk freighter Continental lies about a mile north of the Rawley Point Lighthouse. After 22 years on the Great Lakes, the Continental met her fate in a blinding snowstorm. Early on a December morning in 1904, the Continental was steaming south past Twin Rivers Point... |
| Dams on the Mississippi Historic Marker | Lock and Dam No. 8 at Genoa, 679.2 miles above the mouth of the Ohio River, is set on a foundation of sand, gravel and broken rock. It has a 110 foot wide chamber and an 11 foot lift from the lower to the upper pool. Construction of the dam cost $6,702,500 and affected 18,591 acres of land. In Ma... |
| Daniel Lyons Maritime Trails Marker | About 8 miles northeast of here, the old wooden schooner Daniel Lyons rests 110 feet beneath Lake Michigan's waves. The three-masted Daniel Lyons delivered grain to ports around the Great Lakes in the 1870s, until a collision sent her to the bottom the night of Oct. 17, 1878. That night, the Dani... |
| DePere Lock Maritime Trails Marker | Wisconsin's Maritime Trails-Early Routes. In an attempt to exert stronger control over Native American groups, the United States government set up a series of forts along the Fox-Wisconsin River system. Fort Howard was built at the mouth of the Fox River. Under the watchful presence of the fort, ... |
| Door County's Stone Fleet Maritime Trails Marker | Behind you, Government Bluff rises 150 feet above the waters of Sturgeon Bay. It was here that Door County’s first industry began in 1834- a limestone quarry. Originally intended for a military fort that was never constructed, the stone was later used by the federal government to construct piers ... |
| Early Steamboat Tourism Maritime Trails Marker | Maritime Trails Marker commemorating early steamboat tourism to Door County at Anderson Dock in Ephraim |
| Early Vessels Maritime Trails Marker | The Ojibwe tell of the origins of their birchbark canoe: The spirit Winneboujou was searching for his mother. He did not know that she had become a spirit to be with his father, the West Wind. Winneboujou was told that a large fish swallowed his mother while she was walking along Lake Superior. H... |
| Erie L. Hackley Maritime Trails Marker | On October 3, 1903, the Erie L. Hackley departed Menominee with nineteen people on board, bound for Egg Harbor across the bay. About an hour later, a violent squall arose, whipping the waves to monstrous heights. Soon, great walls of water crashed onto the vessel, tearing the pilothouse and cabin... |
| Fleetwing Maritime Trails Marker | This is a perfect site for snorkelers and kayakers! The schooner Fleetwing lies in 11-25' of water just to the right of the public boat landing and historic marker at Garret Bay in Hedgehog Harbor. The site can be either a shore or boat entry dive. On Sept. 26, 1888, the Fleetwing departed Menomi... |
| Fort Winnebago Historical Marker | Wayside on Highway 33 where it crosses the Fox River. Former location of Fort Winnebago, with Fort Winnebago and Marquette Historical Markers. There is also a cornerstone for the former location of the fort. Old Fort Winnebago Surgeons Quarters are across the highway from the Wayside. HIstoric ma... |
| Fox River Locks Maritime Trails Marker | The Fox River navigation system has had four different owners since its completion in 1856. The Fox and Wisconsin Improvement company, the builder of the locks, spent more money than it made and went bankrupt in 1866. The company reformed as the Green Bay and Mississippi Canal Company, which sold... |
| Francis Hinton Maritime Trails Marker | Offshore from this point lies the wreck of the steam barge Frances Hinton. The Francis Hinton was built in Manitowoc in 1889 for the Lake Michigan lumber trade. She was the last ship built by the Danish immigrants Jasper Hansen & Hans Scove. On the morning of Nov. 16, 1909, the Frances Hinton was... |
| Frank O'Connor Maritime Trails Marker | The historic marker for the Frank O'Conner is located at the Cana Island Lighthouse, north of Baileys Harbor. The shipwreck of the Frank O'Connor lies 2.6 miles NNE of Cana Island on the Lake Michigan side of Door County. The wreckage of the 300-foot-long vessel sits in 65 feet of water. Two seas... |
| Gallinipper Maritime Trails Marker | About 17 miles northeast of here lies the Gallinipper, the oldest commercial vessel found in Wisconsin waters. Built in 1833, the wooden schooner began her days in the Great Lakes fur trade and finished her career bringing waves of immigrants to the new state of Wisconsin. Despite her age, the hi... |
| Joys Maritime Trails Marker | Resting 150 yards off shore from here is the wreckage of the steam barge Joys, a vessel once hailed as a 'greyhound among lumber carriers' for her record-breaking speed. The Joys was constructed in 1884 in the Milwaukee Ship Yard Company. She hauled lumber, iron, and stone through the Sturgeon Ba... |
| Kate Kelly Maritime Trails Marker | About two miles offshore from here, the wooden schooner Kate Kelly lies broken and scattered in 55 feet of water. She had departed Alpena, Mich., in early May 1895, loaded with railroad ties and bound for her home port of Chicago. In command was Captain Hartley J. Hatch, one of the Great Lakes' m... |
| Lake Mary Canoe Maritime Trails Marker | This two thousand-year-old dugout canoe was discovered in Lake Mary in Kenosha County. The preserved canoe is now on display at the Kenosha Public Museum. Ancient dugout canoes are occasionally preserved when environmental conditions are just right. The canoe above was submerged and waterlogged w... |
| Le Griffon Maritime Trails Marker | Maritime Trails Marker commemorating the voyage of Rene-Robert Sieur de La Salle. |
| Little Chute Lock Maritime Trails Marker | Working on the Fox In 1854, one hundred and fifty men found jobs building canals, locks and dams in Little Chute. Many of the workers were Irish, and a sizable number of Dutchmen brought canal building experience with them from the Netherlands. By 1856, the work had made it possible for steamboat... |
| Louisiana Maritime Trails Marker | The Louisiana Maritime Trails historic marker is located at School House Beach, Washington Harbor, Washington Island. Washington Island, at the tip of Door County, can be accessed by seasonal ferry. The bulk carrier Louisiana, built in 1887, was a steam driven freighter. Nearly 270 feet long, she... |
| Lucerne Maritime Trails Marker | About 200 yards off Long Island, in 20 feet of water, lies the wreck of the Lucerne. In her day, the three-masted wooden schooner was one of the largest and sturdiest vessels on the Great Lakes. The barometer indicated good weather when the Lucerne left Ashland the night of Nov. 15, 1886. The big... |
| Lumberman Maritime Trails Marker | Four miles offshore from Bender Park, 60 feet beneath the surface of Lake Michigan, lies the well-preserved wreck the of Lumberman. For three decades, the three-masted wooden schooner hauled lumber, barrel staves, railroad ties, and other forest products from isolated towns on Lake Michigan to th... |
| Milwaukee Maritime Trails Marker | The 338-foot railroad carferry SS Milwaukee was launched as the Manistique, Marquette and Northern #1 in 1903. She was designed by the famed marine architect Robert Logan and built in Cleveland by the American Shipbuilding Company. Acquired by the Grand Trunk Railroad in 1908, the Milwaukee shutt... |
| Mouth of the Bois Brule River Historic Marker | Historic marker that reads: 'Here, one of Wisconsins most historic and beloved rivers joins Americas largest fresh water lake. The Brule River, famous for trout fishing, canoeing, and unparalleled beauty, was important to early travelers as a waterway connecting Lake Superior and the Mississippi.... |
| Newport Maritime Trails Marker | Near this spot in 1881, a Scandinavian immigrant named Hans Johnson built a large wooden pier. Soon afterward, Johnson and business partner Peter Knudson built a general store, a post office, and a lumber mill. For the next 40 years, these structures supported a thriving, lumber-based economy in ... |
| Niagara Maritime Trails Marker | The Niagara Maritime Trails historic marker is located on the Port Washington waterfront as an outdoor exhibit for the Port Washington Heritage Center. The wreckage of the sidewheel passenger steamer Niagara lies in 55 feet of water one mile off Belgium, Wisconsin. The site is marked with a Wisco... |
| Ocean Wave Maritime Trails Marker | Four miles southeast of here, in 110 feet of water, lie the remains of the Ocean Wave. The two-masted wooden ship was a scow schooner, a boxy, flat-bottomed vessel of the late 1800s. Scow schooners could enter shallower harbors than more shapely vessels, and they connected small frontier towns to... |
| Omro Historical Marker | Located along one of Wisconsin's first transportation and communication routes, the community of Omro developed quickly on the Fox River. French fur trader and blacksmith Charles Omreau had a trading post here and give his name to the future city. Founded in 1842, Omro grew from a village in 1849... |
| Phoenix Maritime Trails Marker | The Phoenix began its fateful journey from Buffalo on November 11, 1847. She carried a crew of 23 and approximately 190 passengers. Most of the passengers were immigrants from Holland intending to settle near Sheboygan and in Dutch settlements of Michigan and Iowa. On the afternoon of Saturda... |
| Pilot Island Maritime Trails Marker | The Maritime Trails marker describing the three shipwrecks near Pilot Island is at the Northport Ferry Terminal of the Washington Island Ferry. The sign is on the right of the loading area. Pilot Island, which is not accessible to the public, is straight ahead of the sign. The Pilot Island shipwr... |
| Potters Emigration Society | Near here in 1849 Thomas Twiggs began a settlement of unemployed potters from Staffordshire, England. To help farmers on both sides of the Fox River reach his store and blacksmith shop at Twiggs' Landing, he operated Emancipation Ferry, named to express his hope that here they would find freedom ... |
| Rafting on the Mississippi Historic Marker | After 1837 the vast timber resources of northern Wisconsin were eagerly sought by settlers moving into the mid-Mississippi valley. By 1847 there were more than thirty saw-mills on the Wisconsin, Chippewa, and St. Croix river systems, cutting largely Wisconsin white pine. During long winter months... |
| Reynolds' Pier Maritime Trails Marker | During the heyday of Wisconsin's lumber industry, Jacksonport's business and community life centered around three large piers. Each pier had its own general store and lumber mill. Wooden schooners, called 'lumber hookers,' often crowded the piers to load cordwood, shingles, and posts bound for th... |
| Rouse Simmons Maritime Trails Marker | About 12 miles northeast of Two Rivers, 165 feet below the waves, lies one of the most celebrated shipwrecks in Lake Michigan. The three-masted Rouse Simmons spent her career like many lumber schooners of her day, hauling forest products from isolated towns along Lake Michigan to the hungry marke... |
| Sevona Maritime Trails Marker | About 4 miles from here lies the wreck of the Sevona, one of the largest carriers on the Great Lakes when it was launched in 1890. She was originally named the Emily P. Weed. When the Sevona departed Superior's Allouez ore docks on the evening of September 1, 1905, the skies showed no sign of an ... |
| Site of Fort Antoine Historic Marker | Nicholas Perrot was a daring adventurer, fur trader, and able diplomat. The hand-some Frenchman built Fort St. Antoine on the shore of Lake Pepin near here in 1686. Alarmed by the aggressions of the English, the French government felt it was necessary to repeat their claims with sufficient pomp a... |
| Site of Red Bird's Village Historic Marker | First Battle of the Bad Ax was fought opposite, between 37 Winnebagos, on Minnesota and Wisconsin islands, and crew of keel boat O.H. Perry grounded on sandbar. Fatalities: 4 whites, 7 Indians. The same day Red Bird killed Lip Cap and Gagnier at Prairie du Chein. He died in prison there. |
| Upper Fox River Historic Marker | On these banks of the Upper Fox River June 7, 1673, explorers Marquette and Jolliet visited the Mascoutin Indian Tribe that lived here. For many years traders and missionaries camped here while visiting the Indians. In 1846 Nathan Strong, a Fourierite, was commissioned by the Federal Government t... |
| Vernon Maritime Trails Marker | From the moment she was launched, onlookers predicted bad luck for the elegant packet steamer Vernon. She was fast and beautifully adorned, but a math error by her designer left her top-heavy and unstable. Built for the Booth Fish Company of Chicago, the vessel regularly carried passengers and ca... |
| War Eagle Maritime Trails Marker | Just up the Black River from this point lie the remains of the sidewheel riverboat War Eagle. Built in Fulton, Ohio, in 1854, she boasted 46 staterooms, fine velvet carpets, luxurious furniture, and onboard barbershops. During the Civil War, the War Eagle transported troops and supplies. Her only... |
| Washburn Historic Waterfront Maritime Trails Markers | Washburn's waterfront walking trail runs from Thompson West End Park to Washburn Marina. Once a bustling industrial waterfront, Washburn's Lake Superior coastline today offers visitors beautiful vistas of the Lake and the natural surroundings of Chequamegon Bay. Hints of the town's rich maritime ... |
| Winona Trail Old Military Road | Stone monument that marks the end of the trail on which Marquette and Joliet entered the Wisconsin River on June 14, 1673. |