Appleton Lock 2 Maritime Trails Marker
Gallery
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Marker Dedication May 2008
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Appleton Lock 2 Maritime Trails Marker
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Appleton Lock 2 Maritime Trails Marker
 
Details
Attraction
Description
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 mounted in the stern (back) of the vessels over those mounted on the side. Sternwheelers offered more deck space for passengers and freight than sidewheelers. The vessels were designed to negotiate bends in the winding river and large waves on Lake Winnebago's open water. After the locks were completed in 1856, steam traffic on the Fox River boomed. In June of that year, a boat named the Aquila departed Pittsburgh and steamed down the Ohio River to the Mississippi. The Aquila then traveled up the Wisconsin River, passed through a canal at Portage, Wis., and came down the Fox River. It was greeted in the Lower Fox with cheering crowds, bands, speeches, and ceremonies. Local residents rejoiced at their connection with the rest of the country. By 1857, twenty-four steamboats passed through Appleton each week. Just four years later, the railroad reached the Lower Fox Valley and offered fierce competition to steamboat commerce. By 1930, railroad and highways had eclipsed the steamboat era on the Fox River.
Attraction
Location
Body of Water: Fox River
Trail Name: Green Bay/Door County
Year Built: 2008
Nearest City: Appleton
County: Outagamie
Zip Code: 54915
Latitude: N 44°15.23305'
Longitude: W -088°23.56242'
Attraction
Features
Open to public?: Yes
Mooring buoy?: No
Mooring buoy in place?: No
Snorkelable?: No
Dive guide?: No
Trails sign?: Yes
National Register?: No
 
Contacts
Name Phone Alt Phone Email Website
The History Museum at the Castle 920.735.9370
 
Map
 
Nearby
Attractions (11)
Appleton Lock 2 Maritime Trails Marker
Appleton Lock 3 Maritime Trails Marker
Appleton Lock 4 Maritime Trails Marker
Appleton Lock No. 1
Appleton Lock No. 2
Appleton Lock No. 3
Appleton Lock No. 4
Paper Discovery Center
The History Museum at the Castle
Vulcan Heritage Park
Vulcan Street Power Plant
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