Appleton Lock 4 Maritime Trails Marker
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Appleton Lock 4 Maritime Trails Marker
 
Details
Attraction
Location
Body of Water: Fox River
Trail Name: Inland Waterways
Nearest City: Appleton
County: Outagamie
Latitude: N 44°15.643'
Longitude: W -88°23.279'
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
Attraction
Description
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 commodities, a barge could travel four miles per hour. Two companies dominated barge traffic on the Lower Fox River. The Cook and Brown Lime Company of Oshkosh had begun operations in 1874 using steamboats, but transitioned to tugs and barges in the 1920s. It primarily shipped sand, clay, and lime from the shores of Lake Winnebago to Green Bay. The Fox River Navigation Company of Kaukauna was founded in 1918 by four paper mills that powered their factories with coal. The company used tugs and barges to ensure a steady, cheap supply of coal from the docks in Green Bay directly to the mills. These vessels also brought pulpwood, sulphite, and other ingredients essential to the papermaking industry. Towards the middle of the twentieth century, natural gas became cheaper than coal for powering factories, and using the federal highway system became economical for shipping some commodities. Both developments caused a sharp decline in barge traffic on the Fox River. Local residents witnessed the end of commercial traffic on the Fox River when the last barge passed through its locks in 1959.
 
Contacts
Name Phone Alt Phone Email Website
The History Museum at the Castle 920-735-9370 http://www.myhistorymuseum.org/
 
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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