Fox-Wisconsin Waterway

The Fox-Wisconsin Waterway is a waterway formed by the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. First used by European settlers in 1673 during the expedition of Marquette & Joliet, it was one of the principal routes used by travelers between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River until the completion of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1848 and the arrival of railroads. The western terminus of the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway was at the Mississippi at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. It continued up the Wisconsin River about 116 miles (186 km) until reaching Portage, Wisconsin. There travelers would portage to the Upper Fox River, or eventually, use the Portage Canal. It continued about 160 miles (256 km) down the Fox River, following it through Lake Winnebago and continuing on the Lower Fox over 170 feet (50 m) of falls to the eastern terminus at the Bay of Green Bay.

In the mid 1800's, the waterway was improved with numerous locks, dams and canals, including the 2-mile (3 km) Portage Canal between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. All the locks were not completed until 1876, well after the Illinois and Michigan Canal and at the point where the move from canals to railroads was in full swing. Later development on the waterway introduced barriers to navigation, such as the dam at Prairie du Sac. Use of the waterway was never substantial and it slowly died out. The Portage Canal was closed in 1951 and most of the Upper Fox River locks and dams fell into disuse. The lock system on the Lower Fox River, from Lake Winnebago to Green Bay, was closed in 1983 to prevent the upstream spread of invasive species such as the lamprey.

The Fox-Wisconsin is no longer used as a transportation route between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. However, the various reaches of the waterway enjoy significant recreational use. Plans are well advanced for reopening the Lower Fox locks and dams.

Reaches

The Waterway can be divide into four physical reaches: the Lower Wisconsin River, “The Portage” canal and locks at Portage, the Upper Fox River and the Lower Fox River.

Physical Description

Overall the system is about convert|280|mi|0 long. It begins in the west at the Mississippi River, rises at a nearly constant rate to Portage, crosses the Great-Lakes / Mississippi River divide at Portage, descends slowly along the Upper Fox to the Lake Winnebago Pool and then plunges in a short reach to the eastern end at the head of the Bay of Green Bay on Lake Michigan.

Lower Wisconsin

The lower Wisconsin River flows through glacial drift until it enters the Driftless Area and eventually reaches the Mississippi River. [http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/ORG/gmu/lowerwis/watersheds/lower%20wisconsin.pdf Lower Wisconsin River Main Stem, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) ] (PDF)] It extends about 116 river miles (187 river km) from Portage to its confluence with the Mississippi River, falling approximately convert|170|ft|0 from about elevation convert|782|ft|0 above sea level (msl) at Portage to convert|611|ft|0, msl at the Mississippi. Various United States Geological Survey 15-minute quad lateral Topographical maps ] [http://lwr.state.wi.us/section.asp?linkid=233&locid=50 Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board Riverway Maps] ]

The reach has nearly uniform hydraulic gradient of about 1.5 feet per mile (0.3m/Km). There is only one major tributary, the Kickapoo River, which enters just before the Mississippi at about River Mile 16 (River Km 26). Since there are no major tributaries, river discharge in the reach are relatively constant, averaging about convert|8700|cuft|0 per second (cfs - m³/s) at USGS gage 05407000 at Muscoda. [http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/uv/?site_no=05407000&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060 USGS gage Wis R at Muscoda ] ]

The river channel is dominated by sand. Sand bars, tow-head islands and new, multiple channels form often and constantly change. The channel is wide and shallow.

The Portage

The 2-mile (3-km) portage at Portage, Wisconsin is not unique as a passage between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds. Similar passages exist all along the watershed divide, for instance, at Chicago and in the northern Indiana area.. What is unique is that, while the Fox is small stream - typical of such passages - the Wisconsin is a large river, already over 300 miles (500 km)long. The divide between the two rivers has little grade change, although it is marshy. The Wisconsin occasionally flowed across the Portage into the Fox during high water. The Fox and Wisconsin have modified their courses and outlets over geological time [http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2005NC/finalprogram/abstract_86950.htm Glacial Lakes Wisconsin And Oshkosh—Two Very Different Late-Glacial Ice-Marginal Lakes In Wisconsin' ] ] and it is likely that either river has flowed into either watershed. Only about 2 miles (3 km) separate the two rivers. The Fox River end of the canal is at about elevation 780 ft (238 m) msl. The Wisconsin River end is slightly higher, depending on Wisconsin River discharge levels.The Portage lies about 116 river miles (187 river km) from the Mississippi River and 162 river miles (261 river km) from The Bay of Green Bay. [http://www2.mvr.usace.army.mil/NavNotices/Documents/Division%20Bulletin%20No.%202%20-%202007%20FINAL%20-%20DISTRO.pdf Corps Of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division January 2005 Division Bulletin No. 2 ] (PDF)]

Upper Fox

The upper Fox River flows northwest from its headwater to within convert|2|mi|0 the Portage. It then flows to the north-northeast to the Lake Winnebago Pool. It extends about 110 river miles (177 river km) from Portage to Lake Winnebago, falling only about convert|36|ft|0 from elevation convert|782|ft|0, msl at the Portage to convert|746|ft|0, msl at Lake Winnebago [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/EcoNatRes.DNRBull43 Priegel, Gordon R. / Lake Puckaway walleye, 1966 ] ] [http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/maps/county.htm Wisconsin Dept of Transport Co maps ] ] .

The reach has a shallow grade. The hydraulic gradient averages about 4 inches per mile (6 cm/km). There are two very shallow lakes along the way, Buffalo Lake and Lake Puckaway. The river drainage area grows significantly in size from convert|80|sqmi|0 at the Portage to about convert|1340|sqmi|0 at USGS gage 004073500 at Berlin [http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/gmu/gmu.html WDNR Watershed Basins ] ] [http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/uv/?site_no=04073500&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060 USGS gage Fox R at Berlin ] ] , where the average flow is about convert|1140|cuft|0 per second . The river discharge would grow at nearly the same proportions. Thus the Upper Fox grows from a small stream to a small river over its course. At Big Lake Butte des Morts it is joined from the north by flow from the Wolf River through Lake Poygan. The drainage area of Wolf River is more than twice the size of the drainage area of the Fox. But this extra flow joins the Fox only after it reaches the Lake Winnebago Pool.

The river channel is characterized by sand, silt and organic material. The channel, which ranges from convert|70|ft|0 to convert|300|ft|0, is shallow and generally widens and deepens as it approaches Lake Winnebago.

Lower Fox

The lower Fox River flows from the natural impoundment of Lake Winnebago to Lake Michigan. Lower Wisconsin River Main Stem, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR)] It extends about 39 river miles (63 river km) from Menasha at the head of Lake Winnebago to Lake Michigan , falling approximately convert|170|ft|0 from about elevation convert|746|ft|0, msl at Winnebago to convert|577|ft|0, msl at the Bay of Green Bay. [http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/wm/FoxRiver/documents/modeldocs/b1_doc.pdf Development and Application of a PCB Transport Model for the Lower Fox River, WDNR 2001 ] (PDF)] . The reach has a very steep and changing grade. While the hydraulic gradient averages about 4 feet per mile (0.75m/km), there are very large falls at (using the original French nomenclature) La Grand Kaukilin (Kaukauna), La Petite Chute (Little Chute) and La Grand Chute (Appleton). The total drop of these falls is approximately the same as Niagara Falls, although over a much longer stretch. There are no major tributaries. Thus the river discharge is nearly constant, averaging about convert|4600|cuft|0 per second at USGS gage 040851385 at Green Bay [http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/uv/?site_no=04084445&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060 USGS gage Fox R at Appleton ] ] .

History Prior to Modifications

The reach served as highway for Native American peoples and, later, European explorers. Historic Indians and later European explorers and fur traders of the Upper Mississippi Valley used the Fox and Wisconsin rivers as a primary highway between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River. In fact, it was the most heavily traveled of all the portages between the Great Lakes and Mississippi watersheds. “That Dark and Bloody River”, 1996, Allan Eckert] From the Portage, one could travel north to nearly Lake Superior along the Upper Wisconsin, west to the Mississippi along the Lower Wisconsin or northeast along the Fox to Lake Michigan. Other watersheds, such as the Wolf River to north central Wisconsin or the Rock River to the Illinois country, were within easy distance. In the 1600’s the area was dominated by a number of tribes, Ho Chunk (Winnebago), Menominee, Kickapoo and Chippewa tribes among them. Pressures from the French colonization of the eastern St Lawrence River and Great Lakes region eventually forced Fox and Sac tribes to the region, displacing the original tribes. The Fox and Sac, realizing the importance of the Waterway, essentially set up toll stations at various portage locations. The French, resentful of lost trade, engaged the Fox in a series of wars known as the Fox Wars. The Fox were not driven totally displaced from the Waterway until 1832, when American troops forced them out during the Blackhawk War The Wisconsin Magazine of History June, 1919] .

Among the Europeans, French traders dominated the Waterway. They set up forts or settlements at La Baye (Green Bay), Portage (eventually Fort Winnebago) and Prairie du Chein . Their influence is apparent from the remaining place names and features, Prairie du Chein, Portage, DePere, and Lake Butte des Morts to name a few. In fact property in parts of Prairie du Chein, Portage, Kaukauna and Green Bay, all along the Waterway, still use French long-lot descriptions. Understanding Wisconsin Township, Range, and Section Land DescriptionsIrene D. Lippelt ] All four cities are among the oldest in Wisconsin and the region.

The earliest French explorers were Father Marquette and Joliet in the summer of 1673. The French were to control the area for roughly 100 years until the end of the French and Indian War. The British officially controlled the area until the end of the American Revolutionary war and nominally until the end of the War of 1812, after which the American government was in firm control.

Modifications

The arrival of steamships to the region and the success of eastern canal systems, especially the Erie Canal, prompted various groups to look for improvements to the Waterway. In fact, there was great speculative pressure to capitalize on the natural extension of the Erie Canal to the Mississippi and beyond. Into the 1850s, most products from the Midwest traveled the long journey down the Mississippi and east from New Orleans. This shipment was expensive, absorbed farmers’ profits and retarded economic growth. Promotion of the Portage Canal pointed to the economic advantage of a direct waterway connecting the Great Lakes to the Mississippi to spur local economic growth.

The earliest improvements along the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway began with a canal and lock at Portage. In 1829, Morgan Martin founded the Summit Portage Canal and Road Company to build the Portage canal. Chronically short of funds and impacted by depression in the 1830s, the company failed to complete the canal by 1838. About the same time, Congress had the Corps of Engineers (Corps) review the situation. It was recognized that the work would not only include a canal at Portage, but improvements along the length of both rivers between their mouths and the canal. In 1837 and 1839, the Corps examined the waterway's feasibility and recommended a “slack-water” (lock and dam) system. After numerous memorials from the territorial legislature, Congress authorized a land grant for the waterway project in 1846. There were various private companies formed to promote and build the Waterway; besides the Summit Portage company, there were the Fox and Wisconsin Improvement and the Green Bay and Mississippi Canal Companies. In 1872, the Corps assumed supervision of the waterway [http://www.portagecanalsociety.com/Portals/cfb70049-b654-4636-9714-6a655f1d12ed/PCANAL.doc Historic American Engineering Survey, Portage Canal, HAER No. WI-104 ] ] .

Lower Wisconsin

"”The Wisconsin River is a wide and shallow stream running over a bed of sand with transparent waters and chequered with numerous small islands and sandbars … The navigation of the river is considerably impeded by the sandbars and small islands and some time is lost is searching for the proper channel”. Henry Schoolcraft (August - 1820) [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp Wisconsin Historical Society, Dictionary of Wisconsin History ] ] "

Along the Lower Wisconsin there were initially no plans for improvements other than dredging and the clearing of snags. This soon proved to be inadequate. In 1868, the Corps began to experiment with wing dams and dredging to sluice out a 6-foot (1.8-m) deep channel. By 1880, the Corps had completed 157 dams totaling over convert|76000|ft|0, mainly in two sections: between Portage and Prairie du Sac and between Lone Rock and Boscobel. But the wing dams also proved inadequate and steamboats were not willing to risk the passage. In 1887, the Corps recommended to stop this method of improvement, effectively closing the Lower Wisconsin to commercial traffic .

Accordingly, little commercial traffic was ever maintained along this reach of the Waterway.

In 1924 the Prairie du Sac hydroelectric plant was completed creating Lake Wisconsin. This dam marks the lowest of a string of hydroelectric and recreational dams that extend up the Upper Wisconsin almost to its headwaters .

The Portage

" “ [The Fox] takes its rise in Lake Sarah, Portage county, and runs in a direction a little south of west ... towards the Wisconsin, as if with the intention of entering that river but owing to some unaccountable freak of nature, it here, when within one and a half miles of that stream, makes a sudden turn to the north, and soon assumes its general course towards Green Bay” .Increase Lapham, 1844. "

Construction initiated along the Portage Canal in 1849 and finished in 1851. In 1856, the first steamship from the Mississippi, the Aquila, passed through the Portage on its way to Green Bay , signaling the opening of the waterway. The lock and canal were improved several times, culminating in the construction of a concrete structure in 1928. There was a guard lock on the Wisconsin (Portage Lock) and a lifting lock to lower boats to the Fox (Fort Winnebago Lock). Each lock was convert|140|ft|0 long and convert|35|ft|0 wide .

Eventually, as in other parts of the Waterway, traffic dropped off and generally included only pleasure craft. By 1900 there was virtually no traffic to the east to Montello. The Wisconsin side of the canal was impacted by floods and sand bars from the Wisconsin. The Canal and Fox River approaches required dredging. In 1959, the Corps closed and dismantled most of the Fort Winnebago Lock to create a waste weir for water-level control. With a limited number of changes, it converted the Portage Lock to a water control structure. In 1961, the ownership of the canal was transferred from the Department of Army to the State Of Wisconsin .

Upper Fox

" “The Fox River is a very crooked stream, but the scenery along the way is beautiful. We traveled many miles to get through a short space of country”. Elizabeth Baird, 1830 "

Along the Upper Fox, initially only dredging was performed. Over time, several dams and locks were added. In the end 7 stone locks, each with about 5 feet (1.6 m) of lift, were constructed at Governor’s Bend, Montello, Grand River, Princeton, White River, Berlin and Eureka. Each lock was about 140 feet long and 35 feet wide [http://www.americancanals.org/Wisconsin/Upper%20Fox%20River%20-%20revised2.pdf American Canal Society Canal Index ] (PDF)] .

Dredging was mandatory given the low flow of the Upper Fox . By 1899, a convert|4|ft|0.0dredging had created a 6-foot (1.8-m) deep channel to Berlin, a 4-foot (1.2 m)deep between Berlin and Montello, and a 3-foot (0.9 m) deep channel to the Portage. But the river soon filled with silt when dredging halted.

Initially traffic - primarily steamboats, tugs, and barges carrying primarily lumber, coal, and grain - was sufficient for operations. In 1867 the Corps reported that" [t] he country between Berlin and Portage is almost entirely dependent on the river for transportation". But the impact of railroads were soon felt. Travel and commerce on the Lower Fox decline by the 1880 to few hundred tons of wheat per month during harvest. By this time most produce could be transported more easily by railroad. Except for a reprise during World War I, by the early 1900’s most traffic was by pleasure craft .

By 1922, dredging halted, as annual traffic was only about 1000 tons (tonnes). That same year, the Corps report recommended closing the Upper Fox, but Congress failed to act on the proposal. The Corps finally closed the Upper Fox to navigation between Portage and Eureka in 1951 and transferred it the state as a recreational waterway. It modified dams to maintain water levels appropriate for wildlife preservation. The federal government quitclaimed its property along the Upper Fox to the State in 1961 .

Lower Fox

"”We left This bay [Green Bay] to enter the river [Fox] that discharges into it; it is very beautiful at its Mouth … But, after ascending the river a short distance, it becomes very difficult of passage, on account of both the Currents and the sharp Rocks, which Cut the Canoes and the feet of Those who are obliged to drag them, especially when the Waters are low”. Father Marquette 1673."

Along the Lower Fox, Martin organized several groups to work on the task of building dams, locks and canals to bypass the numerous falls. Along the Upper Fox, dredging began. The chief technical difficulty was the construction of locks and dams to lift vessels to Lake Winnebago. The dams began at DePere and continued to Lake Winnebago at Menesha. The greatest concentration of locks was in the reach between Kaukauna to the Cedars, where the Great Kauklin and La Petite Chute falls had to be bypassed.

Martin began construction in 1830. His promotions for laborers reached Europe and had the direct impact of promoting immigration directly to the area. Irish settlers settled the town of Wrightstown. Dutch settlers founded Little Chute (La Petite Chute) and Holland. By 1850, Martin’s company had folded and was taken over by the State of Wisconsin. The Lower Fox locks and dams were completed by 1850, with the completion of the Little Chute and Menasha Locks.

Over time, the dams and locks were improved, combined and updated. In the end 17 locks were constructed, each with about 10 feet (3m) of lift. Each lock was convert|140|ft|0 to convert|150|ft|0 long and convert|35|ft|0.0 wide. Dredging was required on many of the short canals and slack-water sections to maintain a 6-foot (1.8 m) deep channel.

Travel and commerce on the Lower Fox proved to be the most profitable of all reaches. Boats carried passengers, mail and a host of products. The total tonnage along the Fox Waterway remained between 150,000 and 300,000 through the early 1930s Local industry along the river, using the power of the various falls, provided a steady market for goods. Regular steamboat travel continued until the 1900.

Even here, however, railroads dominated transportation. Traffic declined sharply. In 1963, the lock at Rapide Croche was sealed shut to prevent sea lampreys from reaching Lake Winnebago. In 1983, the entire system was shut down to commercial traffic and the Federal government stopped all maintenance. Canals were drained and lock gates were permanently sealed.

ummary

In the end, the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway did not not become the natural extension of the Erie Canal. There were two technical problems that were not effectively solved for the Waterway: control of the sand bars of the Lower Wisconsin and the low flow of the Upper Fox. Economically, the Waterway failed to compete with the with canals in the Chicago area or with the reliability of railroads.

Current Situation

Each of the Waterway reaches is being transformed.

Lower Wisconsin

Downstream of the Prairie du Sac Dam at dam, the Wisconsin is un-dammed for 93 miles (147 km) to its confluence with the Mississippi, one of the longest such stretches in the eastern United States. It is a popular canoe and small craft recreational area. Most of its course is within the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway founded in 1998. The project "“seeks to protect and preserve the scenic beauty and natural character of the river valley, seeks to manage the resources of the area for the long term benefit of the citizens of the state and seeks to provide a quality public recreational area in a manner consistent with the resource and aesthetic protection goals and objectives”" [http://lwr.state.wi.us/category.asp?linkcatid=480&linkid=229&locid=50 Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board History ] ] .

Upstream of the dam, Lake Wisconsin is one of several large lakes popular with boaters and fishermen.

There is little likelihood that commercial traffic will return to this reach in the near future.

The Portage

Current efforts are to restore the Portage Locks as a historical artifact. The Canal has been placed on the National and State Register of Historic Places through the efforts of the Portage Canal Society, Inc. In 1983, the downtown corridor between Adams Street and the Wisconsin River was restored with City of Portage and Block Grant funds. In 1987, the south bank of the canal became part of the National Ice Age Trail [http://www.portagecanalsociety.com/DesktopDefault.aspx Portage Canal Society ] ] .

There is little likelihood that commercial traffic will return to this reach in the near future.

Upper Fox

The goal of the Wisconsin DNR is to restore the Upper Fox to a more natural state. All locks except for the most downstream at Eureka have been abandoned or removed. The dam at White River was removed in 2004. Plans are to remove all dams, except for those at Princeton and Montello downstream of Lake Puckaway and Buffalo Lake, respectively. The dam at Eureka has been converted into a fishway to allow spawning fish to migrate upstream, although the locks continue to operate.

There is little likelihood that commercial traffic will return to this reach in the near future.

Lower Fox

All of the locks along the Lower Fox have been placed on the National and State Register of Historic Places. Since 1983 efforts were made to reopen the Lower Fox lock system to pleasure craft. In 2001, the State of Wisconsin created the Fox River Navigational System Authority to direct the effort. Private organizations began to raise money for construction. In 2006, the first locks in Appleton were reopened. By 2010, the entire Lower Fox (with the exception of Rapide Croche), is expected to reopen. Congress will provide matching funds [http://www.friendsofthefox.org/ Friends of the Fox ] ] .

There is little likelihood that commercial traffic will return to this reach, but pleasure boating is expected to rebound.

Features

The following list of Features are provided for the current Waterway, from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River east to west:

References