USA > Wisconsin > Winnebago County > History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Its Cities, Towns, Resources, People > Part 56
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The steamer "Walk-in-the-Water" left Detroit July 31, 1821, for Mackinaw and Green Bay and arrived at Green Bay on or about August 6, having on board a large number of passengers. Thus a period of fourteen years only had elapsed between the trial trip of the first successful steamboat ever built and the ar- rival of the first steamboat on the Fox river. At that time the Fox river was navigable only from its outlet into Green Bay to the Rapids at Depere, a distance of about six miles.
For a number of years succeeding the above date (1821) steamers would at irregular periods arrive from the lower lakes and depart from Green Bay, but no regular line of steamboats was established until about 1850. The first steamboat to navi- gate the Fox river above the Depere Rapids was the "Black Hawk," an Erie canal boat. In 1843 she was hauled over the Rapids and fitted up with steam power and a propeller wheel
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She was in command of Captain Hotelling. At that time the river was navigable but for a short distance above the Depere Rapids. An attempt was made later to haul the "Black Hawk" around the Kaukauna Rapids and get her up on Lake Winne- bago, but was abandoned as being impractical. During the year 1844 Captain Hotelling and James Worden had a new boat built on the east shore of Lake Winnebago and fitted her up with the machinery taken out of the "Black Hawk." This boat was named the "Manchester" and came out during the season of 1844 with Captain Hotelling as master, James Worden mate and Enoch Brooks engineer. The "Manchester" was the first steam- boat and the only one on Lake Winnebago previous to 1850. In that year she was rebuilt and named the "Badger State," and in 1853 she sunk on the upper Wolf river. Of those pioneer boatmen on Lake Winnebago I know of but one survivor. Cap- tain Hotelling has long since passed over the "great divide." James Worden transferred his field of usefulness to the Missis- sippi river and in 1862 and 1863 was master of the steamer "Key City," one of the largest and finest of the vast fleet of palatial steamers on that river in those days. Enoch Brooks still survives. He was a welcome visitor in this office last Jan- uary (1908), and his recollections of those early days is very distinct. Ile is a veteran of the Civil War and is now a resident of the Soldiers' Home at Milwaukee. The new lock and dam at Depere were completed in 1850, and the steamer "Indiana," Capt. William O. Lyon, commenced making regular trips be- tween Green Bay and Kaukauna.
During the winter of 1849 and 1850 the steamer "Peytona" was built at Neenah by a stock company. She was a side-wheel boat, one hundred and fifteen (115) foot keel, eighteen (18) foot beam, single engine with couplings on main shaft so that either wheel could be worked separately. She came out in the season of 1850 with Capt. James B. Estes as master, and was put on the route between Fond du Lac and Menasha, touching at Oshkosh on each trip. She was a splendid sea boat, not very speedy- probably could make about ten miles an hour-but very regular, varying but little in the time of her arrival and departure, re- gardless of weather conditions. She was cut in two by the ice on Lake Poygan, March 26, 1859, and her hull remains where it sunk at that time. A stock company was formed during the summer of 1850 to build a steamer suitable for the passenger traffic on Lake Winnebago. She was much the finest steamer
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ever built on these waters. Iler length over all was 165 feet, breadth of beam forty feet, side wheels and double engines. She was named "Menasha" and went into commission about August 1, 1851, in charge of Capt. Peter Hotelling, with Fred Zentner, who is now a prominent citizen and banker of Oshkosh, as mate. She was put on the lake route in opposition to the "Peytona," but was not very successful, being so long she could not turn around in the Fond du Lac river, necessitating her backing out of the river into the lake, a distance of about three- fourths of a mile. The "Menasha" failed to pay expenses and was laid up at Fond du Lac during the season of 1852. In 1853 she came out again and attempted to tow logs across the lake, and being unsuccessful in that business, she was hauled out at Oshkosh and stripped of her machinery and upper works and converted into a tow barge. The hull was used for that purpose until 1860, when she was hauled out again and cut in two amid- ships with the intention of making two barges so that they would be small enough to pass through the government locks. The stern half was fitted with a new bow and was taken onto the Mississippi river in 1861 and used in the wheat trade be- tween Prairie du Chien and upriver points. The bow part of the barge was not used to any extent and now lies covered up in the mud near the south end of Main street bridge in Oshkosh.
The side-wheel steamer "D. B. Whitacre" was built at Osh- kosh by James Harris during the summer of 1851. She was later purchased by the company that owned the "Peytona" and her name was changed to "Oshkosh." In 1853 she was sold to some parties from the South and taken to the Tennessee river.
The "Jenny Lind" was built at Neenah by Dr. W. Peake and Capt. Patrick Tiernan in 1851. She was taken to the Mississippi river the following year and was the first steamboat to pass through from these waters down the Wisconsin river to the Mis- sissippi. She was run on the Illinois river that season. In 1865 the writer saw the "Jenny Lind" in a grewsome occupation at Memphis, Tenn. It was a few days after the explosion and wreck of the steamer "Sultana" a few miles above Memphis that caused the death of over 1,900 people. Their dead bodies had come to the surface and were floating down the river. The "Jenny Lind" and several other boats were engaged in gather- ing up the floaters.
The sidewheel steamer "Van Ness Barlow" was built at Neenah and came out in the spring of 1851. She was put on a
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route between Neenah and Appleton, forming a connecting link as far as navigable waters would permit between the Lake Win- nebago steamers and the "Indiana," at that time running be- tween Green Bay and Kaukauna. Passengers and freight were transported by teams between those two points (Appleton and Kaukauna) until the Improvement Company had its work com- pleted and steamboats could run through from Lake Winnebago to Green Bay. In the spring of 1852 the Improvement Company completed the lock at Menasha, and the "Barlow" was the first boat through the new lock and was put on a new route between Oshkosh and upriver points. On August 7, 1854, one of her boil- ers exploded just as she was leaving Main street dock in Osh- kosh. Two of her crew were killed and the upper works of the boat were badly shattered. A part of the boiler was blown through the upper story of a large warehouse that stood on the shore near by. The hull was not injured and she was repaired and went into service again. In the Spring of 1857 she was con- demned, her hull was made into a barge, and later was taken to the Mississippi river, which appears to have been the final destination of most all our boats. Her machinery was put in a new boat that was being built.
The side-wheel steamer "Eureka" was built at Eureka, on the Fox river, by Rounds & Co. in the year 1854. She had a single engine and was 110 feet long and 16-foot beam. The "Eureka" was nicknamed the "Pickerel on account of her long. narrow hull. She had a fine painting of a pickerel on both of her pad- dle boxes and was rarely ever called anything else but the "Pickerel." She came out the next spring (1855) under the command of Capt. E. F. Drummond and was put on the route between Gill's Landing and Fond du Lac. The writer, a young boy, commenced his steamboat experience as cabin boy on board of her that season and was one of the crew that took her over on the Mississippi river in 1861, under the command of Capt. E. M. Neff. She was used in the wheat trade on the upper Mis- sissippi for one season and was sold to go on to one of the smaller rivers of the South.
The side-wheel steanier "Lady Jane" was built at Eureka in 1854, by Eric McArthur & Co. She was ninety feet long and eighteen foot beam. She was used as a passenger and tow boat on various routes commanded by Captain Chas. Tucker. After several years' service on these waters, she was taken onto the
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Mississippi river, where she was wrecked in 1867, at Rock Island bridge.
The side-wheel steamer "W. A. Knapp" was built in 1854, and supplied with machinery taken out of the "Badger State." She was commanded by her owner, Capt. W. A. Knapp, on the Fox and Wolf river route. In the spring of 1860, she was taken to Lake St. Croix and run between Prescott and Taylor's Falls. In 1861, she was chartered by the Milwaukee & Prairie Du Chien R. R. Co. to tow barges from McGregor to Prairie Du Chien, and in the spring of 1862, she was sold and taken to the Illinois river.
In 1855, Captain Garrett and Captain Tarbox rebuilt an old catamaran house boat and converted her into a steamboat by at- taching deck timbers across both hulls and building upper works thereon. She might be called a stern-wheeler, as her paddle wheel was located aft of amidships between the stern end of the two hulls. She was named "Sampson," and was put on the route between Oshkosh and the east shore of Lake Winnebago. Some time about midsummer of that year, whilst lying in Calu- met harbor, her boiler exploded and a son of Captain Tarbox was killed. The hull was towed to Oshkosh and the next year was improved by having a new bow built on to include both hulls. She was then named "Winnebago" and put on the route between Oshkosh and Portage and worn out in this service.
The side-wheel steamer "Oshkosh City" was built at Oshkosh in 1855, by Abel Neff and Alonzo Leach, and excepting the steamer "Menasha" she was the largest and finest steamboat ever built on these waters. Her length of keel was 146 feet, beam over all 40 feet, two engines 17x54 inches. The two fire- box boilers were built in Chicago, I think. However, they came by the way of Lake Michigan to Sheboygan and were hauled by teams over the old plank road from there to Fond du Lac and the unfinished hull of the boat was towed to Fond du Lac by the steamer "'Peytona" and the boilers loaded on board of her and she was towed back to Oshkosh and completed. IIer trial trip was made June 29. 1855, under the command of Captain - Vardine Truesdal. The "Oshkosh City" for several seasons ran from Fond du Lac to Menasha. In 1861 she was hauled out at Oshkosh and her hull cut down in size so that she could be taken through the government locks at Portage. She was re- named "Arizona" and taken up the Fox and down the Wis- consin river to the Mississippi in the spring of 1862. The "Ari-
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zona" was used in the wheat trade between Prairie Du Chien and upriver points for the rest of that season and then went onto the Illinois river. She was later taken over by the Gov- ernment, fitted up with new machinery, made one of the speed- iest small boats on the Mississippi river, and used as a packet boat for the upper Mississippi squadron until that river was opened through to the Gulf. She was then placed on a freight and passenger route from Carlton just above New Orleans to Galveston on the Gulf of Mexico. Of her ultimate fate I have no record.
The stern-wheel steamer "Aquilla," built at Pittsburg, Penn- sylvania, 133 foot keel and 16 foot beam, came over on to these waters in June, 1856, under command of Capt. John Nixon. She was the first steamboat to make the through trip from the Mississippi river to Green Bay. She was sold by Captain Nixon to the local boat company and he returned to Pittsburg. On June 30, 1857, the "Aquilla" and "Oshkosh City" left Fond du Lac for Oshkosh. There was a stiff breeze blowing, and after getting outside the harbor the boats encountered a heavy sea. The Ohio river methods of steamboat construction was not suit- able for the rough waters of Lake Winnebago. The "Aquilla" sprung a leak when off Long Point and commenced to fill with water. She headed for the west shore about a mile away blow- ing signals of distress. She sank before reaching shore in about ten feet of water. The "Oshkosh City" came alongside and rescued the passengers and crew from the sunken steamer and carried them safely to Oshkosh. The "Aquilla" was raised and repaired and remained in commission on these waters until 1859, when she was abandoned and her machinery was placed in the new steamer "Ellwood."
The "Appleton Belle," 130 feet long, 20 foot beam, with two boilers, two engines 15x54 inches, was built by Captain . John Nixon and others in the winter of 1856, and arrived on these waters in the spring of 1857, and run on the route between Oshkosh and Green Bay, a very popular boat, seaworthy and quite speedy, and continued on that route until the year 1860, when she was taken back to the Mississippi river, and was burned at Gallipolis on the Ohio river in 1863.
The steamer "Pearl," 105 feet long, 19 foot beam, was built at Oshkosh in 1856, by Sherwood Bros. & Foote, coming out that season under the command of Captain Life Sherwood. She was purchased by the firm of Neff & Leach and remained on the
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Wolf river route until 1861, when she was taken onto the Mississippi river and sold to the Northwestern Packet Com- pany and used by them as a tow boat until worn out.
The side-wheel steamer "Fannie Fisk," built in Green Bay, arrived on Lake Winnebago in the spring of 1857, commanded by Captain Daniel Whitney. She drew too much water to be successful on these waters, and in 1863 she was taken to the Mississippi under the command of Captain Tom Hawley, with Captain E. M. Neff as pilot. She was purchased by the Gov- ernment and her name changed to "General Quitman." She was in New Orleans in 1865, and was then used by the Quarter- master Department of Gen. Canby's Division.
The side-wheel steamer "Menominee" was built at Shiocton on the Wolf river in the summer of 1856. She was 100 feet in length, 16 foot beam, one boiler and one engine, 14x40 inches. She was the daintiest little steamer of her size that ever floated on these waters, remarkably quick to answer her helm and her speed was limited by the amount of steam that her engineer would dare to carry. She was purchased by the firm of Neff & Leach in 1857, and put on the route from Oshkosh to Appleton. In 1860 she was bought by Hart & Fuller, of Pepin, Wisconsin, and was taken onto Lake Pepin by Captain W. W. Neff and ran on the lake from Wabashaw to Red Wing, Minnesota, for a part of that season. She was then chartered by George De Haven to carry his circus on the river; we went to Shakopee on the Minne- sota river and there took the troupe on board. There were about thirty-five people in the troupe, and, with their tents, bag- gage and horses they made a good load for the little boat. We took them down the river, showing at the various cities on the way to what is now known as East Dubuque, where they left the boat and started inland. The "Menominee" was then char- tered by L. O. Place, of Lansing, Iowa, and towed wheat barges from there to Prairie Du Chien until late that fall. She then started for the South about the last of October, her destination being Galveston, Texas. We had in tow two large flat boats. one loaded with wheat and the other with vegetables, and. ar- riving at Montrose at the head of the Keokuk Rapids. were delayed several days waiting to lighter over the rapids. We finally got started but grounded soon after entering the rapids on the reef known as the Spanish Chain on the evening of the 22d of November. It was intensely cold, and the next morn- ing the ice was running down the river in immense cakes one-
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half an inch thick or more. The sharp ice soon cut away the planking of her hull at the water line and an ice breaker of heavy timber was built fan shape over her stern to protect the hull. The "Menominee" remained on that reef over a month until the ice formed a gorge below and backed the water up so that she was floated and hauled in shore on the Iowa side of the river. When navigation opened in the spring the boat was put on a route from Ft. Madison to Burlington, Iowa. It was soon demonstrated that she would not pay expenses there, and at the request of Captain Hart, one of her owners, the crew sold her at United States Marshal's sale for their wages. She was purchased by a man named Anderson to go on some river in Missouri.
The "Queen City" was built at Oshkosh in 1857. and fitted out with machinery of the old steamer "Barlow," and came out under the command of Captain George Pook. She was em- ployed on these waters for one or two seasons and then sold to John Jacobs, of Green Bay, and run on the Bay shore route and worn out in that service.
The "Berlin City" was built at Berlin, Wisconsin, on the Fox river in 1857. She was put on the route between Oshkosh and Berlin in command of Captain John Lynch. On the 3d day of July, 1857, her boiler exploded at the head of Lake Butte des Morts as the boat was crossing the sand bar at the mouth of the river, while she was racing with the steamer "Pearl." The "Pearl" returned to the rescue of the passengers and crew and. after picking up all of the living and some of the dead. the "Pearl" returned to Oshkosh in order to obtain medical aid for the injured. The total casualties were nine persons either in- stantly killed or died soon afterfrom their injuries. Sam Anthony, the engineer, was instantly killed. Ike Dicky, the fireman, was seriously injured, but finally recovered, and always stoutly maintained the explosion was not caused by low water in the boiler. The writer was assistant engineer to Ike Dicky subsequent to that explosion and has often heard him state that he had the instant before the explosion tried the water in the boiler and found two full gauges of water. The "Berlin City" later on was raised, and after being repaired. was sold to Tom Wall, Ruben Doud and Captain John Lynch, and ran from Oshkosh to Green Bay under command of Captain John Lynch. She was burned November 4, 1870.
The sidewheel tuh "R. C. Evans" was built at Berlin in 1857
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by Captain R. C. Evans, of the United States Navy. She was eighty feet long, eighteen foot beam, one boiler, two engines 8x20 and geared 31/2 to 1. She was sold to Rich & Company, of Horicon, in 1859, who placed upper works and a cabin on her and she came out as a passenger boat under the name of "Shaw- ano City." In 1863, she was sold to Abel Neff and Captain Hank Johnson. They converted her into a growser tug and named her "Oshkosh," and she continued in commission towing logs until 1871. She was then dismantled at Winneconne and her hull burned up at that port.
The stern-wheel steamer "Wolf," built at New London, 110 feet long and twenty foot beam. She came out in 1858, under command of E. F. Drummond, ran on the Wolf river route for some years and was destroyed by fire in 1863.
In 1859, a large steam barge named the "Peshtigo" came here from Chicago, under command of Captain Robert Booth, a vet- eran of the big lakes. She was owned by the Northwestern Railroad Company and was used to ferry cars across the river at Oshkosh until the railroad bridge was completed in 1860. She was then taken to Menominee on the Bay shore and finally abandoned as worthless.
The side-wheel steamer "Elwood" was built at Depere by D. M. . Loy and Mr. Sorrenson in 1860. She was 130 feet long and 33 foot beam and was supplied with the machinery taken from the old stern-wheel steamer "Aquilla." Her model was a pecu- liar one. The intention was to have the hull as large as pos- sible and permit it to pass through the locks on the lower Fox. The paddle wheels were placed in a recess cut into both sides of her hull. She was slow and unweildy to handle, but an excel- lent freight carrier. The "Elwood" in one of her trips from Green Bay up the Fox arrived at the lower lock at Appleton about midnight and was locked through. There was a short level from the lock up to the dam and as the "Elwood" went out of this level she took a shear and went over the dam broadside. The water was high and the boat received no injury, but two of her deck crew were drowned. She came back and whistled for the lock, much to the surprise of the lock tender, who had not seen the disaster, whilst Captain Brooks stoutly maintained he had not been there before that night. It was a serious mat- ter with the lock tender, whose habits were not the most tem- perate, and the incident had a reforming influence over him for some time. The "Elwood" went to the Mississippi, and in 1863
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she was taken to Cairo and used as a floating hospital, and in 1886 she was sunk and abandoned, a total loss.
The season of 1860 saw two new steamers, the "Bay City" and "Fountain City," placed on the Oshkosh and Green Bay route. They were of the same size, each 130 feet long and 22 foot beam. They were built at Omro by E. A. Buck & Company, and were intended to connect with the propellers "Rocket" and "Comet," running between Buffalo and Green Bay in the inter- est of the New York Central Railroad. They did a successful freight and passenger business for three seasons, but when the Northwestern Railroad reached Ft. Howard they were put out of business, all passengers and freight going to Green Bay by rail. In 1864 the "Bay City" was taken to the Mississippi river. I have no further trace of her. In 1865, the "Fountain City" was sold to some southern people and taken down on the Red river, where she was sunk and abandoned that season.
In the spring of 1862 the side-wheel steamer "Union" was built at New London by Captain M. Stimpson, length 105 feet, beam 18 feet. She ran between Oshkosh and Berlin for one season and in 1863 she was taken to the Mississippi river, but later disappeared on some tributary to that river.
In 1862 a small steamboat was built at Neenah by Freeman Brown & Co. She was named the "II. P. Leavens," and was used on these waters for a short time and then taken to the Mississippi. IIer name was changed to the "St. Paul," and in March, 1865, she was burned on the Hatchie river, Tennessee, under the following circumstances: The Mississippi had been opened for commerce on its eastern shore at the time. and the interior portion of the adjoining states had been swept bare of all kinds of merchandise and provisions by the contending forces, the smaller steam craft were taking desperate chances to supply the pressing needs of the interior inhabitants. The "St. Paul" (formerly the H. P. Leavens), the "Annie Everdon" and another small steamer (I have forgotten her name) started up the IIatehie river loaded with all kinds of merchandise. About forty miles up the Hatchie in the vicinity of Rialto they were captured by Nat Luxton's famous band of guerillas. The boats were looted of everything valuable and burned. The en- tire crews were murdered with the exception of one deck hand and a colored chambermaid, who managed to escape and made their way overland to Fort Randolph on the Mississippi river. I was serving on board the United States Gunboat "Siren,"
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Acting Master James Fitzpatrick commanding, and we were lying at Fort Randolph, when those two refugees came on board and told their horrible tale. We immediately got under way and conducted them to Memphis, Tennessee, where the matter was reported to General Washburne, who ordered seven com- panies of a colored regiment of cavalry to proceed up river and capture or drive the guerrillas out of the state. The "Siren" convoyed them to Fort Randolph, where they were disembarked and deployed by companies and started inland. The second day after they had started out one of the squads returned, having captured the famous guerilla crief. He was found alone in a farm house practically helpless on account of sickness and sur- rendered without any show of resistance. He was imprisoned on the bow of one of the transport barges and two of the cavalry men placed on guard. The "Siren" lay alongside of the barge and our men could stand outside the casemating and be within ten feet of the prisoner, no objections being raised by the guards or our own officers we talked freely with him until the return of General Osborne with the rest of the force. Upon the return of General Osborne a drum-head court martial was immediately convened and in less than an hour the trial was concluded and the prisoner was sentenced to be hung. The sentence was promptly executed and the body remained suspended from a cot- tonwood tree for two days, when two of his sisters arrived on the packet "Graham" with a permit from General Washburne to get possession of the remains. It was a terrible sight for those two young ladies, and their grief was pitiable to behold.
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