The Fox–Wisconsin Waterway is a United States waterway formed by the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. First used by European settlers in 1673 during the expedition of Marquette and Jolliet, 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 until reaching Portage, Wisconsin. There travelers would portage to the Upper Fox River, or eventually, use the Portage Canal. It continued about 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 of Green Bay.
In the mid-19th century, the waterway was improved with numerous locks, dams and canals, including the 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 Prairie du Sac Dam. 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, parts of the waterway enjoy significant recreational use. 16 of the 17 locks on the lower Fox river have been restored to operation. The lock at Rapide Croche has been permanently sealed as a lamprey barrier as required by state law, so the lock system will not be fully restored, but a boat transfer system at Rapide Croche has been proposed as an alternative to restore navigation on the lower Fox river.
Reaches The Waterway can be divided 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 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 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.Lower Wisconsin River Main Stem, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR)(PDF) It extends about 116 river miles (187 river kilometers) from Portage to its confluence with the Mississippi River, falling from about elevation above sea level (msl) at Portage to , msl at the Mississippi.Various United States Geological Survey 15-minute quad lateral Topographical maps
The reach has nearly uniform hydraulic gradient of about 1.5 feet per mile (0.3 m/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 is relatively constant, averaging about at USGS gage 05407000 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 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 a small stream—typical of such passages—the Wisconsin is a large river, already over 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 and it is likely that either river has flowed into either watershed. Only about separate the two rivers. The Fox River end of the canal is at about elevation msl. The Wisconsin River end is slightly higher, depending on Wisconsin River discharge levels. The Portage lies about 116 river miles (187 km) from the Mississippi River and 162 river miles (261 km) from Green Bay.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 of the Portage. It then flows to the north-northeast to the Lake Winnebago Pool. It extends about 110 river miles (177 km) from Portage to Lake Winnebago, falling only about from elevation , msl at the Portage to , msl at Lake Winnebago.
The reach has a shallow grade. The hydraulic gradient averages about 4 inches per mile (0.06 m/km). There are two very shallow lakes along the way, Buffalo Lake and Puckaway Lake. The river drainage area grows significantly in size from at the Portage to about at USGS gage 004073500 at Berlin,WDNR Watershed Basins where the average flow is about . 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 , 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. It extends about 39 river miles (63 km) from Menasha at the head of Lake Winnebago to Lake Michigan, falling from about elevation , msl at Winnebago to , msl at Green Bay.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 (0.75 m/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 at USGS gage 040851385 at Green Bay.
History prior to modifications The reach served as a highway for Native American peoples and, later, European explorers and fur traders both indigenous and European. They 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 River, west to the Mississippi along the Lower Wisconsin River, or northeast along the Fox River 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 17th century the area was dominated by a number of tribes, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Kickapoo and Ojibwe tribes among them.
The earliest French explorers were Father Marquette and Joliet in the summer of 1673. The French controlled the area for roughly 100 years until the end of the French and Indian War. Pressures from the French colonization of the eastern St Lawrence River and Great Lakes region eventually forced the Sauk and Meskwaki peoples to the region, displacing the original tribes. The Sauk and Meskwaki, realizing the importance of the Waterway, set up toll stations at portage locations. The French, resentful of lost trade, engaged the Meskwaki in a series of wars known as the Fox Wars.
French traders dominated the Waterway. They set up forts or settlements at La Baye (Green Bay), Portage (eventually Fort Winnebago), and Prairie du Chien. Their influence is apparent from the remaining place names and features: Prairie du Chien, Portage, De Pere, and Lake Butte des Morts to name a few. In fact, property in parts of Prairie du Chien, Portage, Kaukauna and Green Bay, all along the Waterway, still use French long-lot descriptions.Understanding Wisconsin Township, Range, and Section Land Descriptions. Irene D. Lippelt. All four cities are among the oldest in Wisconsin and the region.
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. The Fox were not totally displaced from the Waterway until 1832, when American troops forced them out during the Blackhawk War.The Wisconsin Magazine of History, June, 1919
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.
Lower Wisconsin
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 , 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.