“There is a daily line of large and commodious steamers running as far up the river as New London, each one of them being loaded to the water’s edge with freight and passengers.” Oshkosh Courier, July 26, 1855

In the 1800s, people and freight were moved by two primary means: steamboats and railroads. Oshkosh’s location made it the ideal heart of the water transportation network of the region. Boats could travel the length of Lake Winnebago from Fond du Lac to Appleton and points in between, or travel up the Fox and Wolf rivers as far as navigation allowed. Click here to discover the types of boats.

The water level of the lake and rivers fluctuated widely between seasons; low water prevented steamboats from reaching all points. In an effort to raise and stabilize water levels, a dam was constructed in Neenah in 1852. The Neenah dam raised water levels on Lake Winnebago and the upriver lakes approximately two feet. The result was better navigation for steamboats plying the routes, but a side effect was the loss of vast beds of wild rice and other aquatic plants. This in turn affected wildlife by taking away their habitat.

Because the Lower Fox River from Lake Winnebago to DePere drops 166 feet in just 31 miles, a system of canals and locks was constructed. When completed in 1856, it created a corridor for barges and steamboats to travel between Green Bay and Neenah. The steamboat Aquilla was the first to use the new canals and locks. The Aquilla left Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, went down the Ohio River to the Mississippi River, up the Mississippi to the Wisconsin River, then up the Wisconsin River to Portage, Wisconsin. At Portage it passed through the Portage Canal into the Fox River and then down to Oshkosh. From Oshkosh, the Aquilla continued its journey north to Green Bay using the new locks and canals. Ironically, the railroad reached Oshkosh that same year, marking the end to the total dominance of the steamboat.

Americans loved railroads and in the years before the Civil War railroads expanded across the nation at a tremendously fast rate. Railroads were able to move goods faster and cheaper than water transportation. This changed the nature of water commerce. Steamboats were used to move goods and people locally within a given region, but were no longer used for long distance shipment.

“. . . a delightful trip. 56 miles of beautiful Wisconsin scenery along the Fox River . . . Tea, coffee, or meals served on boat if desired.” A 1917 ad for the steamer Leader Choate


Excursion steamboats were a common sight on waterways. A trip was cheap and relaxing. The Leander Choate was built in Oshkosh in 1908, the last boat to be built in the city. It was a full two-deck steamer that could carry 500 passengers and became famous for its moonlit cruises. The Leander Choate left Oshkosh for Green Bay at 8:00 am and arrived at 5:00 pm. Passengers could then take a train back to Oshkosh, a two hour trip. The Leander Choate burned in 1922, shortly after its upper floor had been remodeled into a grand dance hall, complete with calliope.

Steamboat travel ended in the early 1920s when improved roads and the growing automobile culture made water travel obsolete.

Boat Types

There were two main types of boats traveling area waterways: sternwheelers and side-wheelers. Sternwheelers had big paddles in back. This design allowed more usable deck space. A side-wheeler had paddles in the middle on each side. This design made the boat more maneuverable but reduced deck space for cargo.

Both types of vessels were powered by steam driven machinery. This consisted of a wood or coal fired boiler and a single or double piston engine. At full throttle, the engine would produce about ten revolutions per minute for a speed of about 12 miles per hour. Steamboat engines were almost indestructible and were frequently salvaged from sunken, burned or grounded boats.

The shallow water of Lake Winnebago could be very rough in stormy conditions, so local steamboats developed a unique style due to handle the rough waters. The bow (front) was frequently built higher to take the waves and was decked over, giving it a different appearance than the steamboats that were on the Mississippi River.

The typical length of a Lake Winnebago boat was 90 to 144 feet long, with a 5-to-1 ratio of beam (width). Some boats were as long as 165 feet. Although the boats were large, they did not draw much water. A steamboat typically had a draft of only 2 or 3 feet, making them perfect for shallow inland rivers. In 1880 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers standardized the locks to 145 feet by 36 feet wide. Thus, many vessels had to be cut down to fit through the locks.

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