Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-09-22

Jatssr P,.o-.. Hon. W2R. IGTTabso.

UNIV" iHo y
i've of the work, to the Peoples
Paper of Clemont:
The lower Fox river forms the
outlet for Lake Winnebago, and is
4 fine stream 37l miles in length,
flow ing over a rocky bottom, be-
tween bold bluff banks, with very
little bottom land At intervals. It's
total fall is 40 feet from Lake Win
nebaeo to its mouth; is on an aver
age about 600 feet wide, and is esti-
mated to discharge about $4,000
cubic feet of water per second at It's
lowest stage. This river is almost
free from islands and is quite direct
in its course. Lake Wimebago
acts as 4 reservoir above, and pre-
vents any destructive or large
freshets, the extreme tluctuation be-
ing only three or four feet. 1t has
but few tributaries, and on account
of the high banks the river can be
raised to any extent desirable with
out overlooking any Of the adjacent
country. rhc total fall in the
stream is divided up between eight
principal falls as follows:
At Necnah, and Mcnasha, the out
let Of the lake, 10 feet. These towns
have popubltion Of COCO inhabi.
tants, and have many manufacture
ing establishments in operation. AT
Appleton, j miles down the river,
the fall is IS feet. This is also a
Hourishing manufacturing town of
about 5000 inhabitants. One firm
rents at this place 1000 horse
power, and has an extensive mill
for the manufacture Of paper pulp
from wood. Cedars is A miles be-
low Appleton, with a fall of 10 feet.
Here is also tiourishlng village.
Little Chute is I Of mile below
Cedars, with 80 feet fall; some mill
inc done here. Grand kankanna is
q miles lower down, with fall Of
SO feet, and but Il tritie of the water
power in use. Rapid Croche is y
miles below with fall of 8 feet.
Six miles further down is Little
Kankanna, with fall of feet; and
six miles below this is Depcre, with
a fall Of 8 feet, which is the head Of
natural navigation, with 10 feet
depth of water for seven miles to
the mouth OF the river. The city OF
Green Bay, with a population of
5000, is situated about two miles
from the mouth Of the river, but APP
parently having relied too much up
on its natural advantages, has failed
to achieve the Importance that 1t
seems entitled to from its favorable
location.
The rapids in the river are over
come by IS locks and 9 dams, with
short lengths of canal passing round
the rapids, thus giving slack water
navigation from the mouth to Lake
Winnebago, for boats at low water,
drawing 3! feet. The locks are 100
feet long, and 80 feet wide, and all
in fair condition, enabling boats to
pass with little delay. The locks
average about 10 feet lift each.
Major Chas. 4. Cutter, U. S. En-
gineer, who made the Government
survey of this river, estimates the
cost of making 4 feet navigable
water at sll6,40O, and for feet
$493, $40. Lake Winnebago is IS
miles long, and from to "a miles
wide, with a depth of u to % feet
OF water 1t is navigahlc by both
steam and sail vessels, and has
several fourishing towns on its
banks; among others Fond du Lac,
the second city in size in the State.
The upper Fox river enters the lake
at about the middle Of the eastern
shore, and at its mouth is situated
the great manufacturing town of
Oshkosh, l55 miles from Menasha.
This upper Fox river is an entirely
different character from the lower
river; it being q sluggish, tortuous
stream, flowing through a low but
rich alluyial country, with banks
bordered throughout nearly its en-
tire length by large marshy tracts
partially oyergrown with wild rice.
The banks are generally low, so
that a small rise in the river will
overflow Il large extent Of meadow
land. The bottom is generally soft
black mud, but sometimes sand. Its
present length from Oshkosh to
Fort Winnebago is l04 miles, while
the air line is only about 81 miles.
Many sharp bends in the river have
already been cut off, and many
more can be at small cost, and
probably reduce the length from 20
to 80 miles.
The fall in this distance is only
33 feet. Several lakes, from six to
ten miles in lenght, occur Oh the
course Of the river. They are gen
orally shallow, and full Of wild rice.
The Wolf river is the largest tribu-
!ary, elnpty;Eg into the Fox about
10 miles above Oshkosh, and is
nayigable for so miles, into a good
pine region. The Fox river is from
three to ten feet in depth for the
first forty miles, and above that is
not quite so deep. Steamboats,
drawing i! feet Of water now navi
gate its entire length with ease.
There are several thriving towns
on the line Of this river with ibis
channel as their only outlet for
their commerce. The fall in this
river is overcome by several locks,
with from three to five feet lift each
There will be very little trouble
in making good navigation on this
stream by dredging and cutting off
the bends in the river, which can
be easily and cheaply done. Major
Suffer estimates that an expendi-
ture of $4,000 will make 4 feet
and S735 900 will make
six feet.
The Fox at Fort Winnebago is con
nccted by 9 miles of canal with the
Wisconsin river at Portage. Con-
corning the rracticability Of making
the Fox river navigable at a modcr
ate expense, there is no question.
The Wisconsin river ut Portage
is estimated to be threc-ffths as
large as the Mississippi at st. Paul,
and is from 3 to 5 feet above the