A scenic bridge over the Fox River. FOX CITIES BIKE RIDE
Exploring the Heritage of the Fox River Valley By Robert J. Zimmer On its short voyage north from Lake Winnebago to the bay of Green Bay, the Fox River falls some 170 feet along its riverbed. The largest
drop, over 50 feet, occurs in a one mile stretch of the river at the site now known as the city of Kaukauna. This is the big one, and one can imagine the rapids and falls that existed here just a few centuries ago before the river was dammed and its thunder silenced.
Kaukauna, like the whole of the Fox River Valley region, is a community steeped in a rich and colorful history. From the first settlers to its current townsfolk, the city of Kaukauna shares with six other communities the
title of the Fox Cities. Each of these cities and villages is as unique as the next, bonded by the timeless river that flows along their banks. There was a time not long ago when the livelihood of the entire region was fully dependent on the river itself. Sadly, over time, the river's importance to the vitality and success of the valley and its many communities has lessened, but many still remember those days fondly when the Fox River
was the life, breath and soul of the heart of northeast Wisconsin.
For over 100 years, Kaukauna was the major outpost for explorers, missionaries and fur traders in North America. The history of Kaukauna is the history of the French in North America. Hennepin, La Salle and Marquette all traveled through the thundering rapids at Kaukauna, known then as the Grand Kakalin. The first white explorer to see the Fox Valley region was Jean Nicolet himself, who traveled upstream in
his birch bark canoe from the mouth of the river at Green Bay in 1634.
Various explanations have been offered over the years for the meaning of the name "Kaukauna." Most agree it is a reference to the rich fishery that once existed below the rapids here. The bureau of ethnology in Washington, D.C. offers the name as a Menominee Indian word Oqag kane, meaning "place of the pike." Others give it the name O Gau Gau
Nig, meaning "stopping place of the pickerel," "the pickerel fishing grounds" or "eddies where the fish stop." At any rate, it is very evident that this broad reach of the river, just below the 50 foot falls and rapids, offered splendid fishing grounds for the original inhabitants, reflected in the Indians' various names for the area. The French themselves brought with them a number of colorful names for the area as well, known over
the years as Kakalin, Cacolin, Cau Caulin, Grand Kaukaulin and Grande Coquiller Rapides.
Whatever its origins, the area known today as the city of Kaukauna is the northernmost of the Fox Cities, the last of the small metropolis on the Fox as it winds its way north to Green Bay. It is here that we chose to start our bicycle tour of some of the area's most unique and colorful historic locations. We started at Thousand Islands Environmental
Center, a huge, sprawling nature area along the river below the rapids that features miles of hiking and snowshoe trails along the river and through the steep hills and bluffs along the river. Elevated boardwalk winds over the flowing waters of the Fox as the river splits and channels among the "thousand islands" formed here below the steep falls. From the top of the bluffs, the view is spectacular looking out over the wide
river at its bend. Take County Highway Z or ZZ along the river and out into the countryside for a quiet, challenging ride high over the large valley bluffs.
Kaukauna's most famous historic site is the Grignon Mansion. As the major thoroughfare through the valley and, indeed, through the entire Midwest in its time, the river was a major water highway for travelers and fur traders. The rapids were so severe before being tamed by dams
and locks that it was necessary to portage around the mighty falls. A trading post was established at the most accessible natural portage point, the site where the Grignon Mansion now stands. The mansion was built here by Charles A Grignon as a wedding gift for his Pennsylvania bride, known by passing travelers as the Mansion in the Woods. The mansion and the Grignon's themselves were also friendly with local Indians. The grandson of a Menominee woman, Mr. Grignon acted as
an interpreter for the United States government at the Treaty of the Cedars, which secured 4 million acres of land, the area now known as northeast Wisconsin. Located at 1313 Augustine St., the mansion is open year round for guided tours, holiday special exhibits and tours, museum shop and its historic orchard and gardens.
Located on the north banks of the Fox River, Little Chute is the next of our Fox Cities. La Petite Chute, the French name for Little Falls, is the
original name for the area in the Fox River where Little Chute stands today. Fueled by economic opportunity, Catholic Dutch immigrants began arriving here on the Lower Fox River in 1848. In 1898 residents of Lat Petite Chute petitioned for incorporation as the village of Little Chute.
Along the southern shore, several winding roads follow the riverbanks west through the village of Combined Locks into Kimberly. We follow County Z along the shore to State Street, then Prospect Street in
Combined Locks. Here trails lead along the riverbanks and provide several gorgeous scenic overlooks of the river. In Kimberly, we follow Maes Avenue up the hill and through town to Kimberly Avenue. Kimberly, home to the annual World Softball Championships, is host to the International Softball Congress (ISC) Hall of Fame. Visit this museum to learn about the history of softball and the ISC teams throughout the past century through memorabilia, team photos, plaques
and trophies. Each summer, teams from around the world descend here to play ball at gorgeous Sunset Park.
Kimberly Avenue leads west directly into the valley's largest city, Appleton, where the road name changes to Newberry Avenue. Following the road to Telulah Park, a huge wilderness park located on the river's south shore, we connect to the beautiful Newberry Trail, which winds for miles along the south banks through rolling hills and past
historic paper mills and the river lock and dam system. Where the trail crosses the steep hill at Lawe Street, we follow the road to the campus of Lawrence University, one of the most prestigious schools in the country. Also on Lawe Street along the river is a historic reproduction of the first electric station in the entire world to generate a city's electricity by water. The 1932 hydroelectric station is open for exploration at the bend in the road just as it crosses the Fox River.
Lawrence University's campus is a wonderful place for a quiet ride. The spectacular architecture of such facilities as the towering Memorial Chapel and the beautiful old homes in the area is stunning. Lawrence, like the city of Appleton in which it is located, owes much of its origins to frontier ministers and wealthy Bostonians who settled here. Appleton's first permanent resident, the Rev. William Harkness Sampson, had been commissioned by the Boston merchant Amos A.
Lawrence to establish a frontier school to afford "gratuitous advantage to Germans and Indians of both sexes." Even before money could be raised, the Territorial Legislature granted a charter to Lawrence Institute, a name that was changed to Lawrence University when classes first began on November 12 ,1849. The city of Appleton grew simultaneously with the university. Samuel Appleton, also from Boston, donated $10,000 to the newly founded college library and, in
appreciation, his name was given to the community.
Kitty corner from Lawrence University, on the corner of College Avenue and Drew Street, is the Outagamie Museum and the Houdini Historical Center. Here lies the world's most extensive exhibit of Harry Houdini (a native of Appleton) memorabilia, including photographs, handcuffs, leg irons and lock picks. The city also boasts the Appleton Houdini Walking tour, full of interested locations and homes for the late
magician and stunt artist. The Outagamie Museum aims to preserve the social and technological history of the city and the Fox Valley in general. Exhibits housed here include a 1930s bank, a 1941 doctor's office, a working replica of a 19th century paper mill and a 1926 Ford Model T.
Just a short distance farther along the river stands grand Hearthstone, the first home in the world to be lighted by hydroelectric power.
Hearthstone was built here at the top of the river bluff in 1881 for Henry Rogers, a prominent Appleton businessman. On September 30, 1882, it became the first home in the world to be lighted by water powered electricity. Hearthstone remains one of the Fox Valley's most distinguished historical and architectural landmarks. The original Thomas Edison light fixtures and "electroliers" are still in use today. Visit the
home for tours of the intricate interior hand carved woodwork and the nine grand fireplaces for which the home is named.
From downtown Appleton, we biked south over the Oneida Skyline Bridge following Oneida Street out of town and to its ending point at Lake Winnebago. Following State Highway 114 west into the city of Menasha, we stop at Heckrodt Wetlands Reserve, a beautiful lakefront wetland paradise with a few miles of hiking trails (sorry, no bikes) and
elevated boardwalk among lush, almost tropical wetland ferns, calla lilies and pools of clear, still water. In Menasha, visit the Tayco Street Bridge Museum, containing historic photos and artifacts that tell the history of river navigation on the river, as well as the original stone bridge's construction. Another exciting museum, located in Menasha, is the Weis Earth Science Museum, located at the University of Wisconsin Fox
Valley Campus. Here visitors can walk through a mine tunnel, explore meteorites and fossils, as well as make your own earthquake. Rocks, minerals and hands on exhibits tell the story of the state's rich prehistoric past and our rich mining heritage.
Jefferson Park, a huge sprawling city park located at the point where the river flows out of Lake Winnebago, is a perfect spot for a picnic and quiet ride along the riverside trails
We continue to follow State Highway 114 through Menasha into its larger sister city Neenah. Take Wisconsin Avenue east all the way to the lake for a gorgeous tour of the city's most prestigious and grand homes. Follow the road as it winds north to Kimberly Point Park on its quiet path. The lighthouse on the shore of Lake Winnebago in Neenah has stood for the last 50 years in a place where Indian tribesman met for powwows 150 years ago at the mouth of the Fox River. The lighthouse
site has historical significance to the city of Neenah because it was once the site of an enormous elm tree called the Old Council Tree by the Menominee Indians. The tribesmen would hold councils under its sheltering arms prior to the 1830s. The Old Council Tree stands today as the city's logo.
Also located here at Kimberly Point Park is the famous Bergstrom Mahler Museum. The museum originated more than a century ago in the
imagination of a young girl in upstate New York who began a legendary love affair with paperweights. She would later become the wife of Neenah industrialist John Nelson Bergstrom, and begin a collection of glass paperweights that would one day fill a museum in her honor.
Today, one of the world's largest collections of paperweights, as well as an extensive collection of German glass, is housed here in the museum, located at 165 N. Park St.
Other historic locations in Neenah include the Doty Cabin, housing antiques, dishes and other local memorabilia, and the Velte History Room at city hall, which exhibits Neenah's American Indian history and explores the lives of the first settlers who arrived and settled here along the shores of mighty Lake Winnebago.
Neenah is the southernmost of the seven Fox Cities and one of the most beautiful. We follow South Park Avenue, famous for wide bike and in
line skating lanes (almost as wide as the road itself!), south out of town to watch the sunset from Fresh Air Park at the city's south side right along the lake, where we had parked one of the cars. A long day's ride back through time complete, we enjoyed the colorful show as the sun drifted below the emerald treetops and painted the sky in a rich rainbow of pale hues.
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