By Carl Eisenberg

It is approximately one hour and forty minutes from Milwaukee to Appleton where the Appleton Locks on the Lower Fox River can be visited. Visiting Appleton and the Locks would make an easy day trip. There are tours of the Appleton Locks available during summer months (https://foxlocks.org/schedule-and-operations/tour-the-locks/) and the features of the locks are best viewed on one of these on-the-water tours.

On June 8, 2023, a beautiful, warm, sunshiny day we walked on shore to view the locks and enjoyed some other Appleton sights in the city including Lawrence University, the John Street Hydro Plant, a Labyrinth Garden, the Metamorphosis statue, which is a tribute to Harry Houdini’s famous magic trick, and the Vulcan Street Plant Replica.  It was on November 25, 1882, that the Appleton Edison Light Co. began operating the first Edison Hydroelectric System in America.  The Vulcan Street Hydroelectric Plant used an Edison “K”-type dynamo and sold direct-current power to provide incandescent lighting to nearby houses, mills, and a blast furnace.  Lunch at the Fratellos Riverfront Restaurant located in the Vulcan Hydroelectric Power Plant established in 1909 allowed for views of a dam and, on this day, a flock of American White Pelicans.

The Wisconsin Maritime Trails Marker of Tugs and Barges on the Fox River at the Appleton Lock 4 was easily accessible and informative.

Photos by Carl Eisenberg. Photo at top of page: Wisconsin Maritime Trails Marker

Other photos:

References:

1. Wisconsin Shipwrecks: https://www.wisconsinshipwrecks.org/Attraction/Details/277?region=Index
2. Friends of the Fox: https://friendsofthefoxriver.org/
3. Wisconsin Life: https://wisconsinlife.org/story/appleton-man-works-preserve-restore-fox-river-locks-boaters/
4. Fox Locks: https://foxlocks.org/
5. Wikipedia: Fox-Wisconsin Waterway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox–Wisconsin_Waterway
6. Wikipedia: Appleton Lock 4 Historic District: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appleton_Lock_4_Historic_District
7. Wikipedia: Appleton Locks 1-3 Historic District: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appleton_Locks_1–3_Historic_District
8. Appleton Locks 4 Historic District: https://www.appleton.org/home/showpublisheddocument/21958/636776340702530000

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Carl Eisenberg is a sailor and birdwatcher, and has been president of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society since 2016. A retired pediatrician, he is a graduate of Duke University School of Medicine. He lives in Mequon, Wis.