By James Heinz
There are museums dedicated to shipwreck artifacts. There are museums full of old ships and boats. There are museums that preserve historic buildings. There are museums dedicated to the fishing industry. There are lighthouse museums. But there is one museum that contains all of these.
The Rogers Street Fishing Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
Which is an ironic name, because it is not actually on Rogers Street. It used to be on Rogers Street in the 1960s according to executive director Greg Goodchild, but after “a lot of wheeling and dealing” it was moved to its current Jackson Street location in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Greg explained that Two Rivers was settled around 1837 by French Canadians from the St. Lawrence River valley. He said that they used the Mackinac boat, a two masted open wooden sailboat, to catch fish in Lake Michigan.
Because of the Mackinac boat’s limited range, their fishing had to be done by hand close to shore, an activity that Greg described as “tedious and dangerous due to fog and storms.” Their catch had to be salted and there was no way to get it to market. But two things were to change that.
The first was the coming of the railroad with refrigerated rail cars in 1874, which enabled their catch to be exported to other markets. Ice from the two rivers (Mishicot and Neshota rivers now known as the East and West Twin Rivers) in Two Rivers kept the fish fresh.
Docent Jerry Thiede told me about the second thing: “In 1900, one of the local fishermen, (John LaFond), who was using a Mackinaw asked William Kahlenberg to make a small gasoline engine for him. Kahlenberg, who worked on steam engines, read books about the new engine and over a year designed and fitted a gas engine in the boat. Other fishermen quickly followed with this new engine.”
“However, Kahlenberg continued to work on a marine diesel engine which was much larger and more powerful. By the early 1920’s he had such an engine and it was capable of supporting a large cabin as well as traveling much farther out into the lake. Also, by adding a small stove, the larger fishing tug could be utilized in the winter. This was the beginning of the more modern fishing tug that we now see.”
And the first thing a visitor to the museum sees when they step out of the visitor’s center is one of these modern fish tugs, the BUDDY O. Visitors can board it and see one of the Kahlenberg engines as well as the tools of the commercial fishing trade.
As the visitor walks to the next exhibit, you pass masts recovered from a sunken ship and a boat used by pound net fishermen. Next is a small snug cottage typical of the type occupied by fishermen and their families around 1900.
Then is the old Two Rivers lighthouse. Greg says it was the last fully functioning wooden lighthouse. It stood at the end of the government pier from the late 1800s to 1969 when the Coast Guard replaced and donated it.
Just past the lighthouse, tied to the dock in the river is the modern fish tug SUSIE Q. The SUSIE Q is not an exhibit. Greg said that it is one of the last working commercial fish tugs in Two Rivers. Its owner, the LeClair family, sell their catch through their SUSIE Q fish store just down the street from the museum.
Retracing your steps, you will come to the LeClair fishing shed, displaying the tools of the fisherman’s trade.
Further on is the Packing Shed, where the fish were packed in ice for transport, with its icebox room.
South of that is the Kahlenberg engine house, displaying the engine that made Two Rivers famous.
Across the street is the Exhibit Building, which contains a modern reconstruction of a Mackinac boat.
One wall of the building is lined with displays of artifacts recovered from local shipwrecks, such as the famous Christmas Tree ship, the ROUSE SIMMONS, and the steamer VERNON.
Another display shows an old Coast Guard lifeboat and Lyle line throwing gun, topped off by an old classic diving dress.
I have only described some of the things there is to see at the Rogers Street Fishing Museum, which has something for everyone. It is well worth a visit. You can appreciate it best during the upcoming Rogers Street Days festival on August 9th and 10th.
Photos by James Heinz
Originally published August 5, 2024
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James Heinz is the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society’s acquisitions director. He became interested in maritime history as a kid watching Jacques Cousteau’s adventures on TV. He was a Great Lakes wreck diver until three episodes of the bends forced him to retire from diving. He was a University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee police officer for thirty years. He regularly flies either a Cessna 152 or 172.
