Algoma, WI to Hinckley, MN (Hwy 29 to Green Bay, I-41 to Appleton, Hwy 10 to Osseo, Hwy 53 north to Spooner, Hwy 70 west to Siren, Hwy 35 north to Danbury, Hwy 77 west to Hinckley, MN)
Leaving the coast of Lake Michigan and heading west I skirt the southern edge of the city of Green Bay and follow the Fox River down to an area known as the “Fox Cities”, a cluster of communities located at the northern edge of Lake Winnebago. Early businessmen hoped to build a canal between the Wisconsin River in central Wisconsin and the Fox River, flowing into Green Bay, in an effort to make the city Green Bay a port to rival Chicago and Milwaukie to the south. A series of locks and dams were built along the Fox but the river simply wasn’t deep enough to handle large ships and so the effort failed. However energy provided by those dams gave rise to numerous mills along the river, especially around the city of Appleton. The area continues to be a center for papermaking and printing and is among the top 50 manufacturing regions in the United States. I stop in the village of Little Chute to get a closer look at the locks.
Little Chute
The village of Little Chute lies on the northern bank of the Fox and townscape is dominated by the Little Chute Windmill, a working windmill that demonstrates how early Dutch immigrants used wind power to grind grain into flour.
South of the windmill a narrow road leads down to the locks. The locks are still used today to allow pleasure craft to move around rapids and dams in the river.
The view up the road to the center of town is pretty much the same as it was 150 years ago (with the exception of power lines, of course!)
Just further west is the city of Appleton, largest of the Fox Cities with an approximately population of 70,000. Home to Lawrence University (founded in 1849) and center of an area where three of America’s largest paper companies were founded, Appleton was also the site of the nation’s first hydro-electric power plant used to power paper mills. Paper mills formed the heart of Appleton’s early economy and are still a strong force in the area. At one time over 50 mills were operating in the area and the river in Appleton is lined with vestiges of that era, some still operating. These pictures were taken from a spot on the south side of the Fox River looking north across the river.
The town center lies above the river close above the mills.
A source of pride to Appleton is the presence of Lawrence University, the first co-educational university in Wisconsin with the graduating class of 1857 consisting of four men and three women. The university straddles College Street, the main street through Appleton. Most of the campus lies between the street and the river, anchored by Main Hall (built in 1853).
Facing Main Hall from across College Street is the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, built in 1918.
Just west of the chapel is another church and the imposing 1923 Masonic Temple (known as “The Castle” and now a history museum).
West of Lawrence University is downtown Appleton and I head through the center on my way southwest to Menasha, a small town that lies next to Appleton and Lake Winnebago.
Winding my way through residential neighborhoods I finally find a view of the lake near the Fox River outlet.
Striking out west of Appleton across the center of Wisconsin I’m in the heart of Wisconsin dairy country. The land rolls by with enormous fields of grass and field corn bordered by remnants of the lush forest that once blanketed this land.
I stop for the night along the Wisconsin River north of Stevens Point and am rewarded with a great view up the river.
Continuing west dairy country continues to spread to the horizon in all directions.
Fall harvest season is well underway and in virtually every little village along the way there is a corner stand offering the produce of the season. There are pumpkins everywhere…
The open farming country is punctuated by densely forested corridors along rivers and streams. My next destination is Chippewa Falls, a city of nearly 14,000 people nestled in the bluffs on the north side of the Chippewa River.
Chippewa Falls, WI
Chippewa Falls was originally a lumber town but quickly grew to prominence as a center of a network of railroads in central Wisconsin. The small city center, mostly built around the turn of the 20th century close to the river, is a mixture of historical buildings and new construction. The new construction carefully mimics the architecture of earlier times, allowing the harmony of style to be consistent.
On the bluff just west of the city center is a beautiful neighborhood with block after block of homes built for the wealthy merchants of the past.
A visit to Chippewa Falls is not complete without a tour of the oldest business in town, Leinenkugel’s Brewery.
Leinenkugel’s Brewery
Jacob Leinenkugel came to Chippewa Falls and established Spring Brewery in 1867. The family has continued to operate the brewery since and is now in the 6th generation running the company, currently under the umbrella of the Millers-Coors Corporation. The brewery even continued operation during Prohibition, converting to the production of soda drinks during that time before converting back to a brewery after Prohibition was repealed. The tour begins across Duncan Creek from the brewery in Leinie’s House, a building that houses memorabilia and souvenirs (and beer!). Augie is patiently waiting inside the Lunch Box outside Leinie’s House while I head off on the tour.
Inside Leinie’s House amongst all the merchandise for sale are several displays of antique brewing equipment. This display includes a cobbler bench in the forefront, used to bend the metal straps that went around the barrels, and a copper “Grant”, used to control the flow into the brew kettle and also as a tasting station for the wort. Wort is the flavored water extracted from cooking the grains; it doesn’t turn into beer until yeast is added later in the process. The action of the yeast on the wort creates the alcohol that makes beer.
A mill from pre-prohibition times was used to crack the hull on the malted barley to extract the seed.
Finally, a gas burning brander was used to burn the name of the brewery into the wooden casks.
The store serves as a holding space for tours that leave every 15 minutes. This is a popular tourist destination and even though I was there 5 minutes after opening I had to wait for the second tour as the first was already full. The tour leaves Leinie’s House and crosses Duncan Creek towards the brewery. This is a beautiful spot at the base of the bluffs that frame downtown Chippewa Falls (which is only blocks away.)
The brewery complex is just across the creek. A buzz of activity marks the building of a new gazebo in the forefront.
In the early years of the brewery workers had to live on the grounds due to the distance from nearby cities and so a work week consisting of brewing four days a week (M-Th); no brewing on Friday’s while the employees did deep cleaning; and no operating on weekends so that employees had time to travel to see their families. That work schedule continues to this day. Photographs are not allowed inside the buildings during the tour so you’ll just have to take my word for it that the tour was very interesting. Because of remodeling that is underway we were only able to go through the 1890 brew house (tall building on the left) and the bottling plant (newer red brick building on the left).
The brew house is built next to the original spring that provided water for the first brewery (lower left in the photo below). The spring does not produce enough water for the volume of current beer production so water is now provided by the Chippewa Falls Water Department.
The first cold wave of the coming winter is headed my way with temperatures forecasted to drop into the twenties tonight so it’s time to pick up the pace and continue my way west. I leave Chippewa Falls and “zig-zag” my way to the northwest, crossing into Minnesota and heading to Hincklley, MN. Because it is so late in the fall it is increasingly hard to find a place to say as most rv parks and campgrounds close between October 1 and October 15 for the winter. While there are no particularly interesting things to visit on this tour through the backcountry of Wisconsin it is a spectacular fall drive as the highway threads between hills, lakes, and streams.
Next up: From Pines to Plains…
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