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48-659: Hydrographers divide the Fox into two distinct sections, the Upper Fox River, flowing from its headwaters in south-central Wisconsin northeasterly into Lake Winnebago , and the Lower Fox River, flowing from Lake Winnebago northeasterly to lower Green Bay. Together, the two sections give the Fox River a length of 182 miles (293 km). Counting the distance through Lake Winnebago gives a total of 200 miles (322 km). The river's name

96-506: A National Estuarine Research Reserve . Among the wildlife in the Fox River Valley are birds such as mallard ducks and Canada geese , and fish such as walleye . Before the 1950s parts of the Fox River were used for recreational purposes. This only lasted for a short period of time as the water quality deteriorated, and the water was considered unhealthy. The Fox River region has been dominated by dairy farms that benefited from

144-551: A barrier to prevent the movement of sea lamprey upstream, and only three of the remaining locks were being maintained. Lock reconstruction is underway and is being supervised by the Fox River Navigation Authority. Many annual events take place on the Winnebago Pool , including shoreline concerts, fishing tournaments, power boat events, pleasure boating rallies, windsurfing, sail runs and ice racing. Along with

192-516: A deer park, baseball diamonds, a marina, and boat launch ramps. Train rides, an old fashioned carousel, bumper boats, aqua bikes, and canoes are available for rides. A petting zoo is open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. The Fond du Lac River enters Lake Winnebago on the eastern border of the park. Menominee Park in Oshkosh features trails, fishing piers, boat launches, a zoo, a small amusement park, and softball, tennis and basketball facilities. It

240-575: A section of unpaved terrain that permits horseback riding. The Wiouwash State Trail runs concurrent with the Fox River from downtown Oshkosh to Lake Butte des Morts for about 4 miles (6 km). Fishing was a huge aspect of life on the water as many fisheries were set up along the river. This remained large for a short period of time but also was soon limited by water pollution and the depleted amount of fish. Restrictions were placed on how many and what kind of fish could be caught. The Fox River has produced multiple state records in fishing. Currently

288-443: A total of 142 miles (229 km). The Lower Fox begins at the north end of Lake Winnebago, where it flows north past Neenah , Menasha , and Appleton as it begins its 40-mile (64 km) course northeast towards Lake Michigan. The river drops around 164 feet (50 m) over this short stretch. Prior to the construction of European-style dams after 1850, the river had many sizable rapids. The Lower Fox ends after flowing through

336-585: Is a few miles east of Lake Winnebago. The softer Ordovician rocks that underlie the lake have eroded away, and the stronger Silurian rocks stand as a ridge that formed the lake basin. In 1634, the French encountered the Ho-Chunk on the shores of Green Bay, inhabiting the area stretching to Lake Winnebago. Although " Ho-Chunk " is the people's own name for themselves, their Algonquian neighbors called them "Winnebago", which means "[people of the] stinking water." This term

384-461: Is a major city in the chain, active production of paper products is no longer located there. In the section between Lake Winnebago and Green Bay at Lake Michigan, the Fox River flows roughly south to north and descends through a height equal to that of Niagara Falls . As such, the Fox River was an ideal location for constructing powerful sawmills that made the Fox River area famous for its paper industry. A negative side effect of this industrialization

432-622: Is in February. The first year of regulated sturgeon spearing was 1903, when an eight-pound limit was introduced. All sturgeon spearing was banned from 1915 to 1931. The lake had the largest population of sturgeon in the United States in 2003. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources regulates the number of fish taken each year. Late spring (between May 5 and June 30) is dominated by walleye and sauger fishing. Sauger, also known as sand pike, bite

480-625: Is the English translation of the French name for the Meskwaki people in the 17th century. The river was part of the famous 1673–74 expedition of Jolliet and Marquette , in which they went on to become the first Europeans to traverse the upper Mississippi River . A particular set of cities on the lower Fox River identify themselves as the " Fox Cities ". The Upper Fox River begins as a small stream northeast of Pardeeville . It flows west by southwest towards Portage and comes within 2 miles (3 km) of

528-607: Is the former site of the city's Sawdust Days Festival in July. Lake Winnebago is one of the more heavily fished lakes in the state. Many fishermen consider it one of the nation's top walleye fisheries. Other species present include bluegill , largemouth bass , muskellunge , northern pike , perch , burbot , white bass , crappie , freshwater drum , channel catfish , flathead catfish , and smallmouth bass . In June 2010, Oshkosh hosted an event recognized by Guinness World Records as history's largest fishing tournament. A 2007 study put

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576-510: Is the largest shopping mall in the state at 1.2 million square feet. Area post-secondary schools include Fox Valley Technical College , Lawrence University , and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Fox Cities Campus . Bus transit for the area is provided by Valley Transit and commercial airline service is provided by Appleton International Airport . Major highway routes in the area include: Interstate 41 / U.S. Route 41 , which connects

624-526: The Environmental Protection Agency and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for many years following the cleaning project's completion. The high concentration of paper mills and other industry along the Lower Fox has historically been the source of much pollution of the river. Public debate about this contamination began as early as 1923, but little was done to improve the river until

672-774: The Great Lakes and the Mississippi River known as the Fox–Wisconsin Waterway . It was likely long used by Native Americans prior to European encounter, as they had extensive cross-country trading routes related to the Mississippi River. During the French colonization of the Americas , this route was used frequently by fur traders . French-Canadian men who established homes on the Fox River married First Nation women, producing mixed-race descendants who were generally raised within

720-688: The Meskwaki people, called Renards in French. In the Menominee language , the river is known as Meskwahkīw-Sīpiah , which means "Red Earth River". In the Ho-Chunk language (Winnebago, Hoocąk, Hocąk) , Fox River is known as Nionigera . According to a member of the party of La Salle , it was also called the Kakaling River. Along the banks is a chain of cities and villages, including Oshkosh , Neenah , Menasha , Appleton , Little Chute , Kimberly , Combined Locks , and Kaukauna . Except for Oshkosh, located on

768-673: The Wisconsin River before turning north. However, the Fox River and the Wisconsin River are connected via the Portage Canal , which was the first waterway between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River . After flowing past Montello , the river goes northeast until reaching Lake Butte des Morts . Here it is joined by the tributary Wolf River before entering the west side of Lake Winnebago at Oshkosh . The Upper Fox flows for

816-652: The city of Green Bay and into Lake Michigan through Green Bay . The Fox River complex is one of only a few north-flowing river systems in North America east of the Mississippi River; the only other one is the Genesee River of Upstate New York and Pennsylvania . Altogether, the Fox-Wolf watershed drains an area of about 6,429 square miles (16,650 km). The Fox had an average annual discharge of 5,200 ft/s (150 m/s) into Green Bay. The highest recorded flow on

864-696: The matrilineal cultures of their mothers and identified with the tribes. In Canada, the Metis of the Red River of the North are classified as a distinct ethnicity because of their shared culture. The Fox-Wisconsin Waterway's importance continued into the 1850s, when the Fox and Wisconsin Improvement Company built locks and dams on the Fox and the Portage Canal to connect it to the Wisconsin River at Portage. The company

912-531: The City of Appleton and Neenah-Menasha Sewerage Commission. Several settlements ensured that the responsible parties paid for a large sum of the cleaning project costs and other restoration efforts. A settlement, reached in 2019, required that NCR Corporation, P.H. Glatfelter Company, and Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP cover the cost of all future cleaning efforts. Since the late 19th century, dredging of river bottom sediments has been done to allow large ships to enter

960-569: The Fox Cities with Green Bay and Milwaukee ; Wisconsin Highway 441 , known locally as the Tri-County Expressway, which is an auxiliary highway of Interstate 41 that serves as a beltway around Appleton; and U.S. Route 10 which travels east–west, connecting the Fox Cities with Stevens Point , Waupaca and Manitowoc , along with Interstate 39 and Wausau . Television and radio stations in

1008-627: The Fox River and Lake Michigan. The federal government banned PCBs in 1979 due to their environmental threat to humans and other wildlife. The U.S. government and State of Wisconsin filed suit on October 14, 2010, against nine paper companies and two municipalities for their failure to pay for PCB cleanup actions. The companies named in the suit were NCR Corporation , Appleton Papers, CBC Coating, Kimberly-Clark , Menasha Corporation, NewPage Corporation , Glatfelter , U.S. Paper Mills ( Sonoco ) and WTM (Wisconsin Tissue Mills). The local agencies sued were

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1056-433: The Fox River. The contaminated sediment has been used since the 1960s to fill local wetlands, causing adverse effects on wildlife and plants. After 1978 it was used to develop an off-shore engineered holding area called Renard Isle , also known as Kidney Island. Renard Isle was capped in 2015 and its ownership was transferred to Brown County in 2017. There have been several proposed plans for the land, including turning it into

1104-458: The Fox near its mouth was 33,800 ft/s (957 m/s) on June 3, 1990. Tributaries of the Fox River include East River, Fond du Lac River , Wolf River, White River, Mecan River, Grand River, and Montello River . The name is the translation of Rivière aux Renards (French for River of the Foxes ), given by explorers Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette because it went through the territory of

1152-642: The Fox river in Appleton was the first Edison hydroelectric station and one of the first in the world. It was put into service in 1882 within the building of the Appleton Paper and Pulp Company. The Lower Fox remains a major area for paper production . There are 24 paper and pulp mills along the Lower Fox River that produce more than five million tons of paper per year and employ around 50,000 people. The principal cities located in this valley are Green Bay, Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, De Pere, and Kaukauna. Although Oshkosh

1200-514: The Upper Fox River near Lake Winnebago , these cities and villages identify as the Fox Cities . Farther north along the Lower Fox River, from its outlet from Lake Winnebago and before its mouth at Lake Michigan, are the cities of De Pere and Green Bay (located at the lake), and the villages of Ashwaubenon and Allouez ; although they are in the Fox River Valley, this grouping of cities and villages does not refer to themselves as Fox Cities. Since

1248-527: The area, usually originating out of Green Bay , identify as serving "Green Bay/Fox Cities" to acknowledge both major population centers in the region (for stations licensed to Green Bay , that community must be mentioned first). The Fox Cities constitute a portion of the Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, WI Combined Statistical Area (CSA) , which also includes the City of Oshkosh and rural portions of Calumet , Outagamie and Winnebago Counties. As of

1296-533: The best in cooler water. June fishing is the peak time for white bass, and July for perch. Fishing declines in fall. The setting for Dr. Seuss's classic children's book Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose is "Lake Winna-Bango" on the "far northern shore." The lake is one of thirteen shown in James Benning's film 13 Lakes . Fox Cities The Fox Cities of Northeastern Wisconsin are

1344-591: The cities, towns and villages along the Fox River as it flows from Lake Winnebago northward into Green Bay . The Fox Cities communities, as defined by its Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau, include: Major points of interest include the Fox Cities Exhibition Center , Community First Champion Center , Fox Cities Performing Arts Center , High Cliff State Park , and Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium . The Fox River Mall

1392-455: The economic value of recreational fishing at approximately $ 300 million per year. Ice fishing is popular on Lake Winnebago, and it is not uncommon for 10,000 cars to park on it during the ice fishing season. Expansion cracks on the ice are bridged, and many cities along the east and west shores plow roads on the icy surface. Sauger and walleye predominate, with rare perch and white bass catches. The spearfishing season for lake sturgeon

1440-443: The estimated 25,000 Native Americans who lived in what is today Wisconsin. The first Europeans to reach the Fox were French , beginning with explorer Jean Nicolet in 1634. In 1673 explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet canoed up the river as far as Portage. Here they made the short portage from the Fox to the Wisconsin River and then canoed on toward the Mississippi River . They established an important water route between

1488-412: The federal Clean Water Act was passed in 1972. Much effort has since been put into cleaning the Fox, but problems still exist. According to some measures of pollution (e.g. dissolved oxygen , pollution-tolerant worm counts), the Lower Fox River is much cleaner than it was before 1972. However, according to other measures of pollution (e.g., phosphorus , estrogenic compounds, discarded pharmaceuticals ),

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1536-464: The forests. The Lower Fox proved an ideal location for paper production, owing to its proximity to lumbering areas that could supply wood pulp to make paper. Several well-known paper companies were founded in cities along the river, including Kimberly-Clark , Northern Paper Mills (makers of Quilted Northern), and the Hoberg Paper Company (manufacturer of Charmin ). The Volcan Street Plant on

1584-464: The high water season for boating. A system of seventeen locks connects Lake Winnebago to Lake Michigan at Green Bay, an elevation drop of about 150 feet (45 m). This lock system is located along the lower Fox River and starts at the northwest corner of Lake Winnebago in the city of Menasha and ends at the mouth of Green Bay. One of the locks, the Rapid Croche Lock, is permanently sealed as

1632-494: The lake, a marina, beach, an observation tower, and picnic areas. Camping is available at Calumet County Park and Columbia County Park in Fond du Lac County . Effigy mounds overlook the lake at High Cliff and Calumet County Park. Lakeside Park in Fond du Lac is a 400-acre (1.6 km ) municipal park on the southern shore of Lake Winnebago with picnic areas, shelters/gazebos, a playground,

1680-528: The northwest shore, around Doty Island at Neenah - Menasha to Little Lake Butte des Morts . The river then flows northeast and empties into Green Bay and serves as part of the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway . Lake Winnebago is part of a larger system of lakes in Wisconsin known as the Winnebago Pool . Cities on its shores include the aforementioned Oshkosh, Neenah, and Menasha, as well as Fond du Lac at

1728-446: The recession of the glaciers that once covered much of Wisconsin , the Fox River has supported several Native American cultures, and has been important for its fisheries, waterfowl, wild rice , forests, and water. Archaeologists have claimed that indigenous peoples lived in the Fox River area as early as 7000 BC. Prior to European settlement in the late 17th century, the shores of the Fox River and Green Bay were home to roughly half

1776-426: The records for Striped bass , Shortnose gar and Northern hogsucker have all been caught in the river. Lake Winnebago Lake Winnebago ( Menominee : Wenepekōw Nepēhsæh , Ojibwe : Wiinibiigoo-zaaga'igan , Oneida : kanyataláheleˀ ) is a shallow freshwater lake in the north central United States , located in east central Wisconsin . At 137,700 acres, it is the largest lake entirely within

1824-471: The rich soil and plentiful water supply. The 25-mile (40 km) Fox River State Recreational Trail is part of the Brown County Park System. The trailhead is in the city of Green Bay where 7 miles (11 km) of paved trail follow the Fox River south through the city of De Pere . Biking, walking, jogging, and rollerblading are among the most popular activities on the trail. The trail also has

1872-430: The river waters are slightly more contaminated than before 1972. As a result, debate over the river's contamination continues between environmentalists, the paper industry, Indian tribes, and elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels. While not officially designated as a U.S. Superfund site, the Lower Fox River bottom has some sections contaminated with toxic chemicals. These contaminated sediments are

1920-457: The river's current environmental problem. One contaminant of special concern is a group of chemicals called Polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs. The largest deposits of contaminated sediments are traceable to the local paper recycling mills. Beginning in the 1950s, many mills along to Fox River began producing and recycling carbonless copy paper . The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources explains that carbonless copy paper caused PCB pollution in

1968-465: The shoreline have been wrecked by the shoves, which are up to 25 feet high. Lake Winnebago is not man-made, but its level was raised about three feet (0.9 m) by two dams on either side of Doty Island , erected in 1850 and 1930. The lake level is today regulated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to meet demands for flood control, to reduce ice damage to private property, to release water for hydropower and pollution dilution downstream, and to extend

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2016-425: The south shore. Municipal drinking water systems serving over 200,000 people draw directly from the lake, including systems serving the cities of Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha, and Appleton . The lake is a remnant of Glacial Lake Oshkosh approximately 12,000 years ago. Ice blocked water from entering Lake Michigan at Green Bay , and the glacial lake ponded against ice since it had no outlet. The Niagara Escarpment

2064-558: The state, covering an area of about 30 miles by 10 miles with 88 miles of shoreline, an average depth of 15.5 feet, and a maximum depth of 21 feet. It has many shallow reefs along the west shore and a drop-off type shoreline on the east. There are several islands along the west shore. The lake has two primary tributaries, the Wolf and Fox Rivers , which combine at Lake Butte des Morts . The Fox River flows east through Oshkosh and into Lake Winnebago at its west central shore, then flows out at

2112-610: The upper lakes of Big Lake Butte des Morts , Winneconne, Poygan, the Wolf River and the upper and lower Fox River, it is a popular pleasure boating area. A 1989 survey of boating intensity by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources ranked the Winnebago Pool as the state's busiest inland waterway, surpassing the Mississippi River. High Cliff State Park on the lake's northeast shore offers camping, hiking trails, views of

2160-416: Was developed instead as a center of riverfront industry. During the mid-19th century, when Wisconsin was a leading producer of wheat , several flour mills were built along the river to harness its abundant water power. During the 1860s, as Wisconsin's wheat production declined, these flour mills were replaced by a growing number of paper mills , which processed the great amount of timber being harvested from

2208-561: Was hoping to establish Green Bay as a port city to rival Chicago by making the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway into the principal shipping route between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. This goal was never achieved, as the Upper Fox remained too shallow for significant shipping even after damming and dredging. In addition, the lakes that the narrow, winding stream flows through were frozen solid for five months every year. The Lower Fox

2256-425: Was the dumping of hazardous material byproducts of the paper mills. To repair the ecological damage from this toxic waste, there has been a widespread effort to clean the Fox River. Dredging of the chemicals in the river began on April 28, 2009 and capping started soon after during the summer of 2009. The cleaning project concluded in 2020 and cost an estimated $ 1 billion. The Fox River will continue to be monitored by

2304-541: Was used by the Algonquians because Lake Winnebago had a strong fish odor in the summer. The steamer B. F. Carter made a trip from the east shore to the west shore at Oshkosh every two weeks in the 1880s during the summer season. Lake Winnebago is known for having occasional ice shoves on very windy days in March as the winter ice breaks up. Residents have described that it "sounds like a freight train." Buildings directly on

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