Rapide Croche Lock and Dam Historic District
Fox R. at the Outagamie--Brown County line, Wrightstown, Wisconsin
Eighth lock and dam upriver from Green Bay
Photos
Rapide Croche Dam
Photo taken by J.R. Manning
Enlarge
Map
Coordinates:
+44.31660, -88.1950544°18'60" N, 88°11'42" W
Quadrangle map:Wrightstown
Description
Rapide Croche ("Eighth Rapids") is a complex comprised of a dam, a hydro-electric powerhouse and a lock to navigate around the dam. The lock is permanently closed, it was sealed in 1988. As of this writing, the lock is not available for viewing. It is closed and de-watered, acting as a barrier to aquatic invasive species (AIS) that could travel from Green Bay into the Lake Winnebago ecosystem.
A future plan calls for a transfer station to replace the lock that will lift watercraft from downriver, subject it to a 110º bath to kill off hitchhiking species, then return the craft to the upriver position.
The lock provided a 9.4' lift. It was built in 1859, rebuilt between 1931 and 1939, and permanently sealed in 1988.
The dam is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the powerhouse is operated by Kaukauna Utilities, the lock is under the control of the Fox River Navigational System Authority. (Control of the locks passed from the Corps of Engineers to the State of Wisconsin in 2004. The Fox River Navigational Authority was created in 2005.)
National Register information
- Status
- Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on December 7, 1993
- Reference number
- 93001326
- Areas of significance
- Transportation; Engineering
- Level of significance
- State
- Evaluation criteria
- A - Event; C - Design/Construction
- Property type
- District
- Historic functions
- Water-related; Single dwelling
- Current function
- Water-related
- Period of significance
- 1925-1949
- Significant years
- 1931; 1934
- Number of properties
- Contributing buildings: 2
Contributing structures: 3
Non-contributing buildings: 2
Update Log
- May 2, 2015: Updated by J.R. Manning: Updated Status, Added Description, Adjusted Appropriate Categories and Added Photos