Support The Locks

Fox Locks Preservation Fund

The Fox River has been home to native peoples, a main thoroughfare for transporting goods, a source of hydroelectric power, ground zero for the state’s paper industry, and is now having a renaissance of recreation and environmental awareness. Keeping the system of 17 locks open and operational will fuel economic and recreational growth.

Help us by supporting the locks to sustain this engineering marvel for future generations.

How the locks started

Construction started on the locks in the 1840s by Irish, German, Scandinavian and Dutch laborers using only manpower, horses, pickaxes, virgin timber, and the stone quarried from the local hills. Even more amazing—the locks don’t rely on mechanical pumps or motors. All operation on the system is the result of manual labor and an innovative use of hydraulic engineering.

The system is the largest restored, hand-operated lock system in the United States and all of the 17 locks are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Success from state and local support

The Army Corps of Engineers proposed filling in the locks and closing the system in the 1980s. Doing so would have ended navigation of the Fox River and the loss of this historical system. Local leaders stepped in to help with these results:

Control of the lock system was transferred from federal to state government.
The state established an authority to manage the system comprised of representatives from three counties, and representatives from the DOT, DNR, and State Historic Preservation Office.
Locks were rebuilt and restored with an investment of $14.5 million from state and local funds.
Two of nine lock tender homes were restored, all home structures were stabilized for future renovation.
Barricades surrounding locks were dismantled to allow for more pedestrian access.
All lock fees moved to online payment for fast, easy access.
The Kaukauna Locks Trail opened thanks to a grant from the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. The trail links to the network of trails within the Fox Valley.

The Future

We are establishing the Fox Locks Preservation Fund for the ongoing preservation and operation of this historic lock system. Our goal is to sustain the operational support of the system to include staffing, administration, annual maintenance, repairs, and property rehabilitation. General donations will be used to maintain levees, spillways, maintain/repair lock chambers and lock mechanisms and fund staffing levels.

Special projects include:

Recreational access for pedestrians and boaters to fund boat launches, piers, urban fishing access, kayak/canoe portages and more. All projects will have to goal of increasing the use of the waterway and lock system.
Cultural access to restore historic properties along the Fox River. Eventually selected lock tender homes will be slated for historic renovation to capture the unique stories of the families who lived there for generations.
Educational access to expand our outreach to K-12 schools, regional museums, historical societies and more to better integrate the story of the locks within the community.

How can you help?

Join the hundreds of area residents who are helping us preserve this unique asset for future generations. Your tax-deductible donation may be made simply by clicking on the link below or by contacting our office at 920-455-9174. Consider these ways to leave your legacy:

Sponsor a memorial bench or picnic table in honor of a loved one or organization. Benches and tables will be placed along lock walkways and trails with views of the Fox River or the locks. This donation includes the bench OR the picnic table and a memorial plaque for $5000 (bench), $6000 (picnic table).
Sponsor a lock for your family, boating friends, or your business. Multiple sponsors are available for certain locks.
Sponsor naming rights for one lock. This level of patronage shows your organization’s commitment to the future of the lock system.

You don’t have to be a boater…there are all kinds of opportunities for citizens to see what the locks have to offer. It’s got potential to economically develop the whole area and I think it’s an asset for the state of Wisconsin that we’re under-leveraging.

The locks provide an excellent way to enjoy the water on the river and it can be an area of future growth that should be protected and enhanced. It’s all about stewardship.

When our paddlers get close from the inside to these time-worn timbers and feel the pull of the current as the lock is drained, it is a cool experience that may send their minds imaging 19th century travel on the Fox River. There are a lot of places we could paddle, but the Fox Locks system is the only place we can give them this experience.

The Fox River is what connects and anchors us in the Fox Valley region. The locks system is fascinating history, and it allows us all to get out and enjoy this natural resource. Supporting this system honors our past and invests in what people want to do and experience today. It’s an investment in our future.