What Do You Call a Steamboat on Dry Land?

"Oops, the Captain Missed that Last Turn", "Did You Say Port or Starboard?", or even "How Dry I Am".

In the case of Winnecone, WI, it would be museum. Well, actually, the Winneconne Historical Society's Steamboat House. Not much remains from the years when the best way to get from point A to point B in Wisconsin was by river or lake. Those were the days before roads. This is the single largest relic in the state from those days.

This old steamboat, or possibly the conglomeration of several old steamboats into one structure, now sits high and dry in Winneconne's Marble Park.

It has a vague history. Researchers know it has been on land for a long time, first as a private residence in Butte Des Morts, and then as a summer resort. It was moved at the cost of $150,000 to its present site.

Pride of workmanship is very evident in the oak woodwork in the grand salon. Part of the ship is believed to be from the Levander Choate II, built 1906-1907. There are 60 windows that have been meticulously restored. The current structure is 37 feet wide and 67 feet long and goes to two stories.

From the Oshkosh, Wi., Northwestern.com, June 27th, by Patricia Wolff. A picture accompanied the article.

Winneconne also seceded from the state of Wisconsin back in the 1960s or 70s when the town was inadvertently left off state road maps. The slighted community offered to join Canada and several other countries.

Downtown, along the Wolf River, there is a bar/restaurant called Fin and Feather that is shaped like a steamboat as well.

Now Proudly Back on the Map, Winneconne, Wi. --RoadDog