| A FV&LS (or FOXY) train hugs the bluff and passes the Vulcan Heritage Park as it descends the grade into 'The Flats' via former CN, historically C&NW, rails at Appleton, WI, on 6 Mar. '22. Train was headed for Kimberly and Combined Locks. Now just a short branch line, this stretch of rail (laid in 1874 (some references state 1875 or 1876)) is a remnant of the MLS&W main line which once ran from Milwaukee to Ashland. The MILW, originally M&N, rails used to run parallel on this side of the tracks (from 1880 until 1981). Most of the land in the foreground was created when the mill race, or power canal, was filled in. Over the past several years, I have noticed that some misinformed individuals erroneously refer to ‘The Flats’ as ‘Oneida Flats,’ or some other variation. For all of my life, the historic, industrial heart of Appleton has been simply ‘The Flats.’ However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was referred to as 'The Water Power.' |