{"id":1128,"date":"2014-01-19T19:30:04","date_gmt":"2014-01-19T19:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/?page_id=1128"},"modified":"2022-04-12T20:14:53","modified_gmt":"2022-04-12T20:14:53","slug":"harbor-of-racine","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/features\/harbor-of-racine\/","title":{"rendered":"Harbor of Racine"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_1120\" style=\"width: 306px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/racine_harbor_.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1120\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1120\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/racine_harbor_-300x188.png\" alt=\"Racine Harbor real photo post card with working boat (left) and Coast Guard station (right)\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/racine_harbor_-300x188.png 300w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/racine_harbor_.png 556w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1120\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Racine Harbor real photo post card with working boat (left) and Coast Guard station (right)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Racine&#8217;s harbor has been very important to its history because Racine started out as a port on Lake Michigan, serving the farmers who needed to move their crops to market. Here are some important dates in its timeline:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1836: The citizens paid $100 to have the mouth of the river surveyed by the government engineer from Washington.<sup><a id=\"ref2\" href=\"#fn2\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>The construction of a government road from Racine to Janesville in 1839 helped the port of Racine to receive grain and other products from the interior.<sup><a id=\"ref1\" href=\"#fn1\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Up until 1839, whenever the steamboat whistle sounded, the citizens were obliged to push off in rowboats and scows to unload freight and passengers.<sup><a id=\"ref2\" href=\"#fn2\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>The first steamer to enter Racine harbor or any artificial harbor in Wisconsin was the Chesapeake (Captain Kelsey) on July 14, 1844.<sup><a id=\"ref2\" href=\"#fn2\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>The port facilities for anchoring vessels improved when the citizens dredged and channelized the Root River in 1845.<sup><a id=\"ref1\" href=\"#fn1\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>In the spring of 1845, work was begun on the project [removing the rock in the harbor]. Mr. Hawley [from Milwaukee] built a cofferdam around [the rock] &#8230; Men and machine worked day and night with a full force, pumping, blasting and digging. The rock was at long last removed to the south pier. The removal of the last fragment brought &#8220;the shouts of loud voices, the huzzas of workmen and enthusiastic citizens.&#8221;<sup><a id=\"ref2\" href=\"#fn2\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Despite impressive gains in port volume, shipments through the port declined as a percentage of total trade after the coming of the railroads in the late 1850s.<sup><a id=\"ref1\" href=\"#fn1\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>1853: Dr. J. W. Hunt of Madison, author of the Wisconsin Gazetter, described the City of Racine in equally glowing terms. He remarked on the beautiful site and healthy location, the excellent harbor and the thriving commerce, the many churches and the fine new Racine College.<sup><a id=\"ref1\" href=\"#fn1\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>1861: Wheat was the principal cash crop of early settlers, and the Milwaukee Sentinel designated it &#8220;A Greater King than King Cotton.&#8221; Wheat was hauled to Racine Harbor to be shipped off for sale.<sup><a id=\"ref1\" href=\"#fn1\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>\n<div id=\"attachment_1150\" style=\"width: 306px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/racine_harbor_1907.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1150\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1150\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/racine_harbor_1907-300x192.png\" alt=\"Racine Harbor, 1907\" width=\"300\" height=\"192\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/racine_harbor_1907-300x192.png 300w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/racine_harbor_1907.png 992w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1150\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Racine Harbor, 1907<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The importance of the port of Racine as provider of valuable facilities to the sourrounding rural areas also began to diminish when the superior harbors of Milwaukee and Chicago made inroads into the wheat trade of the hinterland of Racine. C. W. Butterfield, commenting on the port situation, wrote that six fine grain elevators which lined Racine harbor were pulled down in 1871.<sup><a id=\"ref1\" href=\"#fn1\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>The relative unimportance of Racine as a port is revealed by the face that while the City ranked secon in population, it ranked only ninth out of the eleven Wisconsin Lake Michigan ports in waterborne commerce in 1962.<sup><a id=\"ref1\" href=\"#fn1\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_1173\" style=\"width: 306px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/2014-02-16-10-24-22-01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1173\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1173\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/2014-02-16-10-24-22-01-300x192.jpg\" alt=\"Harbor Scene at 4th Street Bridge, Racine, Wisconsin\" width=\"300\" height=\"192\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/2014-02-16-10-24-22-01-300x192.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/2014-02-16-10-24-22-01-1024x656.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/2014-02-16-10-24-22-01.jpg 1618w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1173\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Harbor Scene at 4th Street Bridge, Racine, Wisconsin<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1839\" style=\"width: 306px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-19-10-39-48-01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1839\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1839\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-19-10-39-48-01-300x186.jpg\" alt=\"Life Saving Station, Racine, Wisconsin. Postmarked Apr. 21, 1915\" width=\"300\" height=\"186\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-19-10-39-48-01-300x186.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-19-10-39-48-01-1024x634.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1839\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Life Saving Station, Racine, Wisconsin. Postmarked Apr. 21, 1915<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-04-11-19-21-46-01-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"673\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-04-11-19-21-46-01-1024x673.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4065\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-04-11-19-21-46-01-1024x673.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-04-11-19-21-46-01-300x197.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-04-11-19-21-46-01-768x505.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-04-11-19-21-46-01-1536x1010.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-04-11-19-21-46-01-2048x1347.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>I&#8217;m always on the lookout for Racine Harbor postcards and this is a nice 1905 example. You can see the life-saving station on the left, and several commercial boats, including some old-fashioned sailing ships along with the more modern steam-powered ships.<br>I&#8217;m going to attempt to transcribe the difficult cursive on the front:<br>&#8220;Dear [somebody], Mama will be home Wednesday. Be a good boy [somebody].&#8221;<br>What do you think? Can you make out the names in this sentence?<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-04-11-19-22-45-01-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"671\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-04-11-19-22-45-01-1024x671.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4066\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-04-11-19-22-45-01-1024x671.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-04-11-19-22-45-01-300x197.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-04-11-19-22-45-01-768x503.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-04-11-19-22-45-01-1536x1006.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-04-11-19-22-45-01-2048x1342.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Here&#8217;s the reverse of the 1905 Racine harbor postcard above. <br>Martin S-something Thompson, Neenah, Wis.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>1. Racine: Growth and Change in a Wisconsin County, edited by Nicholas C. Burckel<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>2. Racine: The Belle City, by Alice Sankey<\/sup><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Racine&#8217;s harbor has been very important to its history because Racine started out as a port on Lake Michigan, serving the farmers who needed to move their crops to market. Here are some important dates in its timeline: 1836: The citizens paid $100 to have the mouth of the river surveyed by the government engineer&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":33,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1128","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1128"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4070,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1128\/revisions\/4070"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}