La Crosse in La Crosse County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Sidewheel Riverboat War Eagle
Historic Shipwreck
— Wisconsin’s Maritime Trails —
Type: Wooden sidewheel riverboat
Built: 1854, Fulton, Ohio
Sank: May 14, 1870
Length: 219’ Beam: 29’
Cargoes: Mail, package freight, passengers, troops
Propulsion: Paddlewheel
Depth of Wreckage: 10’
Determined Eligible for National Register of Historic Places
Just up the Black River from this point lie the remains of the sidewheel riverboat War Eagle. Built in Fulton, Ohio, in 1854, she boasted 46 staterooms, fine velvet carpets, luxurious furniture, and onboard barbershops. During the Civil War, the War Eagle transported troops and supplies. Her only casualty was a stray bullet that pierced her smokestack in 1862.
After the war, the War Eagle again carried passengers and freight between the bustling towns along the Mississippi River. Connections between steamships and trains made ports like La Crosse important transportation hubs for settlers moving to the western frontier.
On the night of May 14, 1870, the War Eagle was docked at the Milwaukee Road Railroad Depot, just across the river from this spot. The ship’s carpenter was tightening the bands of a leaking barrel of kerosene. His lantern burst, the kerosene caught fire, and soon the ship’s deck was ablaze. The flames engulfed the dock, the depot, and several warehouses and grain elevators. A nearby barge was lost, and two steamers were damaged. Seven passengers, attempting to save their worldly belongings, perished in the fire or drowned.
Many artifacts have been removed from the area of the wreck site, but the hull structure of the War Eagle remains among a tangle of wood, metal and bricks from the burned buildings. Visibility in the river is near zero.
Background Image: Bird's-eye view of riverboats at the Milwaukee Road Railroad Depot in La Crosse, about 1870.
Erected by Wisconsin Historical Society, University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin’s Maritime Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1779.
Location. 43° 49.1′ N, 91° 15.367′ W. Marker is in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in La Crosse County. Marker is on East Veterans Memorial Dr., 0.2 miles north of State Street, on the right when traveling west. Located at the north end of Riverside Park, next to Riverside Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 410 E Veterans Memorial Dr, La Crosse WI 54601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Spence Park (approx. ¼ mile away); Front and State (approx. ¼ mile away); First Building in La Crosse (approx. ¼ mile away); La Crosse Players (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Cobbler Shop (approx. 0.4 miles away); Greek Revival House (circa 1850s) (approx. half a mile away); Gideon Cooley Hixon (approx. half a mile away); 4th and Main (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in La Crosse.
Also see . . .
1. Steamboat War Eagle Tragedy. La Crosse Public Library Archives (Submitted on June 1, 2015.)
2. The Wreck of the Steamship War Eagle. Big River magazine (Submitted on June 1, 2015.)
Additional keywords. Shipwrecks Sidewheel Riverboat War Eagle
Credits. This page was last revised on January 8, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 27, 2015, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 959 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 17, 2021. 2, 3. submitted on May 27, 2015, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. 4. submitted on December 17, 2021. 5, 6, 7. submitted on May 27, 2015, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.