DISCOVER SHEBOYGAN BY FOOT:  WALKING TRAILS OF SHEBOYGAN 

History of Sheboygan

 The great harbor and Sheboygan River that identify Sheboygan were formed by receding glaciers 10,000 years ago.  This landscape provided its inhabitants relief from the densely wooded interior, safety from the forces of Lake Michigan, and an abundance of fish and wildlife.  Among the area’s early inhabitants were Mound Builders, Menominee, Hochunk (Winnebago), Potawatomi, Ottawa, Sioux, and Chippewa tribes.  “Sheboygan” is loosely translated to mean “water between the lakes”.

 The harbor and its rich resources were recognized by French explorers making their way along Lake Michigan’s western shore in the 1600s.  Trading first occurred among the Indians and Europeans at the mouth of the Sheboygan River.  William Farnsworth, considered the “Father of Sheboygan”, and his Menominee Indian princess wife, Marie Antoinette, started a trading post in the early 1830’s at the first rapids of the Sheboygan River at Esslingen Park.  Lumber, then flour mills were established next to the river at about the same time.  The Sheboygan River provided an easy trade route between Lake Michigan and Lake Winnebago near the Sheboygan river’s headwaters.  Near the river’s mouth commercial fishing shanties emerged and a small community soon flourished.   Between the 1840s and 1860s, population and commerce exploded with waves of immigrants; the city grew and was chartered in 1853.

 Today, the City’s population of 50,740 represents the ethnic make up its immigrant inhabitants from the 19^th Century with Croatians, Dutch, Irish, Germans (who were in the vast majority), Greeks, Norwegians, Slovenians, and Volga Germans to the present with African American, Hispanic, and Hmong among them.  Notably, much of Sheboygan’s natural and historical resources remain intact despite the influx of people into and through these resources.

 Sheboygan made significant contributions to the ship building, fishing, furniture, and children’s wooden and steel toys industries.  Sheboygan is currently known for bratwursts; having the highest amount of park acreage per capita in Wisconsin; having an abundance of public access to its waterfronts; and its manufacturing base.   The City is recognized for its selection of fine dining establishments, historic downtown and Riverwalk (look for interpretive signs along the way), John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Stefanie Weill Center for the Performing Arts,  harbor, and nearby world class golf courses.

NORTH LOOP TRAIL -  12 miles

 The North Loop is the longest of the Sheboygan walking trails but also the most ecologically diverse.  The walker will circumnavigate most of the north side of the city, experiencing everything from a dense urban center to large historic parks and a near wilderness environment.   Free maps of the trail system through Maywood Park’s natural environment are available at their visitor center. Most of the schools and hospitals on the North Side of Sheboygan are connected by the trail and more than five miles of it offer picturesque views of the Sheboygan River, Pigeon River, or the dramatic vista of the Lake Michigan shoreline.  In between we see old and new neighborhoods, churches and cemeteries and manufacturing areas that testify to the rich cultural and economic heritage of Sheboygan.  In Deland Park, pass by the remains of the lumber schooner Lottie Cooper that sank with her goods intended for furniture making in 1894; she was brought to surface in 1994.

NORTH HISTORIC DISTRICT TRAIL – 4 miles 

 Beginning at the parking lot at the intersection of Riverfront Drive and Virginia, the North Historic District Walking Trail follows the first third of the North Loop, taking advantage of the riverfront boardwalk shops and restaurants of the riverfront and the dramatic views offered by Lake Michigan.  After leaving the lakeshore the trail meanders through mid-twentieth century neighborhoods.  As we continue our walk south toward the starting point, we walk back in time to a gilded age when the owners of businesses such as coal shipping, furniture making, ship building, leather tanning, shoe making, and glove making built their opulent homes which still grace the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan.  The trail passes by the John Michael Kohler Art Museum, a stop that should not be missed.  On the last several blocks of the walk we pass through the oldest section of city where, with a population of 36 souls, the Village of Sheboygan was chartered in 1846; the City was established in 1853.

SHEBOYGAN DOWNTOWN TRAIL – 3 miles

 A walk on the Sheboygan Downtown Trail could be accomplished in little more than an hour, but lingering in front of the many alluring sights and attractions will inevitably extend it.  Here we see fine examples of architecture from three centuries, many of which have been converted into fine restaurants, bars and shops.  On Eighth Street the trail passes by the Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts, the most exquisitely restored Atmospheric Theater in the Midwest.  In summer local farmers market their produce and crafts in gracious Fountain Park, one of the original two town squares.  An historic Little Red School House, constructed around 1915, can be seen on Huron Street, one block north of our trail on Michigan between 11^th and 12^th Streets. 

SOUTH LOOP TRAIL  -- 7.5 miles

The South Loop trail begins and ends at the mouth of the Sheboygan River.  Leaving the eco-trail south of the convention center, we pass a neighborhood tied to Sheboygan’s furniture making industry and walk for a mile on a white sand beach (“Sand Dune Walkway”).  We then rise up at High Avenue to the bluff for more sweeping views of Lake Michigan and continue on the trail clockwise through residential neighborhoods whose architecture marks the slow expansion of Sheboygan over the past 150 years.  As we return to the riverfront we see elegant nineteenth century buildings refurbished to their former glory.  At 8^th and High there was a cliff on which a significant Indian battle occurred and, in the late 1890’s, Buffalo Bill hosted several of his “Wild West” night time shows.  Buffalo Bill’s shows were unique in his use of portable electricity generators; many had never seen electricity before.

SOUTH LAKESIDE TRAIL – 3.75 miles

This trail is a shorter version of the South Loop.  After leaving the lakeside, the walker returns to the riverfront and walks over former wetlands (“swamp”) in the vicinity of Indiana and 9^th.  The walker continues through the middle of the old South Side neighborhoods, one of which was a commercial district known as  “Heritage Square”. This section on 12^th Street from Georgia to Broadway was built in 1920 and included a neighborhood shopping area and theater.   The numerous churches seen on this walk are a testament to the ethnic and cultural diversity that Sheboygan has supported from the mid-nineteenth century on.

Let’s Walk!

Walking is good for people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests and it can be done year round.  Consider these benefits of walking:

Alternative Transportation:  Most trips less than one mile are made by driving, but many of these could be made on foot or by bicycle.  It only takes 10 minutes to walk a ½ mile and 3 minutes to bike it at a moderate speed.  Try walking or combining walking with transit next time you need to get to a park, local business, school, or library:  you’ll soon reap the health benefits.  In addition, you’ll save on gas and pollute less. 

Health:     You don’t have to break a sweat to realize multiple health benefits.  Research shows that 30 minutes of physical activity a day, five days a week will result in weight loss, decreased blood sugar, lowered blood pressure, reduced cholesterol, and a decreased risk of certain types of cancer.  Exercise releases “feel good” hormones known as endorphins from the brain. So what’s not to like about the inexpensive, accessible-to-all form of physical activity know as walking?  Start your walking program by walking a block or two, gradually building up to 30 minutes on five days a week.  Speak with your doctor before starting an exercise program.  Enjoy Sheboygan’s historic neighborhoods and waterfronts by foot!

Community Appreciation and Building:  Discover more about your own neighborhood or a neighborhood with which you’re not familiar: each neighborhood, with its commercial district, has its own story.  Explore the natural environments of various parks and river corridors to find which animals and plants call which natural neighborhoods (habitats) home; or just enjoy water in its many forms.  Walking with a friend or group of friends can add another dimension to your walks.

Safety/Health

Pay attention to some of the basics you learned in grade school, and then some:

• Cross at the corner and use crosswalks
• Wear brightly colored clothing, especially at night
• Watch for turning vehicles
• Look left, right, and left again before crossing
• Establish eye contact with drivers and cyclists
• Stay to the right on off-street paths shared with cyclists
• Walk against traffic on roads without sidewalks
• Keep pets on leash and dispose waste properly
• For heart healthy walking, work up to at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days/week
• Warm up 5-10 minutes with slow walking, cool down 5 – 10 with the same

Walking Resources

Maps and Guides

• Urban Rec Trail – Sheboygan Department of City Development: 920.459.3377
• Park trail maps: Maywood: 920.459.3906; Indian Mounds: 920.459.3440

Walking for Health

• Sheboygan City Schools – all levels of Sheboygan City Schools have a physical activity plan for their students; call your local school for more information
• Fitness Trail/Vitae par course  - walk for an aerobic workout and complete the lakefront fitness trail circuit for strength training

Maintaining Sidewalks

• To report needed sidewalk maintenance, call:   920.459.3394
• To report vegetation blocking signs and intersection visibility, call:  920.459.3440

Other Contacts

City of Sheboygan Tourism Division; 920.459.0208

Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce; 712 Riverfront Drive; 920.457.9491

This information was compiled by and done in cooperation with the National Park Service Rivers & Trails Program and the City of Sheboygan.