Just upstream of the tug there appears to be some timber floating in the water. It is known that timber was harvested locally, but, for the most part, the Ahnapee River valley was not known as a prime area for timber, and little is found in contemporary accounts suggesting the kind of log drives which were so much a part of other Wisconsin watersheds.
This closeup of the river mouth area shows some interesting details. Notice, for instance, the elevated platform at the end of Steel Street [Steele Street] which would allow wagons filled with grain to approach the upper story of the warehouses. The bulk containers depicted on the pier, and the lack of anything like a shut, suggests that grain was shipped in bags or barrels, rather than loaded directly into the holds of vessels as it was done at the ports where large quantities were handled. Notice, also, the large wheel-like structure on top of the building in the extreme upper right of this segment. The building was the brewery. The wheel appears to be a windmill which, of course, would create the energy needed to operate the machinery.
Bird's-eye views of towns where common around 1880, and may not be generally thought of as a source of historical information. Comparison of this artist's rendition of Ahnapee with what we know from contemporary written sources, however, would suggest that it is a true depiction of the town in many regards. Of course, the importance of the river mouth and harbor is unmistakeable. The size and type of sailing vessels, being one and two-masted, also reflects both the smallness of the harbor and the limited business being done. At the same time, the presence of private docks upriver from the mouth, indicates that, for a small maritime village, Ahnapee was in its heyday in 1880, when there were several forwarding agents as well as several industries near the river. Even the social structure of the town is reflected when one notices upon close examination, the homes of the more prosperous merchants and professionals along Second and Third Streets near the lakefront. In contrast, the somewhat separate neighborhood on the other side (north side) of the river where houses are clustered around the Roman Catholic church on the hill, shows the separateness of the non-english-speaking immigrant community (mostly Germans). On the west side of town there are some large residential buildings which were probably multifamily dwellings such as were built for laborers by the owners of the local industries.
The steam tug in this detail has sidewheels and is towing a river scow. No doubt, this is the artist's rendition of the tug Betsey, the vessel which was used so long to bring the products of the farm and forest down the Ahnapee river to the town where forwarding agents would buy them and ship them to Milwaukee or Chicago.
