Oshkosh Beer

Brewing, Pouring & Drinking in Oshkosh, Wisconsin | OshkoshBeer.Blogspot.com

A 12-Pack Tour of Taking The Tour

We’ll begin the tour by entering the

Riverside Cemetery
main entrance of Riverside Cemetery
on Algoma Blvd.

The main entrance is found just to the

A visit with 12 of the greats from Oshkosh’s beery past south of the cemetery office and has
stone columns on either side of it.

After entering the cemetery you may

want to park your car. Riverside is
a beautiful cemetery full of familiar
names and interesting markers.
Exploring it on foot is the best way to
make the most of your visit.

You’ll notice that there are street

signs naming the cemetery’s
roadways. We’ll use these street
names along with the numbers that
are attached to trees and signposts
within the cemetery to guide us. If you
get lost refer to the map at the back.

All right, now let’s begin our visit to

the land of Oshkosh’s dead beer
men.

1
The main entrance to Riverside Cemetery deposits you on Laurel Ave.
Follow Laurel west (towards the river) and you’ll soon find yourself at the corner of Laurel and Linden.
Take a left and head south on Linden. Look to your right (west) and you’ll soon see the number 50.
Nearby you’ll find a large marker with the name Schwalm upon it. Here lies the body of Leonhardt Schwalm.

Leonhardt Schwalm
was born in 1827 in Saxony where he was trained in the
art of brewing. After emigrating to America, he formed a
partnership with August Horn and in 1866 began making
beer for Horn & Schwalm’s Brooklyn Brewery on Doty
Street. The Horn and Schwalm families (with their 15
kids) lived above the brewery in a setting that must have resembled a
brewing commune. Leonhardt died several
years before his brewery would grow into
the most successful in Oshkosh, but not
before passing along his brewing skills to
the recipient of our next visit.
2 Now we’ll need to track back (go north) and return to the corner of Laurel and Linden. At the north west
corner of this intersection you’ll again see a large marker with the name Schwalm. Here you’ll find Leonhardt
Schwalm’s pride and joy - his dear son Theodore.

Theodore C. Schwalm
was literally raised in a brewery. And young
Teddy was probably brewing beer before
he reached his teen-age years.

But Theodore didn’t just like to brew our

favorite beverage, he had a powerful thirst
for it as well.

He lived hard and died young due to a liver

that wasn’t his equal. But his reputation
rests on his beer, which was loved by the
people of Oshkosh.

Few men have brewed so much, so well in

so little time.

3 Now follow Laurel Ave. west (towards the river). When you reach Maple Ave. take a right and head north. You’ll
soon find yourself amongst several of the most impressive mausolea within the cemetery including that of former
Oshkosh mayor and U.S. Senator Philetus Sawyer. After you’ve taken a good look at Sawyer’s crypt look to the
other side of the street and you’ll find the somewhat more humble marker of Charles Rahr.

Charles Rahr was born in Prussia in 1836. After

learning how to make beer, he came to America in 1855 and
brewed his way around the Midwest before finally settling
in Oshkosh to start a brewery of his own. In 1865 Charles
and his brother August established the City Brewery at
the foot of what is now Rahr Ave, near the lakefront
where the Rahr family made their fine beer for the next
91 years. Charles Rahr loved to share his beer so
much that he even sold it on Sundays, which used
to be strictly forbidden in Oshkosh. In 1881 the law
caught up with him and Rahr was busted for spreading joy on a
Sunday. The next time you hoist a beer on a Sunday, offer a toast to good-
time Charlie Rahr.

4
Directly across the street from the Rahr graves you’ll see a grassy passage next to a large
tree with the number 31 pinned to it. Follow the passage west towards the river. You’ll soon
reach a paved road. This is Cedar Ave. On the west (river) side of Cedar, between the
posted numbers 49 and 51, you’ll find the eternal resting place of one Gottlieb Ecke.

Gottlieb Ecke is one of the mystery men of Oshkosh brewing. For now, here’s
what we know: Ecke was born in Prussia in 1835 and took over Oshkosh’s Lake Brewery
in the 1860s. It was a small operation employing Ecke and a couple of laborers. Ecke,
his family and his helpers all lived at the brewery, which was located on the shore of Lake
Winnebago in the approximate area of what is now 82 Lake Street. It appears that Ecke was
dedicated to his craft; he kept right on brewing until the time of his death in 1871.
5
Now we need to head due north on Cedar Ave. Keep your eyes
open for the posted 47. Just beyond the 47 post you’ll see
another grassy pathway leading west towards the river. Follow
the pathway for about 75 yards going in the direction of the river
and to your right you’ll meet Gottlieb and Barbara Horn and
their favorite son August.

August Horn is the man who put Oshkosh

beer on the map. He wasn’t a brewer, but he certainly
knew how to sell beer and manage a brewery. Born
in Bavaria in 1835, he was the other half of Horn &
Schwalm’s Brooklyn Brewery. In 1894, Horn became
the first president of the Oshkosh Brewing Company,
after he and Schwalm joined forces with Oshkosh
brewers John Glatz and Lorenz Kuenzl. As president
of the new company, Horn set the course for the
brewery that would grow to be the largest Oshkosh
has ever known. Not only that, he had a magnificent beard. No kidding, the Oshkosh
Daily Northwestern ran a story about the hair on his chin almost 50 years after the man was dead.

6
Perhaps it’s still growing...

After you have said goodbye to August and his folks, walk north a short distance until you reach the paved road. This is
Myrtle Ave. Follow Myrtle east (towards Algoma Blvd.) You’ll be heading back towards Cedar Ave. When you reach Cedar,
take a left and head north. Go right on following Cedar north and after you’ve passed through the intersection of Cedar and
St. John keep your eyes turned to the right (east). In a few steps you’ll be standing over the remains
of Anton Lux, better known to residents of Oshkosh’s east side as Mr. Tony Deluxe.

A former cigar maker, Anton “Tony DeLuxe” Lux opened his

prohibition-era speakeasy in 1928 at the corner of Otter and Bowen. When Prohibition
ended (1933), Anton went legal and his saloon became
an east-side fixture. The iconic tavern is well known to
generations of Oshkosh residents for the huge Chief Oshkosh
Beer logo painted on an outside wall and the “Shot & Beer”
sign hanging above the entrance. Lux retired from the tavern
business shortly before his death, but the bar continued
on under his nom de plume. Unfortunately, Tony’s Deluxe
recently closed its doors after 82 years of serving Oshkosh.

7 We need to double back again. Go south on Cedar until you’ve returned to the corner of Cedar and St. John. Follow St. John
Ave. west towards the river. As you walk down St. John keep an eye to your left (south). The marker we’re looking for faces
the river so you’ll be sneaking up on him. The man we’re looking for is the late, great Herman Steckbauer.

Herman “Sheeny” Steckbauer

ran his prototypical “Bloody Sixth Ward”
tavern and grocery at the corner of
Idaho and Sixth for more than 50 years.
The tavern opened in 1891 and was
a haven to the residence of the Sixth
Ward through good times and bad. In
remembrance of “Sheeny”, Clarence
“Inky” Jungwirth wrote, “Sheeny
Steckbauer was beloved by all in the
neighborhood for his unfailing good
humor and his ability to get along with all
kinds of people... he was a real legend
in the City of Oshkosh.”
8
From Sheeny’s grave you should be able to see the sign for the intersection of St. John and
St. Vincent. It’ll be to your north and west. Go there and follow St. Vincent Ave. north until
you reach Woodbine Ave. Take Woodbine east (towards Algoma Blvd.). In about 50 yards
you’ll notice a tall marker with a large “N” upon it and a larger cross atop it. Here’s rests our
comrade in beer, Joseph J. Nigl.

Joseph J. Nigl was a German-born over achiever.

In addition to being an Alderman and operating a tavern/grocery
store (at the northwest corner of 9th and Ohio), he was the first
president of the Peoples Brewing Company. The brewery began
producing beer in 1913 at what is now 1506-1512 South Main
Street and Nigl remained president of the company until the
time of his unexpected death. Speaking of which, Nigl died in
1921 from asphyxiation after the pot of coffee he had warming
boiled over and doused the flame from his stove causing
the room to fill with deadly gas. We can only speculate, but
perhaps if Prohibition hadn’t been in effect, Nigl wouldn’t have
needed to resort to coffee and met such a sad end.

9
After dabbing your tear-stained cheeks, look due north. See that little 3-way
intersection across the way with the plantings in the middle? Go there and
when you arrive look to your north and east to see the final destination of the
great Lorenz Kuenzl.

Lorenz Kuenzl was born in

Bohemia. He learned how to brew in the
Fatherland before coming to Oshkosh and
building a good little brewery on the east
side of town in the area where Harney
Avenue meets Eveline Street. In 1894 he
joined ranks with Horn & Schwalm and
John Glatz to form the Oshkosh Brewing
Company. Of the three breweries that
merged to form OBC, Kuenzl’s was the
smallest, but his had the finest name
of the bunch. Kuenzl called his beer making operation

10
The Gambrinus Brewery, named in honor of Gambrinus, the God of
Beer. If there’s an afterlife, we know who Kuenzl is pallin’ around with.
Hold on, we’re not going anywhere, yet.
Let’s pay a visit to Kuenzl’s neighbor to the
north; the dean of Oshkosh beer makers,
Master Brewer John Glatz.

John Glatz was an old-school mensch.

Born in Baden, Germany in 1829 he learned
how to brew beer at the age of 14. He came to
America in 1853 and brewed his way around the
country before settling in Oshkosh to establish his
own brewery in 1869. Part of the foundation of
Glatz’s brewery is still intact and can be seen at
Glatz Park in Oshkosh. Glatz considered himself
a superior brewer and he wanted everyone to
know it. According to legend, when Glatz built
his home (still standing at the southwest corner
of Doty and 24th) he collected shards of his
competitor’s smashed beer bottles and plastered
them into the peaks of the house near the roofline. This was his crown made
from the ruins of his rivals. The Bad-Ass from Baden was that kind of guy.
11
Glatz has probably had enough of us, so let’s go back to Woodbine and head east (towards Algoma Blvd.)
As you approach Ash Ave., which runs parallel and very near to Algoma Blvd., look to your left (north) to
find the Beer Maven of Main Street, Charles G. Maulick.

Charles Maulick was the man

who created the Oshkosh institution known
as Oblio’s. But when Maulick was running the
place it was called the Schlitz Beer Hall and it
was one of the few places in Oshkosh to feature
imported - as in Milwaukee - beer. In addition
to being a beer man, Maulick was a sportsman
with a Bunyonesque lust for game. Reports in
the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern from the 1890s
detail a fishing trip by Maulick that netted 191
trout and a rabbit hunting expedition that sent 38
bunnies to their maker. Maulick died in New York,
but chose Oshkosh as his eternal home. Chas. Maulick would be pleased to know that
you can still walk into his bar at 434 N. Main St. and enjoy a cold draught of fresh Schlitz.

12 OK, we’re just about done and our last visit will be with a man who puts us on the path back to the modern
age. Follow Ash Ave. south and as you go look to your right keeping an eye out for the #2 nailed to a large
tree. When you see it, spy the general vicinity for a marker with the name Stier on it. He’s our man.

Joseph Stier became the Brewmaster for

the Peoples Brewing Company of Oshkosh in 1914
and though he lived, brewed and died long ago, he
was a thoroughly modern brewer. Unlike the Oshkosh
brewers who had preceded him, Stier wasn’t born in
Europe and didn’t learn his craft from the tutelage of an
old-world master. Stier was born in America and was
taught how to brew at school. Prior to assuming the
beer-making duties at Peoples, Stier attended the newly
formed Siebel Institute in Chicago, thereby establishing
something of a tradition that survives unto this day.
For proof of that, go have a beer made by his fellow
Siebel alumni Kevin Bowen, the current Brewmaster at
Fratellos/Fox River Brewing here in Oshkosh.

Thus ends our beer-soaked tour. To get back to the entrance from whence you came, head south on Ash to the main gate.
Now would be a great time to go and enjoy a beer and raise a glass to the Oshkosh beer lovers of yore.
Prosit!
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