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

Taking The TourWe’ll begin the tour by entering the main entrance of Riverside Cemetery on Algoma Blvd.

The main entrance is found just to the 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.

A 12-Pack Tour of Riverside Cemetery

Oshkosh Beer

A visit with 12 of the greats from Oshkosh’s beery past

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.

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.

4Gottlieb 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.

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. Perhaps it’s still growing...

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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.

6A 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.

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.”

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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.

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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 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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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