"A Picturesque Town"

From The Golden Northwest by James Maitland, Chicago: The Rollins Publishing Company, 1879.

Menasha is a picturesque town which is situated at the foot of Lake Winnebago, where it finds its outlet through the Fox River. The charming little body of water known as Lake Butte des Morts, just southwest washes the confines of the place. Between the beauties and advantages of these lakes and the river, the visitor has opportunities of the best sort to indulge his taste for fishing, hunting, boating or sailing, to his heart's content. 

The accommodations furnished by the National Hotel are all that could be desired. This house has long enjoyed a well deserved reputation for the excellence of its cuisine, and for the perfect preparations it makes every year for the comfort of summer boarders and tourists. Boats of all kinds, bait, tackle and guides, are furnished at reasonable rates, and vehicles of all kinds are to be found at the stables of the hotel, for the convenience of sportsmen and the many guests who yearly enjoy the beautiful drives of the locality. Menasha is largely patronized by visitors from the western and southern states who find at the National Hotel the comforts of a home, moderate charges and the perfection of attention. The hotel is a handsome three story brick building, situated on the river bank in immediate proximity to the business centre of the city and the various mills and factories. Menasha, Neenah, Appleton, Manitowoc, Two Rivers and other points of which we shall treat are situated on the line of the Wisconsin Central Railroad the claims of which great thoroughfare have already been dwelt upon.

Pictured above, The National Hotel, precursor to the Hotel Menasha