Steamboats, once a popular and affordable means of transportation, huffed and puffed along the Wolf, moving people and goods between Oshkosh, Winneconne and on to Boom Bay. With the flourishing fishing, logging and paper industries, commerce flowed. Then came tourists and sportsmen, as the rural-river wonderful reputation of Winneconne spread.

The Fin ‘n’ Feather you enjoy today was spawned of the passions of those who fished the bridge. It grew at the site of a fish-market shack operated by Theodore Korn. George Korn built what is now the river-front area of the restaurant in 1922, where he offered fishermen food and bait.

With the end of Prohibition, George expanded the building into a two-story structure and, with brother Milton, opened a tavern. Upstairs, they operated a boat-building shop; later, a bowling alley. Bait, fuel, food, drink, family recreation and camaraderie – all within a few feet of the mighty Wolf and its indefatigable fishermen.

In the late 50’s, under the ownership of Art and Edith Drews, the bar/restaurant became the Fin ‘n’ Feather.

The Don Biggar family bought it in 1969 and later remodeled the kitchen, bar and dining room. After a fire on May 6, 1987, the Fin closed for nine months to repair and renovate. Expansion of the back part of the building included a new kitchen, a dining area that accommodates 135, and a banquet hall to host parties of up to 275.

In 1990, the family purchased the riverboat, renaming the restaurant the Fin ‘n’ Feather Showboats.

In March 2002 the bar was remodeled and a semi-private party room was added on. Reflecting the region’s history, the showboats bring their passengers a refreshing taste of the leisurely past and a closer view of the Wolf River, one of Wisconsin’s most magnificent natural resources.

Then, as it is now, it was a place to create and preserve friendships, to ponder the past, and plan for the future.