Door County, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Door County
U.S. county
Door County Government Center in Sturgeon Bay
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Founded	1851
Named for	Porte des Morts
Seat	Sturgeon Bay
Largest city	Sturgeon Bay
Area
• Total	2,370 sq mi (6,100 km2)
• Land	482 sq mi (1,250 km2)
• Water	1,888 sq mi (4,890 km2)  80%
Population  (2020)
• Total	30,066
• Estimate  (2023)	30,562
• Density	62.4/sq mi (24.1/km2)
Demonym(s)	Door Countyite
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	920
Congressional district	8th
Wisconsin county code 15 FIPS county code 55029

Door County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,066. Its county seat is Sturgeon Bay.

It is named after the strait between the Door Peninsula and Washington Island. This dangerous passage, known as Death's Door, contains shipwrecks and was known to Native Americans and early French explorers. The county was created in 1851 and organized in 1861.

Nicknamed the "Cape Cod of the Midwest," Door County is a popular Upper Midwest vacation destination.

History

Native Americans and French

Porte des Morts legend

Door County's name came from Porte des Morts ("Death's Door"), the passage between the tip of Door Peninsula and Washington Island. The name "Death's Door" came from Native American tales, heard by early French explorers and published in greatly embellished form by Hjalmar Holand, which described a failed raid by the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) tribe to capture Washington Island from the rival Pottawatomi tribe in the early 1600s. It has become associated with shipwrecks within the passage. The earliest known written reference to the legend is from Emmanuel Crespel [fr], who termed the peninsula "Cap a la Mort" in 1728.

Settlement and development

19th–20th century settlement

Graves of Increase Claflin and family

The 19th and 20th centuries saw the immigration and settlement of pioneers, mariners, fishermen, loggers, and farmers. The first white settler was Increase Claflin. In 1834, a federal government-operated quarry operation at the mouth of Sturgeon Bay shipped its first stone blocks; they were used for a harbor breakwater in Michigan City, Indiana. In 1851, Door County was separated from what had been Brown County. In 1853, Moravians founded Ephraim after Nils Otto Tank resisted attempts at land ownership reform at the old religious colony near Green Bay. An African-American community and congregation worshiping at West Harbor on Washington Island was described in 1854. Also in 1854 the first post office in the county opened, on Washington Island. In 1855, four Irishmen were accidentally left behind by their steamboat, leading to the settlement of what is now Forestville. In the 19th century, a fairly large-scale immigration of Belgian Walloons populated a small region in the southern portion of the county, including the area designated as the Namur Historic District. They built small roadside votive chapels, some still in use today, and brought other traditions over from Europe such as the Kermiss harvest festival.

Shortly after the 1831 Treaty of Washington, the federal government surveyed what is now Door County to determine the value of the timber and to divide up parcels for eventual sale. Following the treaty, land in what is now the county was sold or granted to private citizens. Lots from 40 to 320 acres (16 to 129 ha) were sold at 50 cents an acre. From 1841 to 1932, 1,661 land patents were issued to private citizens. Of these, 774 were bounty-land warrants to veterans authorized by the Scrip Warrant Acts of 1842, 1850, 1852, and 1855. The other patents concerned the sale of land: 711 patents were filed under the Land Act of 1820, 139 patents were filed under the Homestead Act of 1862, and 37 patents were filed under the Morrill Act of 1862.

At the time the Homestead Act of 1862 was passed, most of the county's nearly 2,000 farmers were squatters earning most of their revenue from lumber and wood products. The most common product was cordwood; a cord of maple sold for 37 and a half cents. The remaining portion of the population consisted of about 1,000 fishermen and their families. The fishing industry centered on Washington Island, which at 632 persons was the most populated area at the time. Sturgeon Bay had a population of 230 people. Fishermen caught lake trout and whitefish, which were sold for two cents per pound. Out of the total population of 2,948 people, 170 fought in the Civil War. Most enlisted in 1861 or 1862. The entire assessed valuation of the county that year was $395,000, with an average of $8.00 in tax assessed to each family. It was difficult to earn enough money to pay taxes, which were often delinquent. There were 25 school districts, but staffing was a challenge due to delinquent taxes. Highway 42 between Sturgeon Bay and Egg Harbor had 27 chronic mudholes, some more than 3,000 feet (910 m) long and passage by wagons was at times unfeasible.

When the 1871 Peshtigo fire burned the town of Williamsonville, fifty-nine people were killed. The area of this disaster is now Tornado Memorial County Park, named for a fire whirl which occurred there. Altogether, 128 people in the county perished in the Peshtigo fire. Following the fire, some residents decided to use brick instead of wood.

In 1883, Harry Dankoler at the Door County Advocate set a world typesetting record.

In 1885 or 1886, what is now the Coast Guard Station was established at Sturgeon Bay. The small, seasonally open station on Washington Island was established in 1902.

Excursion party on the Sailor Boy; postmarked 1906 in Sturgeon Bay. The Sailor Boy and other small steamboats stopped at Menominee to take on rail passengers. Since rail service was faster, tourists from Chicago would first take a northbound train in order to board steamboats bound for resort communities.

This 1924 postcard produced by Curt Teich & Company reads, "Cedar Glen, one of the many free tourists' camp sites in Peninsula State Park, Door County Wisconsin."

As the period of settlement continued, Native Americans lived in Door County as a minority. The 1890 census reported 22 Indians living in Door County. They were self-supporting, subject to taxation, and did not receive rations. By the 1910 census their numbers had declined to nine.

In 1894 the Ahnapee and Western Railway was extended to Sturgeon Bay, with the first train arriving on August 9. In 1969, a train ran north of Algoma into the county for the last time, although trains continued to operate farther south until 1986.

Early tourism

From 1865 through 1870, three resort hotels were constructed in and near Sturgeon Bay along with another one in Fish Creek. One resort established in 1870 charged $7.50 per week (around $160 in 2021 dollars). Although the price included three daily meals, extra was charged for renting horses, which were also available with buggies and buggy-drivers. Besides staying in hotels, tourists also boarded in private homes. Tourists could visit the northern part of the county by Great Lakes passenger steamer, sometimes as part of a lake cruise featuring music and entertainment. Reaching the peninsula from Chicago took three days. The air surrounding the agricultural communities was relatively free of ragweed pollen because grain crops matured slowly in the cool climate and were harvested late in the year. This prevented late-season ragweed infestations in the stubble, which was especially attractive to those with hay fever in the city.

Even after the Ahnapee and Western extended service to Sturgeon Bay in 1894, many tourists continued taking the railroad to Menominee, Michigan to embark on steamships bound for communities in Door County. This route over Green Bay bypassed poor road conditions in the northern part of the county, which persisted until the early 1920s. Only after crushed stone highways were built did motor and horse-drawn coaches become popular for transportation between Sturgeon Bay and the northern part of the peninsula. By 1909 at least 1,000 tourists visited per year, a figure which grew to about 125,000 in 1920, 1 million in 1969, 1.25 million in 1978, and 1.9 million in 1995. In 1938 Jens Jensen cautioned about negative cultural impacts of tourism. He wrote, "Door County is slowly being ruined by the stupid money crazed fools. This tourist business is destroying the little bit of culture that was."

Orchard boosterism

1914 Sturgeon Bay real estate advertisement

In 1865, the first commercial fruit operation was established when grapes were cultivated on one of the Strawberry Islands. By 1895, a large fruit tree nursery was established and fruit horticulture was aggressively promoted. Not only farmers but even "city-bred" men were urged to consider fruit husbandry as a career. The first of multiple fruit marketing cooperatives began in 1897. In addition to corporate-run orchards, in 1910 the first corporation was established to plant and sell pre-established orchards. Although apple orchards predated cherry orchards, by 1913 it was reported that cherries had outpaced apples.

20th–21st-century events

In the fall of 1901, passenger pigeons were seen in Forestville, "in quite large flocks". This is the last reported sighting in the county. Before the forests were cleared away, myriads of passenger pigeons nested in the woods of the Door Peninsula, and during periods of migration they would frequently and effectually cloud the sun in their flight.

In 1905, the Lilly Amiot was in Ellison Bay with a load of freight, dynamite, and gasoline when it caught fire. After being cut loose, it drifted until exploding; the explosion was heard up to 15 miles away.

In 1912, the barnstormer Lincoln Beachey demonstrated his biplane during the county fair; this is believed to be the first takeoff and landing in the county.

In 1913, The Old Rugged Cross was first sung at the Friends Church in Sturgeon Bay as a duet by two traveling preachers.

In 1919, the first Army-Navy hydrogen balloon race was won by an Army team whose balloon splashed down in the Death's Door passage. Two soldiers endured 10-foot (3 m) waves for an hour before their rescue by a fisherman.

In 1925, a cow in Horseshoe Bay named Aurora Homestead Badger produced 30,000 pounds (14,000 kg) of milk, at the time a world record for dairy cattle.

In June 1938 and again in October 1952, aerial photos were taken of the entire county; in 2011 the 1938 photos were made available online.

On June 14, 1939, Ted Bellak flew his the German-made glider Dove of Peace for 56 miles (90 km) from the newly opened Cherryland Airport to Frankfort, Michigan. He was towed into the air on a 3⁄8-inch-wide (9.5 mm), 200-foot-long (61 m) rope prior to gliding independently. At the time, this was the farthest distance traveled in a glider over a body of water. The trip took one hour and six minutes, with 57 minutes spent over Lake Michigan.

In 1941, the Sturgeon Bay Vocation School opened. It is now the Sturgeon Bay campus of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

In December 1959, the Bridgebuilder X disappeared after leaving a shipyard in Sturgeon Bay where it had been repaired. Its intended destinations were Northport and South Fox Island. Possible factors included lack of ballast and a sudden development of 11-foot (3.4 m) waves. The body of one of the two crew members was found the following summer.

In 2004, the county began a sister cities relationship with Jingdezhen in southeastern China.

To encourage tourism, Ephraim residents passed referendums in 2016 to allow beer and wine to be sold for consumption on premises within the village and to allow beer and single, recorked bottles of opened wine to be sold off-premises. Until then, Ephraim had been the state's last dry municipality.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,370 square miles (6,100 km²), of which 482 square miles (1,250 km²) is land and 1,888 square miles (4,890 km²) (80%) is water. It is the largest county in Wisconsin by total area.

In general the shoreline is characterized by the scarp face on the west side. On the east side peat is followed by dunes and beaches of sand or gravel along the lakeshore. During years with receding lake levels, flora along the shore demonstrates plant succession. The middle of the peninsula is mostly flat with some rolling. There are three distinct aquifers and two types of springs present in the county.

The county covers the majority of the Door Peninsula. With the completion of the Sturgeon Bay Shipping Canal in 1881, the northern half of the peninsula became an artificial island. This canal is believed to have somehow "caused a wonderful increase in the quantity of fish" in nearby waters and also caused a reduction in the sturgeon population in the bay due to changes in the aquatic habitat. The 45th parallel north bisects the "island", and this is commemorated by Meridian County Park.

Features

Escarpment and dolomites

Niagara Escarpment

Dolomite outcroppings of the Niagara Escarpment are visible on both shores of the peninsula, but cliffs along the cuesta ridge are especially prominent on the Green Bay side, including at Bayshore Blufflands. South of Sturgeon Bay the steep side of the escarpment separates into multiple lower ridges without as many larger exposed rock faces. The face of the escarpment varies in appearance. It may consist of a bare rock face of dolomite alone, or as a face with dolomite above and shale underneath. Sometimes the rock layers are covered with glacial till.

Dolomites in the county have been separated by the different patterns marking the rocks. Each pattern is thought to represent a different general marine habitat from their formation. One layer has relatively straight and flat marks in the rocks, and is accompanied by fossils indicating a tidal flat, especially ostracods. The second layer of rocks has ripple marks and wavy patterns. Since the corals and shells in this layer are broken, the layer is inferred to have formed farther down along the reef shelf, where the corals and shells were exposed to the pounding of the waves. The third layer has rocks full of fossil burrows from marine animals. This layer formed in a still-deeper part of the middle reef under mostly calm conditions. Here, calm waters protected an abundant number of burrowing animals. Along with the fossil burrows are corals, brachiopods, and echinoderms. Yet the rocks in the third layer are interspersed with broken and disturbed material, indicating periodic storms. Each of these three layers is divided into smaller and more detailed sublayers.

The bluffs are interrupted by a series of lowlands which stretch along a northwest to southeast direction; Sturgeon Bay and the Portes de Mortes passage are two of these lowlands. Beyond the peninsula's northern tip, the partially submerged ridge forms the Potawatomi Islands, which stretch to the Garden Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The largest of these is Washington Island. The islands form the Town of Washington and also the southern part of Fairbanks Township in Delta County, Michigan. The lakebed along the scarp face on the Green Bay side has a sharp bottom gradient, while in many places the lakebed of the Lake Michigan side has a more gentle bottom gradient.

Areas overlooking the scarp face are attractive locations for houses and communications towers, and the stone of the escarpment is quarried. A former stone quarry five miles northeast of Sturgeon Bay is now a county park. Many caves are found in the escarpment.

Shores

The county has 298 miles (480 km) of shoreline. In 2012, 268 miles (431 km) of the shoreline along Lake Michigan and Green Bay was surveyed and characterized by type. 42.9 miles (69.0 km) of the shore was made of artificial materials, while the remaining 225.1 miles (362.3 km) was natural. Of the natural shorelines, 167.8 miles (270.0 km) consisted of bedrock and boulders, 39.3 miles (63.2 km) was sandy, 17.4 miles (28.0 km) were covered in smaller stones such as shingles, pebbles, and cobbles, and 0.6 miles (0.97 km) was silty or mucky. Out of the total area surveyed, 101.0 miles (162.5 km) consisted of a flat coast, 88.9 miles (143.1 km) consisted of 2-to-10-foot (1 to 3 m) bluffs, 68.8 miles (110.7 km) consisted of 2-to-10-foot (1 to 3 m) dunes, and 9.3 miles (15.0 km) consisted of high bluffs taller than 10 feet (3 m).

High points

View from the top of Old Baldy in August

Eskers are only found in the far southwest corner of the county, but drumlins and small moraines also occur farther up the peninsula. The Door-Leelanau Ridge is an underwater moraine cutting across Lake Michigan between Door and Leelanau counties. A lacustrine terrace is located in Robert LaSalle Park.

The 102-foot-high (31 m) Brussels Hill (44°45′06″N 87°35′27″W / 44.75166°N 87.59093°W / 44.75166; -87.59093 (Brussels Hill), elevation 851 feet [259 m]), a crater-shaped impact structure, is the highest point in the county. The nearby Red Hill Woods is the largest remaining maple–beech forest in the area.

Old Baldy (44°55′13″N 87°12′07″W / 44.920344°N 87.20192°W / 44.920344; -87.20192 (Old Baldy)) is the state's tallest sand dune at 93 feet above the lake level.

Pollution

The combination of shallow soils and fractured bedrock makes well water contamination more likely. At any given time, at least one-third of private wells may contain bacteria.

Mines, prior landfills, and former orchard sites are considered impaired lands and marked on an electronic county map. A different electronic map shows the locations of private wells polluted with lead, arsenic, and other contaminants down to the section level.

Most air pollution reaching the monitor in Newport State Park comes from outside the county. The stability of air over the Lake Michigan shore along with the lake breezes may increase the concentration of ozone along the shoreline. Additionally, pollution modeling predicts the presence of locally generated air pollution associated with vehicular traffic in the city of Sturgeon Bay.

Soils

Generalized soil and physiography maps
Soil map, from 1910	Soils Map, from 1956
	Physiography, drainage, and geology map, from 1978

The most common USDA soil association in the northern two-thirds of the county is the Summerville-Longrie-Omena. These associated soils typically are less than three feet deep. Altogether, thirty-nine percent of the county is mapped as having less than three feet (about a meter) to the dolomite bedrock. Because there is relatively little soil over much of the peninsula and the bedrock is fractured, snowmelt quickly enters the aquifer. This causes seasonal basement flooding in some areas.

Soils in the county are classified as "frigid" because they usually have an average annual temperature of less than 46.4 °F (8.0 °C). The implication of this classification is that county soils are expected to be wetter and have less microbial activity than soils in warmer areas classified as "mesic". County soils are colder than those in inland areas of Wisconsin due to the climate-moderating effects of nearby bodies of water.

Climate

The county has a humid continental climate (classified as Dfb in Köppen) with warm summers and cold snowy winters. Data from the Peninsular Agricultural Research Station north of the city of Sturgeon Bay gives average monthly temperatures ranging from 68.7 °F (20.4 °C) in the summer down to 18.0 °F (−7.8 °C) in the winter. The moderating effects of nearby bodies of water reduce the likelihood of damaging late spring freezes. Late spring freezes are less likely to occur than in nearby areas, and when they do occur, they tend not to be as severe.

Attractions

Road in Shivering Sands wetland complex, January 1

In 1905, Theodore Roosevelt recommended that the Shivering Sands area be protected. Today this area includes Whitefish Dunes, Kellner's Fen, Shivering Sands wetland complex, and Cave Point County Park. Hjalmar Holand, an Ephraim resident, promoted Door County as a tourist destination in the first half of the 20th century. He served on a committee begun in 1927 to protect and promote historical sites, and as a result of this effort the county historical society purchased lands that are now county parks, including Tornado Park, Robert LaSalle Park, Murphy Park, Increase Claflin Park, and the Ridges Sanctuary.

Today, most tourists and summer residents come from the metropolitan areas of Milwaukee, Chicago, Madison, Green Bay, and the Twin Cities, although Illinois residents are the dominant group both in Door County and farther south along the eastern edge of Wisconsin.

Recreational lands

View in August from the Potawatomi State Park Observation Tower. The small island is Heaven On Earth Island, formerly Bug Island. On the left is Cabot Point, part of the Idlewild area, and on the right is the northwest shore of Sturgeon Bay featuring the rock cut of the Old Stone Quarry, once the largest in the state. Green Island appears as a very faint line along the horizon.

Lands open to public use

Door County is home to six state parks. Four are on the peninsula: Newport State Park, northeast of Ellison Bay; Peninsula State Park, east of Fish Creek; Potawatomi State Park, along Sturgeon Bay; and Whitefish Dunes State Park along Lake Michigan. Two are located on islands: Rock Island State Park and Grand Traverse Island State Park. In addition to the nature centers located inside the state parks, there are three others outside the parks. There are four State Wildlife and Fishery Areas and also State Natural Areas that allow free public access. Additionally, Plum Island and the 148.65 acres (60.16 ha) of Detroit Island within the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge are seasonally open for public recreation.

Besides county, town, and community parks, there is a boy scout camp, a Christian camp, and a public site operated by The Archaeological Conservancy. A land trust operates 14 privately owned parks open to the public, and 3,277.3 acres (1,326.3 ha) of privately owned lands are open to the public for hunting, fishing, hiking, sight-seeing and cross-country skiing under the Managed Forest Program.

Beaches

Nicolet Bay at Peninsula State Park, Nicolet Beach in the center. Since this was taken in mid-September, the beach is mostly empty.

Including both the Lake Michigan and Green Bay shores, there are 54 public beaches or boat launches and 39 kayak launch sites, leading to the area's promotion as "the Cape Cod of the Midwest". 35 beaches are routinely monitored for water quality advisories.

Although Door County has fewer sunny days than most counties in Wisconsin and Illinois, it also has less rainfall and lower summer temperatures, making for an optimal beach-going climate.

Waters

Boating

The boat on the left overturned during the 2013 wooden boat competition. The participants are reduced to swimming around the buoy.

In 2012, 8,341 registered boats were kept in the county. Most of the county boating accidents reported in 2012 occurred in Green Bay. A 1989–90 study of recreational boating in Wisconsin found that the county's Green Bay and Lake Michigan waters had a higher frequency of Great Lakes boating than any other county bordering Lake Michigan or Lake Superior. The typical motor used in the county's Green Bay and Lake Michigan waters had a horsepower over 90, while the typical motor used for inland county waters had a horsepower under 50. Overall, boaters perceived county waters as uncrowded and boater satisfaction was average.

An annual race is held for which participants build small plywood boats.

The county's longest river canoe route is on the Ahnapee River from County H south to the county line.

Some itineraries connecting the Great Loop around the eastern U.S. and through the Mississippi include stops in Door County.

A charity holds sailing classes each summer. 1972–1973 surveys of high school juniors and seniors in northeast Wisconsin found that students from Door County were more likely to use sailboats than students from other counties.

Lakes and ponds

Besides Lake Michigan and Green Bay, there are 26 lakes, ponds, or marshes and 37 rivers, creeks, streams, and springs in the county. The two deepest lakes, Mackaysee Lake at 26 feet (8 m) and Krause Lake at 24 feet (7 m) are on Chambers Island. All streams in the county originate within the county; together they have a combined length of 93 miles (150 km), with none more than 15 miles (24 km) long. The five trout streams have a combined length of 14 miles (23 km) suitable for trout fishing.

Wetlands

55,124 acres (22,308 ha) of wetlands cover 18% of the county's land area. 11,400 acres (4,600 ha) of Door Peninsula Coastal Wetlands are listed under the Ramsar Convention as wetlands of international importance. The listing includes three areas previously recognized as "Wetland Gems".

Recognized natural areas

There are 29 state-defined natural areas in the county.

Living plant collections

Living plant collections include the orchid project at The Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor and the U.S. Potato Genebank and a public garden in Sevastopol.

Animals

Vertebrate species lists

From 1971 through 1976, 11 species of small mammals were found at Toft Point, the Newport State Park Mammals Checklist has 34 species, and in 1972 44 mammals were listed for the entire county. In 1976, 8 amphibians and 7 reptiles were listed as occurring on the Grand Traverse Islands within Door County. In 1978, 8 non-rodent mammals and three squirrels were listed as occurring on the Grand Traverse Islands. From 1981 through 1995, 7 species of frogs and toads were recorded in the county. In 1992 six amphibians and eight reptiles were found in and around Potawatomi State Park. In 1981, nine species of reptiles and amphibians were listed for Chambers Island, and in the summer of 2019 six bat species were acoustically detected on the island.

FWS staff banding a cormorant at night in July on Spider Island in the Wisconsin Islands Wilderness. The island is home to a nesting colony. Banding was done at night so the chicks would be sleeping and less aware.

Unique vertebrates

Tamias striatus doorsiensis, a subspecies of eastern chipmunk, is only found in Door, Kewaunee, Northeastern Brown, and possibly Manitowoc counties. In 1999, the Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory listed 24 aquatic and 21 terrestrial animals in Door County as "rare."

Birds

As of 2018^[update], 166 species of birds have been confirmed to live in Door County, excluding birds seen which lack the habitat to nest and must only be passing through. In 2019, 21 bald eagle and three osprey nests were found to be occupied in the county. In 2013 figures, bald eagles occupied 12 nests and ospreys occupied seven nests.

In 2008 during the spring migration, 13 species of raptors, 19 species of landbirds, and 9 species of waterfowl were seen crossing between the Door and Garden peninsulas. Reverse migration is occasionally observed in the county. When birds traveling north reach the tip of the peninsula and the islands beyond, the long stretches of water sometimes unnerves them. Instead of crossing over to the Garden Peninsula, they turn around and fly back down the peninsula.

During the 20th century, thousands of herring gulls were banded on Hat Island to determine their migratory patterns. Banded birds were found as far north as Hudson Bay and as far south as Central America.

Brood parasitism by red-breasted mergansers has been observed on Gravel and Spider islands and on another island known informally as "The Reef". They laid eggs into the nests of mallards, gadwalls, and lesser scaups.

Rare bees

The sweat bee Lasioglossum sagax was collected on Ridges Road in 2006. Aside from a single collection from Manitowoc County in 2005, it had previously been found only in Colorado.

The kleptoparasitic bee Stelis labiata is considered very rare. It was collected at Toft point in 2006. This was only the second time the species had been found in Wisconsin; the earlier collection's county of origin is unknown.

Horseshoe Bay Cave invertebrates

In 2014 an invertebrate survey of Horseshoe Bay Cave found an apparently groundwater-dwelling amphipod of the genus Crangonyx. Groundwater-dwelling Crangonyx species had never been documented in Wisconsin before. A springtail of the genus Pygmarrhopalites (a genus name synonymous with Arrhopalites) was "found on the surface of drip pools." It appeared to be adapted to cave life and the study concluded that it "could represent an undescribed cave species."

Toft Point invertebrates

In 2004, an invertebrate species list for Toft Point was published listing five isopods, four millipedes, six daddy longlegs, and 113 spiders. Of these, two of the millipedes and 14 of the spiders had never been documented in Wisconsin before.

Spiders

The climate may allow for the better survival of the northern black widow spider.

Additionally, the county is home to the fishing spider Dolomedes tenebrosus, which can grow to about three inches (76 mm), half the size of a tarantula.

Other invertebrates

Kangaroo Lake State Natural Area has the largest breeding population of the endangered Hine's Emerald Dragonfly in the world. Motor vehicles kill an estimated 3,300 of them in the county each year. In 2019, it was reported that out of 14 Hine's Emerald Dragonflies taken from nine locations within the county, all had the same haplotype, indicating a lower degree of genetic diversity. The dragonflies had been caught in the 1990s for other research.

The Lake Huron locust lives on dunes in the county and is not found anywhere else in the state.

From 1996 to 2001, researchers identified 69 species of snails in the county, including rare species.

Research on apple maggots infesting cherries in Door County contributed to the study of sympatric speciation in the 1970s.

In the 20th century, seven fish parasites were found in Hibbards Creek and 13 in Sturgeon Bay.

During an experiment an estimated several thousand Mayflies hatched in Sawyer Harbor in 2016. They had previously been extirpated.

From April to September 2016, 43 species of insects were found to pollinate 26 species of plants near the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal.

Bryozoans have been noticed clinging to piers.

By season

Springtime

Sucker run in Fish Creek

Maple syrup production was 983 gallons in 2017 from seven operations. This was similar to figures from 2012, but down from 2007 when 15 operations produced 2,365 gallons.

The sucker run, which was a popular fishing event in the 19th century, occurs in March and April. Suckers may be taken by frame dip nets, and the sucker run is also sought out as viewing opportunity. Another permitted method of fishing for suckers is by speargun. In April 2018, the state speargun record for longnose sucker was taken by out of Door County waters on the Lake Michigan side. It weighed 3 pounds 9.9 ounces (1.64 kg) and was 21.25 inches (540 mm) long. In April 2020, the all-methods state record for longnose sucker was caught out of Shivering Sands Creek. It weighed 3 pounds 9.1 ounces (1.62 kg) and was 22.25 inches (565 mm) long.

Another attraction is mushroom hunting on public land. Additionally, as of 2017^[update] there are two commercial mushroom operations.

Summer

Cherry tree, August

In 2017, there were ten operations growing 14 acres (5.7 ha) of strawberries.

In 2017, there were eight operations harvesting five acres (2.0 ha) of fresh cut herbs, up from four acres (1.6 ha) in 2012. Two of these operations grow lavender on Washington Island.

In Baileys Harbor, religious tourism includes the Blessing of the Fleet.

Door County has a history of strawberry, apple, cherry, and plum growing that dates back to the 19th century. Farmers were encouraged to grow fruit on the basis of the relatively mild climate on the peninsula. This is due to the moderating effects of the lake and bay on nearby land temperatures. U-pick orchards and fruit stands can be found along country roads when in season, and there are two cherry processors.

However, the cherry and apple businesses have declined since peaking in 1941 and 1964 respectively due to concerns about pesticides, lack of migrant labor and a difficulty in finding local help, the closure of processing plants, unpredictable harvests, the introduction of Drosophila suzukii, land-use competition with tourism and residential development, better growing conditions to the east in the fruit belt, such as the nearby Traverse City area, and intentional destruction of a portion of the crop ordered by the processor in order to drive up prices. In 2017, there were only 1,945 acres (787 ha) of tart cherry orchards, down from 2012 when there were 2,429 acres (983 ha).

Lightning bugs become common by the end of June.

Fall

Apple orchard, October

Additionally, there were 400 acres (160 ha) of apple orchards in 2017, down from 468 acres (189 ha) in 2012. In 2017, there were 12 acres (4.9 ha) of pear orchards, spread among 11 operations. In 2017, there was only one acre (0.40 ha) of plum orchards, spread among four operations. In 2007, there were two acres (0.81 ha) of apricot orchards, spread among six operations. Research on the development of cold-hardy peaches has continued since the 1980s. In 2012, there were two acres of peach orchards, spread among seven operations.

In 2017, there were 40 acres (16 ha) of vineyards, down from 78 acres (32 ha) in 2012. The county was recognized as part of a larger federally designated wine grape-growing region in 2012.

In 2021, a county total of 3,940 deer were killed as a total of all deer hunting seasons, up from the total harvest of 4,166 deer in 2020. In 2020, the county had the 6th highest deer density in the state with 56 deer per square mile of habitat.

Another autumn activity is leaf peeping.

Skiing and skating at Sturgeon Bay High School

Winter

Winter attractions include ice fishing, sledding, cross-country skiing, camping, broomball, pond hockey, snowmobiling, watching lake freighters in Sturgeon Bay, and Christmas tree farms. In 2017, 860 Christmas trees were cut, down from 1,929 in 2012. The county has a white Christmas nearly 60% of the time.

Culture

Lighthouses and historical sites

Including both Lake Michigan and Green Bay shorelines, there are 50 total lights and lighthouses, besides lighted buoys. Out of these, there are 10 historically significant lighthouse structures and sets of lights still serving as navigational lights. Most of them were built during the 19th century and are listed in the National Register of Historic Places: Baileys Harbor Range Lights, Cana Island Lighthouse, Chambers Island Lighthouse, Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, Pilot Island Lighthouse, Plum Island Range Lights, Pottawatomie Lighthouse, and Sturgeon Bay Canal Lighthouse. Other functioning historic lighthouses in the county include the Sherwood Point Lighthouse and the Sturgeon Bay Canal North Pierhead Light. The Boyer Bluff Light is mounted on an 80-foot skeletal tower. In addition, the Baileys Harbor Light is a non-functioning 19th century lighthouse.

Thirteen historical sites are marked in the state maritime trail for the area in addition to nine roadside historical markers. In Sturgeon Bay, the tugboat John Purves is operated as a museum ship. Including lighthouses, the county has 72 properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are 214 known confirmed and unconfirmed shipwrecks listed for the county, including the SS Australasia, Christina Nilsson, Fleetwing, SS Frank O'Connor, Grape Shot, Green Bay, Hanover, Iris, SS Joys, SS Lakeland, Meridian, Ocean Wave, and Success. The SS Louisiana sank during the Great Lakes Storm of 1913. Some shipwrecks are used for wreck diving.

Buildings made from cordwood construction survive in the county, especially in the Bailey's Harbor area. Some, such as the Blacksmith Inn, are covered with clapboards on the outside. It has been speculated that the use of stovewood in the county was associated with German immigrants and was also due to the lack of manpower needed to haul heavy logs.

Food

Some foods of Door County

Agritourism and culinary tourism supports food production. Cooking classes are offered to tourists.

Distinctive foods in the area include:

Scandinavian heritage

Chancel and altarpiece inside the stave church on Washington Island

Scandinavian heritage-related attractions include The Clearing Folk School, two stave churches, structures in Rock Island State Park furnished with rune-inscribed furniture, and Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant, which features goats on its grassy roof. In Ephraim, the Village Hall, the Moravian and Lutheran churches, and the Peter Peterson House are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, as is the L. A. Larson & Co. Store building in Sturgeon Bay. Although fish boils have been attributed to Scandinavian tradition, several ethnicities present on the peninsula have traditions of boiling fish. The method common in the county is similar to that of Native Americans.

Industry

In Sturgeon Bay, industrial tourism includes tours of the Bay Shipbuilding Company, CenterPointe Yacht Services and other manufacturers. In particular, Bay Ship owns a blue gantry crane that dominates the skyline. A cheese factory in Clay Banks conducts public tours.

Arts

Tourism supports an arts community, including weavers, painters, decorative artists, blacksmiths, actors, songwriters, musicians, and hymn-singers.

A quilt trail along roadside barns was organized in 2010.

The interesting landscape makes it an attractive target for photography. Several photographs have been used for commemorative stamps. A Town of Sturgeon Bay farm was featured on a stamp commemorating the Wisconsin Sesquicentennial in 2004, and a cherry orchard near Brussels was featured on 2012 Earthscapes series stamp.

Sports

Door County Fairgrounds

Sports tourism includes an underwater hockey team, a motor racetrack in Sturgeon Bay, and a semi-pro football team in Baileys Harbor.

A county-wide men's baseball league has eight teams.

High school sports teams play in the Packerland Conference, except for girls' swimming and golf, which compete in the Bay Conference.

In 2014, Door County ranked 264th out of all 3,141 U.S. counties by number of golf courses and country clubs. The county has nine courses, tying with 42 other counties. Door County had the 87th highest number of courses per resident of all U.S. counties.

Motorcycling

In 2020, 3,545 motorcycles were registered in the county, up from 1,806 in 2008. A motorcycle club hosts a regional burning man event involving a large wooden cow and maintains the adjacent Wisconsin Motorcycle Memorial.

Flying

In 2021, 49 aircraft were registered in the county, up from 46 aircraft in 2019. During the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, a fish boil is held as a $100 hamburger event at the Washington Island Airport to entice AirVenture conventiongoers to land on the island.

Radio stations

Economy

Door County's economy is considered a "forestry-related tourism"-based economy. In 2020, the total gross domestic product (GDP) of the county was $1.39 billion, with the $274 million manufacturing industry overtaking real estate and rental and leasing that year to become the leading industry in the county at 19.7% of the overall GDP.

Transportation

Land

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), in 2021 Door County had 1,270 miles (2,040 km) of roadways. In county figures for 2007 there were 1,455 named roads in the county. In 2013 there were 588 lane miles (946 lane km) of county trunk highways, 1,743 lanemiles (2,805 lanekm) of local roads, and 268 lanemiles (431 lanekm) of state highways. In WisDOT figures for 2018, there were 102 miles (164 km) of state highways, 296 miles (476 km) of county highways, and 872 miles (1,403 km) of local roads.

Altogether, the county's roadways account for 1.10% of Wisconsin's 115,751 miles of public roadway. The county's roadways saw 501 million miles of vehicle travel in 2019, which was 0.43% of the 115.7 billion miles driven statewide that year. The highest volumes of traffic in the county occur on WIS 42/WIS 57 from the junction of the separated highways in Nasewaupee to the bridge over the bay. From 2014 through 2017, fatalities and serious injuries especially occurred on the western side of the peninsula between the bay of Sturgeon Bay and Egg Harbor. From 2018 through 2020, crashes involving injuries or fatalities peaked in the month of July, on Saturdays, and between 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM.

WIS 57 in March (here concurrent with the Door County National Scenic Byway)

WIS 42 near Gills Rock in October

The combined WIS 42/WIS 57 separates again at a junction in Sevastapol. Following this separation, WIS 42 continues along the western side of the peninsula and sees more traffic than WIS 57, which continues along the eastern side. The two highways combine again at a junction in Liberty Grove.

• Wisconsin Highway 42 (WIS 42)
• Wisconsin Highway 57 (WIS 57)
• Door County Coastal Byway (WIS 42 and WIS 57) north of Sturgeon Bay to Northport is classified as a Wisconsin Scenic Byway and National Scenic Byway.

There are five rustic roads in the county. In addition to state-recognized rustic roads, Liberty Grove manages a heritage roads program. As of 2019^[update] there were 12 heritage roads in the town.

There are 230.8 miles (371.4 km) of snowmobile trails, which are opened as trails are groomed.

Non-motorized

• The Ahnapee State Trail connects Sturgeon Bay to Kewaunee, winter snowmobile access is dependent on weather and trail grooming. Although the Ice Age Trail coincides with most of the Ahnapee State Trail, the Ice Age Trail forks away in the City of Sturgeon Bay and reaches its northern terminus at Potawatomi State Park. Mountain bike trails are located in three of the state parks.
• WIS 42 and WIS 57 are part of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour.
• Egg Harbor operates a free public bicycle-sharing system, limited to daylight hours within the village during the tourist season.

Bridges across Sturgeon Bay

• Sturgeon Bay Bridge (also called Michigan Street Bridge), truss structure, Scherzer-type, double-leaf, rolling-lift bascule with overhead counter-weights
• Oregon Street Bridge (reinforced concrete slab, rolling lift bascule girder with mechanical driven center locks)
• Bayview Bridge (monolithic concrete placed on structural deck with steel girder superstructure, open grating on deck, bascule)

Ground transportation

A daily private shuttle service operates between Green Bay–Austin Straubel International Airport and Sturgeon Bay. The nearest intercity bus stop with regular service is in Green Bay. There are multiple private and public ground transportation services within the county, but none with regularly scheduled stops for the general public.

Air

There are eleven airports in the county, including private or semi-public airports.

• Door County Cherryland Airport (KSUE), medium general aviation, public use, three miles (4.8 km) west of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
• Ephraim–Gibraltar Airport (3D2), small general aviation, public use, one mile (1.6 km) southwest of Ephraim, Wisconsin
• Washington Island Airport (2P2), small general aviation, public use
• Crispy Cedars Airport, Brussels (7WI8), private, but open to visitors with advance notice
• Door County Memorial Hospital Heliport, allows for air ambulance service to the hospital from remote areas of the county and for flying patients to Green Bay.
• Chambers Island Airport, private
• Five other small airports

Ferry Robert Noble serving Washington Island and Northport

Water

Ferries

• Washington Island is served by two ferry routes operating between the Door Peninsula and Detroit Harbor. One route is a 30-minute ride on a freight, automobile, and passenger ferry that departs from the Northport Pier at the northern terminus of WIS 42. This ferry makes approximately 225,000 trips per year. Another route is a 20- minute ride on a passenger-only ferry which departs from the unincorporated community of Gills Rock.
• Rock Island State Park is reachable by the passenger ferry Karfi from Washington Island. During winter Rock Island is potentially accessible via snowmobile and foot traffic.
• Although Chambers Island has no regularly scheduled ferry, there are boat operators which transport people to the island on call from Fish Creek.

Boat ramps and marinas

• There are 30 public boat access sites in the county. The Lake Michigan State Water Trail follows most county shorelines.

Communities

Towns in 1915; the borders remain the same today except for annexations by the City of Sturgeon Bay and the four villages.

Incorporated communities

City

• Sturgeon Bay (county seat)

Villages

• Egg Harbor
• Ephraim
• Forestville
• Sister Bay

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Census-designated places

• Baileys Harbor
• Ellison Bay
• Little Sturgeon

Former communities

Absorbed into Sturgeon Bay

• Sawyer
• Stevens Hill

Sites used as parks

• Rock Island (settlement on island), now Rock Island State Park
• Newport (community), now Newport State Park
• Williamsonville, now Tornado Memorial County Park

Adjacent counties

By land

• Kewaunee County - south

In Green Bay

• Brown County - southwest
• Oconto County - west
• Marinette County - northwest
• Menominee County, Michigan - northwest

Along the Rock Island Passage

• Delta County, Michigan - north; Eastern Time Zone

In Lake Michigan

• Leelanau County, Michigan - northeast and east; Eastern Time Zone
• Benzie County, Michigan - southeast; Eastern Time Zone

Notable people

Gallery

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Door para niños