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 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 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.

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 remaining portion of the population consisted of about 1,000 fishermen and their families. Out of the total population of 2,948 people, 170 fought in the Civil War.

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.

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."

Early tourism

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.

20th–21st-century events

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

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

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. The county has 298 miles (480 km) of shoreline.

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.

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

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.

Lands open to public use

Door County is home to six state parks: Newport State Park, Peninsula State Park, Potawatomi State Park, Whitefish Dunes State Park, Rock Island State Park, and Grand Traverse Island State Park. There are four State Wildlife and Fishery Areas and also State Natural Areas that allow free public access. Additionally, Plum Island and Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge are seasonally open for public recreation.

Waters

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.

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

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.

Other invertebrates

Kangaroo Lake State Natural Area has the largest breeding population of the endangered Hine's Emerald Dragonfly in the world.

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

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.

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.

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.

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
• Ephraim–Gibraltar Airport (3D2), small general aviation, public use
• Washington Island Airport (2P2), small general aviation, public use
• Crispy Cedars Airport, Brussels (7WI8), private
• 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