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Category: History

Door County is rich in history, from its most prominent founding citizens to the business leaders who embraced tourism to make it the destination it is today. It’s a history of orchards, farming, and fishermen, but also of potters, artists, and writers. But more than anything, it’s a history told in the lives of the remarkable people who’ve called it home for a spell or a lifetime. Door County Pulse tells them all.

  • The Fire That Took Williamsonville

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    The Peshtigo Fire, which proved to be the deadliest fire in United States history, approaches its 145th anniversary this fall. On the night of October 8, 1871, between 1,700 and 2,500 lives were estimated to be lost as a result of the forest fires that took place in and around the Peshtigo area, including regions […]

  • Prohibition in Wisconsin

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    1853 Wisconsin’s first attempt at prohibition occurred when the question of whether the legislature should enact a law prohibiting the sale of liquor in the state was submitted to a vote. It passed by a vote of 27,579 to 24,109. In 1855 the legislature enacted a law prohibiting the sale — but not the manufacturing […]

  • Sixth Annual Cemetery Walk on Sept. 12

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    The sixth annual Cemetery Walk at the Ephraim Moravian Cemetery will take place Sept. 12, rain or shine. Tours are at 1 pm and 2:30 pm. Tickets are required and will be handed out immediately before the tours. Tickets are free, limited to the first 70 people at the 1 pm tour. Sponsored by the […]

  • John Muir Exhibit and Activities at Crossroads

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    The Wisconsin Historical Society is providing a traveling exhibit about environmentalist John Muir’s life and legacy, to 25 local libraries and historical societies around the state in order to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service. The Door County Historical Society and its collaborative partners, Crossroads at Big Creek and Door County Library, have […]

  • Old-Fashioned Sunday Picnic at Heritage Village Sept. 4

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    The Door County Historical Society’s Sunday, September 4th program at the Heritage Village at Big Creek is an old-fashioned Sunday picnic featuring the Cherryland A’s Car Club. The model As will decorate the Village for extended hours from 11 am to 3 pm. Joining the Ford Model As, are an International Harvester Farmall Tractor 350, […]

  • John Muir’s Wisconsin Roots

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    “When I was a boy in Scotland I was fond of everything that was wild, and all my life I’ve been growing fonder and fonder of wild places and wild creatures.” – John Muir, The Story of My Boyhood and Youth The great naturalist John Muir devoted much of his time to the preservation of […]

  • Looking Back in Packers History

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    The 2016 Green Bay Packers regular season will kick off on Sept. 11 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Packers will begin their journey against the Jacksonville Jaguars with hopes of finishing the season in Houston, Texas, the site of Super Bowl LI. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will lead a Packers team that welcomes the return of Jordy […]

  • America’s Best Idea: National Parks Turn 100

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    Ken Burns called it “America’s Best Idea.” Our National Park Service is now 100 years old. For a century it has been providing protection and access to some of America’s finest geological and ecological treasures. These are more than just places to camp and hike. They have a gravitational attraction. Each visit is a voyage […]

  • Crossroads Features Muir Exhibit, Glacier Lecture

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    At Crossroads at Big Creek, one of their main objectives is to get people in touch with nature and to share the concepts of ecology – relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. A helpful librarian (and a review on NPR’s Science Friday program) steered the Crossroads’ naturalist to the book […]

  • PHOTOS: Tornado Devastated Egg Harbor in 1998

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    On Aug. 23, 1998, an F3 tornado ripped a path of destruction south of Egg Harbor up to half a mile wide and five miles long.

  • Fort Frances, Mushroom Hike & More Weekend Plans

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    This weekend, take some time to enjoy art of all types. You’ll be blown away once you encounter the culinary creations, contemporary wearable art and thought-provoking theater available to you this final August weekend. Friday, Aug. 26 Fall Harvest Celebration Get some good gear at the rummage sale, silent auctions and raffles while supporting a […]

  • Door County Historical Society Shares the Story of County’s First African American Citizen

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    The Door County Historical Society’s yesteryear presentations continue as Society member Marlene Allen will share the story of Door County’s first black citizen, Peter Custis. The program will be held on Sunday, August 21 at 2 pm in the Collins Learning Center. “The first black to settle in Door County was Peter Custis, a former slave,” […]

  • 101-Year-Old Mike Candioto Recalls Old Days in Baileys Harbor

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    He wasn’t born in a log cabin, but spent much of his childhood in one. When he was 12, he cruised Baileys Harbor in a 1919 Dodge, with lots of pillows under and behind him so he could look through the steering wheel to see where he was going. (“I’d get two wheels in the […]

  • Jacksonport Historical Society Presents “The Cote Family” at Aug. 24 Meeting

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    Join the Jacksonport Historical Society as Les Kiehnau and Terry Magno present “The Cote Family” on Aug. 24 at 7 pm at the Jacksonport Town Hall, County V, Jacksonport. The Gaspard and Selina Cote family entered the Jacksonport scene in 1899. Initially farming at a site on what is now County A, Gaspard also operated […]

  • Door County Spirit: Camp Meenahga’s 100th Anniversary

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    Door County is a boomerang. I have heard this sentence repeated too many times to count in my 14 years here. People arrive, they stay, they get flung all over the world, but always-always they return. Why? Because there’s something indefinable about the county’s land and water, its inhabitants, and the culture that gets stuck […]

  • Zen of Thieves Releases Lincoln-Inspired Single

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    Frederick “Doc” Heide keeps himself busy. He spends nine months of the year at his self-termed “day job” as a professor at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in San Francisco, a position he has held for 37 years. Additionally, Heide serves as the artistic advisor as well as a playwright […]

  • Gibraltar Historical Association Creates Audio Tour for Fish Creek

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    Walking through Fish Creek, one can see the vestiges of the community’s past: Greek Revival farmhouses, false front stores along Main Street, a tiny log cabin in Founder’s Square. There’s a rich history lying just under the surface – and now that history can be easily accessed by anyone with a cell phone. The Gibraltar […]

  • Historical Society Presents On St. Mary of the Lake

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    The Baileys Harbor Historical Society will present “St. Mary of the Lake – Baileys Harbor’s Catholic Church” on Aug. 17 at 7 pm. Kriss Schorer will share the story of St. Mary of the Lake Church, a Baileys Harbor institution beginning in 1886. The presentation will be held at the Baileys Harbor Town Hall, 2392 […]

  • Food and Fun for All Ages at Jacksonport’s Cherry Fest

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    Come to Lakeside Park, Hwy. 57, in Jacksonport for the 22nd Annual Cherry Fest on Aug. 6, 7 am – 4 pm. The day is packed with fun for the whole family. Savor the great food including fresh cherries, cherry brats and cherry hamburgers as well as an assortment of cherry desserts. Stroll through the […]

  • Marking History: Wisconsin transplant brings state history to the digital age

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    When it came time to distract herself from a bleak future, one Wisconsin transplant decided to turn to the past. In the process, she has brought the state’s rich cultural heritage to the masses through a solo journey that has revealed her own Midwestern roots. California native Melinda Roberts was only in Wisconsin for a […]