Hey, There’s A Fishing Tug In Here!

Ever wonder how they caught that whitefish you enjoyed at last night’s fish boil? The folks at the Door County Maritime Museum in Gills Rock are eager to share the details.

The quaint fishing village of Gills Rock is a hidden gem located at the very tip of the peninsula near the shores of the infamous Porte des Morts (Death’s Door) passage. Many of the exhibits at the maritime museum’s facility in Gills Rock highlight the area’s commercial fishing tradition. It boasts the wooden fishing tug Hope and a replica net shed complete with fishing boxes, net reel and other traditional fishing supplies. The Hope is conveniently housed in a special gallery in the museum, making it fully accessible no matter the weather. Visitors have a rare opportunity to explore this classic 45-foot wooden Great Lakes fishing tug.

The Hope was built in 1930 right here on the Door Peninsula by Sturgeon Bay Boat Works. She plied the waters of Lake Michigan for more than six decades. Prior to being retired and moved to the museum in 1992, the tug got underway one last time to harvest the bounty of the lake. Visitors can enjoy an intriguing video that captures the tug’s final fishing trip before it was retired and donated to the museum.

It is not all about fishing. A small feature exhibit chronicles the life and times of Great Lakes pirate “Roaring Dan” Seavey. There are countless privateers, lumber thieves, and rum-runners who might fit the definition of “pirate,” but Captain Dan holds the distinction of being the only man known to have been formally charged with piracy on the Great Lakes. Guilty of everything from poaching to operating a floating brothel, Dan Seavey was a scallywag’s scallywag.

This small exhibit explores the many misadventures of Roaring Dan: including the hijacking of the schooner Nellie Johnson in June of 1908 leading to his pursuit and capture by the United States Revenue Cutter Tuscarora.

The exhibit also includes a costume box, so everyone (young and old) can dress in appropriate garb for a photo opportunity of your face “arrested for piracy on the Great Lakes.”

The museum also features a shipwreck and scuba diving exhibit, artifacts brought up from the bottom of Lake Michigan and information on the area’s dangerous passage known as Death’s Door. An interactive game invites visitors to rescue stranded mariners using the historic Lyle gun line-throwing cannon. Visitors can also browse an area devoted to marine engines – including those built at Kahlenberg Brothers of Two Rivers.

The museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm daily until October 19. It is located just off Highway 42 at 12724 W. Wisconsin Bay Rd. Follow Hwy. 42 to the tip of the peninsula. Look for the fish tug Skipper on Hwy. 42 that marks the entrance road to the Gills Rock Museum. Be sure to get out of the car to take a closer look at the Skipper, she is the museum’s largest outdoor exhibit.