Letter to the Editor: Highway Department Uncovers History

A hearty thank you is extended to the County of Door Highway Department and staff for an outstanding job they accomplished during this winter of little snow. I speak of the rediscovery through brushing and roadside trimming in the right of way that again exposed the historic roadside stone fences. So few of them remain. Some, dry-stack construction, others a strategic piling of the rock. 

Years of brush growth hid existing stone fence lines along our Wisconsin and National Scenic Byway corridor between Baileys Harbor and Sister Bay. These fences represent intrinsic values taken into consideration when being vetted, then nominated for state, and subsequently National Scenic Byway status by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and , then the Federal Highway Administration.

Rocks are a fabric of life here. Their uses have spanned generations. We stand in awe of the Niagara Escarpment bluffs. Farmers harvest them yearly off fields prior to planting crops with rock fences historically containing livestock and delineating property lines. Rocks are integral as a part of roadbeds, protecting shoreline, providing a solid foundation to build upon while used in the construction of structures. Rocks are our nature here, providing millions of years of geological history. They are collected; cursed when they won’t budge; recreated on; used to delineate flower gardens; utilized in anchoring items down; give us sweet soil for growing; and provide scenic vistas or platforms for those vistas. They will outlive us all. 

Again, the Door County Coastal Byway Council thanks the hardworking highway crews who saved this integral part of our lives by again uncovering history to share it with those driving the route be it daily or just once. 

Ann Miller

Chair of the Door County Coastal Byway Council 

Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin