“Stories of the Memorial Pole” Kicks off Gibraltar Talks Series

The Gibraltar Historical Association kicks off the Gibraltar Talks Series on May 10 with “Stories from the Memorial Pole.” This program will be held at 7 pm at the old Gibraltar Town Hall at the corner of Spruce and Cedar Street in Fish Creek.

Humans have lived on the Door Peninsula and surrounding islands for over 11,000 years. The earliest known village site was located at Nicolet Bay dating back to 500 BC and villages of Potawatomi occupied Peninsula State Park through the mid-1800s.

In 1925 H. R. Holand, a well-known historian, organized a project to honor the Native Americans who originally settled this area. The project took the shape of a 40-foot Memorial Pole consisting of six hand-carved bands depicting the history of the Native American people. The carvings included Native Americans hunting deer, the coming of the missionaries, the arrival of European settlers, the French and English wars, the fur trade and the Native Americans being driven from their lands by white settlers. This original pole was installed on August 14, 1927 and replaced in 1970.

This program will be presented by the Northern Door Storytellers Guild and is free and open to the public. The Gibraltar Historical Association sponsors the Gibraltar Talks Series.