Wisconsin 101

Women in Shipbuilding during World War II

Most people recognize the patriotic World War II campaign of “Rosie the Riveter,” which aimed to recruit female workers to patch the gaps in industrial labor left by male military enlistment. Shipyards, specifically, hired women into the war effort at an exponential…

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June 10, 2025

Mercedes Herman's Welding Uniform / Maritime Industry / Industry / Door County / Related Stories / Sturgeon Bay / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / 1945-1965 / Region 5 - Center East

Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Drydock Company

The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal opened in 1881 to provide a sailing route through the Door Peninsula to both shorten the shipping distance between cities on Green Bay and Lake Michigan and to avoid the treacherous waters of the Porte des Mortes…

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June 10, 2025

Mercedes Herman's Welding Uniform / Military History / New Object Histories / Maritime Industry / Industry / Object Histories / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Door County / Sturgeon Bay / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Region 5 - Center East

OBJECT HISTORY: Mercedes Herman’s Welding Uniform

At only sixteen years old, Mercedes Herman stepped forward as one of the first Wisconsin women to join the local manufacturing workforce in Door County during the second World War, operating as a shipyard welder at Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Drydock Company.…

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June 10, 2025

Industry / Door County / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / Region 5 - Center East / Fish Boil Kettle

Early Fishing in Northern Door County: Before the Turn of the 20th Century

The impact of the fishing industry on Door County cannot be understated, as it held the keys for the original formation of the County and many of its cities and villages. Although commercial fishing has waned, the tradition persists in area as…

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April 10, 2024

Broad History / Related Stories / Door County / Nature & Environment / Region 5 - Center East / Transportation & Tourism / Fish Boil Kettle

Tourism in Droves: Door County as a Tourist Destination

In the present day, the Door County tourism industry brings in over $500 million in total economic impact every year, with the summer as peak season. Rising from humble beginnings, and getting some help along the way from innovation, mainly the rise…

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April 10, 2024

Ellison Bay / Object Histories / Food & Cooking / Door County / 1945-1965 / Region 5 - Center East / Transportation & Tourism / Fish Boil Kettle

OBJECT HISTORY: Fish Boil Kettle

Door County may be the only place in the world where you can expect to be fed a meal that was cooked in a washing machine. The area’s earliest history surrounds fishing, and later tourism which, every year, brings in over $500…

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April 10, 2024