Door County

This photograph, taken by Harold Hone in the late 1930s, shows the fishing village at Gills Rock. Image from Wisconsin Historical Society (#78114).

Fish Boil Kettle / Door County / Related Stories / 1840-1860 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1860-1880 / 1880-1900 / Nature & Environment / Region 5 - Center East

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

Fish Boil Kettle / Door County / Related Stories / 1860-1880 / Nature & Environment / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / 1920-1940 / 1940-1960 / 1960-1980 / Region 5 - Center East / Transportation & Tourism / 1980-2000

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

Fish Boil Kettle / Ellison Bay / New Object Histories / Object Histories / Food & Cooking / Door County / Region 5 - Center East / Transportation & Tourism / 1960-1980 / 1980-2000 / 2000-2020

OBJECT HISTORY: Fish Boil Kettle

This fish boil kettle from the Wisconsin Historical Museum collection, was donated by the Viking Grill in 2010. The two handled baskets sit inside a cauldron which was originally manufactured as a drum for a washing machine. Door County may be the…

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April 10, 2024

Fish boil meal, courtesy of the White Gull Inn.

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Food & Cooking / Door County / Related Stories / 1880-1900 / Region 5 - Center East / Two-sided Spork

The Fish Boil Tradition

Familiar to many Wisconsinites, the Door County fish boil is more than just a cookout, it is a social experience. It begins when guests arrive early to sit outside around a crackling fire, where they enjoy a drink selected from the beverage…

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May 3, 2021

Courtesy of the White Gull Inn

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Food & Cooking / Fish Creek / Door County / 1960-1980 / Region 5 - Center East / Two-sided Spork

OBJECT HISTORY: Two-sided Spork

 The Door County fish boil is a culinary tradition local to the peninsula that spawned the invention of the two-sided spork. This unique cooking utensil made its first appearance at the White Gull Inn in the 1960s. The White Gull Inn’s history…

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May 3, 2021

Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Clothing & Fashion / Door County / 1900-1920 / Politics, Society & Government / Region 5 - Center East / Potawatomi Beaded 'Soldier Coat'

OBJECT HISTORY: Potawatomi Beaded ‘Soldier Coat’

An elder spokesman for the Potawatomi Indians, Chief Simon Onanguisse Kahquados made a number of trips to Washington, D.C. in the early twentieth century in an effort to regain land that his people had lost through treaties with the United States government in the 1800s. Kahquados wore this coat on his last trip to Washington and also wore it on other important occasions, such as trips to the state capital in Madison where he often spent time researching and presenting information about his ancestry.

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September 10, 2020