Guide to Significant Wildlife Habitat - Door County Web Map
Guide to Significant Wildlife Habitat - Door County Web Map
Guide to Significant Wildlife Habitat - Door County Web Map
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Inven<strong>to</strong>ries of plants and animals conducted among these island communities at various times<br />
have documented 64 rare species of animals, invertebrates and plants, including 18 natural community<br />
types. See Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inven<strong>to</strong>ry listing, Appendix “B” and natural community cross<br />
reference, Appendix “A”.<br />
NOTEWORTHY CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL FEATURES:<br />
The State His<strong>to</strong>rical Society of Wisconsin has identified several his<strong>to</strong>ric sites on or near the<br />
islands, which are noted in the National Register of His<strong>to</strong>ric Places. The Chester H. Thordarson Estate<br />
dates from 1910-1935 and was placed in the register in 1985. Along the southwest tip of the island<br />
Thordarson built a Viking meeting hall that was considered his great achievement. He was said <strong>to</strong> be an<br />
excellent botanist, however Anna Threlfall and Ted Cochrane did not take the first known plant<br />
collections until 1971 and 1972 respectively, mainly because Thordarson did not like guests on the island<br />
(Judziewicz and Kopitzke 1999).<br />
There are several other areas of his<strong>to</strong>ric interest found in the National Register. The Louisiana<br />
Steamer shipwreck in the Town of Washing<strong>to</strong>n was deemed a his<strong>to</strong>ric site in 1992 and dates from 1887-<br />
1913. Pilot Island Lighthouse was put in the register in 1983 and dates <strong>to</strong> 1858. Pilot Island NW Site<br />
shipwrecks were put in<strong>to</strong> the register in 1992 and date <strong>to</strong> 1857-1892. Plum Island Range Rear<br />
Lighthouses were deemed his<strong>to</strong>ric sites in 1984 and date <strong>to</strong> 1889 and 1897.<br />
Rock Island His<strong>to</strong>ric District was put in<strong>to</strong> the register in 1972. Rock Island was well known <strong>to</strong><br />
French explorers under the names of Potawa<strong>to</strong>mi Island and Louse Island. It is considered the first place<br />
in Wisconsin visited by white men, when Jean Nicolet passed through the area. in 1634. The first<br />
lighthouse in <strong>Door</strong> <strong>County</strong> was the ‘Pottawa<strong>to</strong>mie Light.’ It was built in 1836 and in use by 1837. The<br />
house built for the lighthouse keeper is also the oldest in the county. The first keeper was David E.<br />
Corbin, a former sergeant in the War of 1812 (Holand 1917).<br />
Pilot Island lighthouse is in the National Register. It was the second lighthouse <strong>to</strong> be built in<br />
<strong>Door</strong> <strong>County</strong>. It is known as the Porte des Morts Station. Because of the importance of this station, there<br />
were three keepers. Depressed by the isolated island, the first assistant keeper committed suicide on June<br />
20 th 1880 (Holand 1917).<br />
Washing<strong>to</strong>n Island at one time belonged <strong>to</strong> Native Americans. Many village sites, cemeteries,<br />
mounds and cornfields are found on the island. The shorelines of Detroit Harbor, Little Lake, and<br />
Jackson Harbor were once Native American village sites. The first permanent European settlement in<br />
<strong>Door</strong> <strong>County</strong> was on Rock Island. Around 1850 many moved from Rock Island <strong>to</strong> Washing<strong>to</strong>n Island. It<br />
later became a pota<strong>to</strong> growing center along with fruits and grains (Holand 1917).<br />
SITE FEATURES<br />
Pilot Island<br />
Pilot Island is a small 3.5 acre island with a somewhat steep rocky shoreline. An old Coast Guard<br />
building and lighthouse are present, and were formerly occupied. Cormorants began nesting on the island<br />
5 years ago, and have managed <strong>to</strong> kill most of the trees, mainly white cedar. The significance of Pilot<br />
Island is that it has no human presence and is an important bird nesting area.<br />
• Pilot Island is owned and managed by the federal government and land use is predominantly as a<br />
natural area.<br />
• Soils are nearly level <strong>to</strong> sloping on old glacial lake beach ridges. Dolos<strong>to</strong>ne bedrock is at a depth of<br />
40 or more inches (USDA SCS 1978).<br />
• The majority of living vegetation is dense shrubs with open grassy and weedy areas near the Coast<br />
Guard building. For the remainder of the island dominant species are white-cedar (Thuja<br />
occidentalis), red-berried elder (Sambucus racemosa), Red raspberry (Rubus idaeus), chokecherry<br />
128<br />
Grand Traverse Islands