Washington Island is just a quick 30 minute ferry ride from the tip of the Door County Peninsula, but you have to cross Death’s Door to get there. The story I heard was that Potawatomie and Winnebago (now referred to as Ho-Chunk) Indians occupied opposite sides of the passage. One day they both sent war parties in boats to attack the other side but a storm came up and killed all of the warriors who set out that day. When they later recalled this story to French trappers, the passage was named Porte des Mortes or Door of Death. This is where Door County gets its name.
I had a wonderful visit to Washington Island and crossed Death’s Door twice without incident. The island is a pretty good sized rock and traces much of its European heritage back to Scandinavia. I read that Washington Island has the highest concentration of Icelandic-Americans in the country. I learned about some of the island’s cultural history at the Jacobson Museum and some of its fishing and boating history at the Maritime Museum. At Nelson’s Hall the bartender told me that the proprietor got his pharmacy license during Prohibition and served up straight 90-Proof Angostura Bitters to his patrons as “stomach medicine”. Now you too can join the “Bitters Club” by doing a full shot of it yourself (which obviously I did). Nelson’s is the top seller of Angostura Bitters in the country. Next door at K.K. Fiske’s you can enjoy a fresh grilled “Lawyer” or Burbot fish, although sadly they didn’t have any there for me during my visit. The Stavkirke is a beautiful recreation of a traditional Norwegian Stave Church and is really quite breathtaking to see and definitely one of the top highlights on the island. There are other cool Scandinavian buildings around as well and many people proclaim their heritage with that country’s flag on their mailbox. I spent a lot of time at Schoolhouse Beach which is a beautiful protected harbor on the north side of the island which boasts a beach made up of perfectly smooth stones. If you’ve followed me long enough, you know I have a special place in my heart for islands and will explore them whenever the opportunity presents itself. I really enjoyed Washington Island, especially since I could bring my van out there with me. I only wish it had been sunnier while I was there so you could really see how beautiful it was, but the weather is what it is when I am where I am, and it was pretty cloudy during my stay on the island. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Washington Island because I had to cross Death’s Door to get them.
Photobombed at Schoolhouse Beach