Ahnapee & Dreams of Ore Docks

Had the village fathers of the 1870s gotten their way, perhaps today’s Algoma harbor would sport a piece of history such as the unused ore dock at Marquette, Michigan.  A September 1873 Record ran an ad looking for “men of capital” to establish a blast furnace, a paper and pulp mill, and more.

Ahnapee was a place with a harbor, the finest Lake Michigan harbor between Manitowoc and Baileys Harbor. Many saw it as a point of refuge. As early as 1859, Enterprize* Editor Dexter Garland said Ahnapee was equal to any port on the lake. Even Milwaukee papers lobbied for improvement of Ahnapee’s harbor. Many years later, on September 18, 1898,  Door County Advocate columnist  Doug Larson speculated it was only because of the ship canal that the railroad reached Sturgeon Bay. He felt Algoma (Ahnapee), because of its location on the lake shore and easier access to railroad service, could have been the commercial center of the entire region, and that  Green Bay developed as it did because of the canal.

Until the U.S. Engineers straightened the course of the river to what it is today, the mouth of the Ahnapee – or Wolf River then – was at the foot of Michigan Street.**A sandbar guarded the entrance of the river which lazily meandered downstream before making its "S" curve over that sandbar to flow into Lake Michigan. Boats with shallow drafts could usually make it over the bar, though that sandbar prevented all but the most adventuresome schooner captains from making the river. While the sandbar was a problem, a ridge of seemingly impenetrable  limestone was the  real sticking point.

By the late 1860s townsfolk were well aware  that although the harbor offered protection, it was the river that was the problem. Attendees at a February 5, 1870 harbor meeting felt harbor improvements would make it practical for rafts and other shallow vessels to be floated out to the schooners waiting in the lake, thus enabling cargo to get into the river. Residents wanted a protective pier and moved to secure government appropriations by asking the Legislature to authorize $20,000 in improvement bonds payable in one, two or three years. The $20,000 tax levy was voted in, 262 - 23, at a town meeting in April. When the Ella Doak entered the river in July 1873, townsfolk knew they were right.

But, the obstruction in the river was still there and it was the key.  Rock, about seven hundred feet long and one hundred fifty feet wide, needed to be removed to a depth of eight feet to ensure twelve feet of water at its lowest stage to ensure a sufficient basin. Enormous financial outlays seemed to make the rock removal impracticable, but since Ahnapee's harbor was the most central point for refuge along the shore, something had to be done. The U.S. Engineers felt Ahnapee's outer harbor might be constructed as Chicago's, only smaller. They knew the lake bottom was mostly clay, affording good holding ground, thereby eliminating the need for dredging before putting in cribs. Work went forward. One hundred and forty years later, dredging continues, though not for the same reasons.

Ahnapee’s natural advantages made it a prime manufacturing location, at least according to the Record. The fine harbor offered cheap, available transportation to Chicago, “the greatest market in the West.” The editors felt Upper Michigan iron ore was being shipped to distant cities while Ahnapee was much closer. Ahnapee labor costs were at least 50% less than in Eastern cities and natural resources abounded. Rent and insurance were much lower in Ahnapee, and the Record opined that it would not take long for “the intelligent mind” to realize Ahnapee’s superiority. Ahnapee was about 100 years ahead of its time offering free, desirable lots for manufacturing to “gentlemen of capital.”

Iron ore processing  and manufacturing remained in Chicago, Gary, Cleveland and the rest while citizens dreamed of what such industry could do for the area. Ironically, the only thing Ahnapee/Algoma  got from the iron ore business was the pollution coming north. Jutting out into Lake Michigan as it does, the peninsula with little industry is ripe for attracting pollutants from places such as Chicago and Gary. One hundred forty years later, Algoma is affected by iron ore. Just not the way our ancestors dreamed.

*The Enterprize became the Enterprise in 1865. **Michigan Street runs perpendicular to and east from Church Street one block south of North Water Street.  It was a street with a purpose in Algoma's early days. Finding it today is a  bit of a challenge.

LaSalle Park and the Majestic Bluffs of Clay Banks

When The Abandoned Shore-Lines of Eastern Wisconsin was published in 1907, the 100 foot bluffs of Clay Banks – a Door County township named for those majestic bluffs - were by far the most impressive along Lake Michigan’s western shore.  A little over 20 years later, Governor Walter J. Kohler flew to the area to dedicate Door County’s newest county park. Named for French explorer Robert de LaSalle who is believed to have landed there in 1679, LaSalle Park is tucked into the southeast corner of Clay Banks, between County U and Lake Michigan.

Governor Kohler’s plane landed near the park that 1930 day, a day planned to mark the 250^th anniversary of LaSalle’s landing. He didn't stay long as another speaking engagement forced him to be in and out. Congressman George Schneider and UW Professor Briggs also spoke, while the Carnot Band played throughout the program and all day. Following the speeches Door County Agent Rusy organized games and sporting events for those in attendance and those who were picnicking. Picnickers included the annual University of Wisconsin short course graduates from the 9 counties in Northeast Wisconsin. Door County historian and author Hjlamar Holand, who introduced the governor and the congressman, spoke on the park’s historical significance.

When LaSalle, the second* of Door County’s county parks, was created in 1929, it was a only 6 acres.  The upper part of the park was accessed from Co. Highway U via an entrance made of logs three feet in diameter.  The level terrace 100 feet above the lake along the highway served as a navigational aid long before the county’s first lighthouse.  The lower area was a place that offered camping and sports. Bisecting the two sections, was a forested hillside. At the time of the dedication, an 8’ by 3’ limestone shaft was erected as a monument to LaSalle. Two bronze plaques were inscribed with, “The most illustrious son of Normandy, storm driven and without food, in October 1679, Robert LaSalle with fourteen men, on a voyage to explore the interior of America, landed at this place. Expecting hostile Indians, he erected a barricade, but instead of war, they brought provisions and saved his life. Erected by Door County Historical Society, 1930.”

There were some who doubted the monument’s veracity as information was gleaned from the French explorer’s notes. Holand met the apprehension by saying, “As this peninsula was the scene of some very important events in the great explorer’s first expedition across the continent, which was endowed with historical glamour certain parts of our shores not otherwise famous, we do not want to lose this interesting historical legacy. Miss L. Schultz of the University of Wisconsin has therefore kindly made us a verbatim translation of that part of LaSalle’s official report which deals with his journey along the Wisconsin shore of Lake Michigan in 1670.” LaSalle’s report was written in the third person and Schultz’ translation was believed to be the first ever published.

As the story is told, LaSalle and about 20 men left what is now Washington Island to explore the (now named) Mississippi River to gain a New World foothold for France when a sudden storm forced them to seek shelter at the place that became the park. Uncertainty of hostile Indians prompted the men to climb the bluff and, using the bluff and slopes to their advantage, used logs to create a kind of fort on the south side of the park along a ravine. LaSalle had sent three men to buy provisions from an Indian village about 6 miles north when a band of Indians appeared on the north side of his camp. Besting the Indians didn’t appear to be an issue, if it came to that, but what about the three men? While at Washington Island, the head chief of all the Pottawatomie presented LaSalle’s party with a peace pipe, and it was that recognizable gift that acknowledged the chief's friendship thus ensuring there were no hostilities. Neither would the Indians Indians accept payment for the food they provided.

LaSalle Park began with a mere 6 acres. Volunteers cut down brush and pulled stumps, planted hundreds of new trees and leveled the terrain to provide ball fields and more. When the County Park Commission report was presented the following January, it seemed incredible that in about a year the acreage went from a tangled wilderness to a beautifully improved park. A concrete stairway protected both the environment and the public, and the toilets were an added convenience. The 5,000 who showed up for the dedication on the previous August 10 made up the most successful event the county had ever seen. And, it didn’t cost the county one penny! At the dedication of Kewaunee’s Marquette Monument in 1923, the speakers told not only of Father Marquette saying mass on the spot on All Souls Day, November 1, 1674, but also that “Jean Nicolet first met the natives” there in 1634 and that LaSalle, De Tonti, Hennepin, St. Cosme and others camped there.

Many a Kewaunee County resident has read about the explorers in history books that never mentioned Kewaunee County. As for LaSalle Park, a generation of Algoma High School students in groups such as FFA, FHA, GAA, debate, band and more had year end picnics there, as did Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and 4-H. LaSalle has been the site of countless family reunions. Carefully tucked away in Clay Banks, it isn't widely known and over-run. But, if those bluffs could talk, the stories would be astounding!

Note: Tornado Memorial Park was the Door County’s first county park.

Information comes from The Abandoned Shore-Lines of Eastern Wisconsin, c. 1907, Door County Advocate and Algoma Record Herald.