Death’s Door

Pilot Island

Pilot Island with its lighthouse and living quarters is a dead island. Nothing grows there and no one lives there or is allowed to visit. The light is the light of Porte des Mortes or Death’s Door. It sits in a strait linking Lake Michigan and Green Bay between the northern tip of the DoorContinue reading “Pilot Island”

Jackson Harbor on Washington Island

This is the northern tip of Washington Island, just about as far north as you can go in Door County. This is Jackson Harbor, a scenic area located on the eastern side of Washington Island, Wisconsin. It is known for its picturesque views, proximity to natural areas, and maritime history. The area was once aContinue reading “Jackson Harbor on Washington Island”

Washington Island, Wisconsin’s, adjacent waterway is known as “Death’s Door” because its strong currents, submerged rocks, and treacherous waters have caused numerous shipwrecks and claimed many lives over the centuries. The name is a translation of the French term “Porte des Morts,” meaning “door of the dead,” reflecting the waterway’s deadly reputation for sailors. A Native American legendContinue reading “Death’s Door”

Cormorants at Porte des Morts

“Cormorants at Death’s Door” refers to the abundance of Double-crested Cormorants between Door County and Washington Island, a location named for the dangerous waters around Pilot Island, Wisconsin, and for which the “Death’s Door Tour” is named. The phrase describes the presence of these birds in a place that is both geographically significant and ecologically important,Continue reading “Cormorants at Porte des Morts”

Life Saving Station

This is a Duluth-type life saving station that began operations April 1, 1896, serving the Portes des Morts Passage (more commonly called “Death’s Door”) at the entrance to Green Bay. In 1939 a boathouse was added at the end of a 200 foot pier. In 1990 the U.S. Coast Guard abandoned the station and moved the crewContinue reading “Life Saving Station”