Rock Island State Park is a state park of Wisconsin located on Rock Island off the tip of the

Door Peninsula The Door Peninsula is a peninsula in eastern Wisconsin, separating the southern part of the Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay from Lake Michigan. The peninsula includes northern Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, Kewaunee County, northeaster ...

at the eastern edge of Green Bay and

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

History

Rock Island was proposed as a state park in early 1961 by officials of the Town of Washington Island, particularly Jack Hagen the town chairman. There was considerable excitement in the town over the economic benefits of having a state park nearby.Master Plan for Rock Island
submitted by D. J. Mackie, ''Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources'', March 1966, Appendix: Feasibility Report, page 3 (page 45 of the pdf) A feasibility study was made in September 1961 by the Wisconsin Department of Conservation. A group of people including Jack Hagen and other town officials, some county officials, and some state officials along with Lawrence Johnson walked around and flew over the island to consider it.Master Plan for Rock Island
submitted by D. J. Mackie, ''Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources'', March 1966, Appendix: Feasibility Report, page 1 (page 43 of the pdf) The county board approved the acquisition on December 11, 1961. In the spring of 1962, the Department of Conservation negotiated with Dewey Thordarson, who was administering the late

Chester Thordarson Chester Hjortur Thordarson (May 12, 1867 – January 6, 1945) — born Hjörtur Þórðarson — was an Icelandic-American inventor and manufacturer of electrical apparatus who eventually held nearly a hundred technology patents related to t ...

's estate on behalf of himself and other heirs. On July 17, 1962 an agreement was reached. It stipulated that the state Conservation Department would exercise temporary custodial care of the property along with the option to purchase the land for a park in the future. It expired on August 31, 1963 and funds were not available to purchase it. In order to keep the land undeveloped for longer while waiting on the state legislature, a three-year scenic easement was purchased for $5,000 which counted towards the eventual purchase price. While waiting on the state legislature, the Department of Conservation obtained short extensions to the purchase option for the property. After the state legislature voted, the property was purchased in April 1965. Park construction began in May 1965.Master Plan for Rock Island
submitted by D. J. Mackie, ''Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources'', March 1966, Section 1, Historical: pages 2–3 (pages 9–11 of the pdf)

Activities and amenities

Attractions include the stone

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

boathouse A boathouse (or a boat house) is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. describing the facilities These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats ...

and other structures including a historic water tower built by

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

Chester H. Thordarson in what is now known as the

Thordarson Estate Historic District The Thordarson Estate Historic District is located on Rock Island State Park on Rock Island in the town of Washington, Wisconsin. History The district is made up of the estate of Icelandic inventor Chester Thordarson. A number of the buildin ...

, Native American artifacts, as well as

Pottawatomie Light Pottawatomie Lighthouse, also known as the Rock Island Light, is a lighthouse in Rock Island State Park, on Rock Island in Door County, Wisconsin. Lit in 1836, it is the oldest light station in Wisconsin and on Lake Michigan. It was served by c ...

, which is Wisconsin's oldest lighthouse. The island is a destination in the fall for deer hunters and in the winter for snowmobilers from nearby Washington Island. The park has campsites available and is a destination for day trippers.

Transportation

The only public transportation to the island is by the passenger ferry ''Karfi'' from Washington Island. However, there is mooring and dock space for people with their own boats, and during winter the island is accessible via snowmobile and foot traffic. No "wheeled vehicles" (

car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

all-terrain vehicle An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike, or simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is stra ...

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

s) are allowed to be brought onto the

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

by visitors, although park staff use them routinely.

Climate

The climate of Rock Island is moderate with an annual mean temperature of . The average annual number of frost-free days is approximately 145 on nearby Washington Island, where basic climatic data is recorded for the region. Recorded temperatures range from a low of to a high of . The mean annual precipitation is approximately 28 inches, with an average winter snowfall totaling fifty inches. The immensity of the surrounding body of water generally insulates Rock Island and its neighbors from the extremes of summer heat and winter cold that is experienced in the interior parts of the country at this same latitude. Moderating effects of the waters also prolong cold weather in the spring and repress early frosts in the fall. The worst storms to hit Rock Island generally occur in the autumn and are driven by winds from the northwest.

Events

In July 2010, the Midsummer's Music Festival became the first performing organization to present a professional chamber music concert on Rock Island in the Viking boathouse, an event that was repeated in July 2011.

Gallery

References

External links

Rock Island State ParkPark map
(pdf, ''Wisconsin DNR'', archived June 29, 2021)
Hunting and Trapping Map
(pdf, ''Wisconsin DNR'', archived June 24, 2021)
Interactive trail map
(Trail Genius)
Friends of Rock Island State Park
{{authority control 1965 establishments in Wisconsin Icelandic-American culture in Wisconsin Protected areas established in 1965 Protected areas of Door County, Wisconsin State parks of Wisconsin