Near Fish Creek in Door County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Life on the Ledge
The Niagara Escarpment
At Peninsula, rocky bluffs ascend over 150 feet. They are part of the Niagara Escarpment, a 650-mile geologic formation. This fossil-rich sedimentary rock began to form 420 million years ago at the outer rim of a shallow sea. Today the escarpment is the "backbone" of Peninsula State Park. This varied terrain provides critical habitat for 500-year-old cedar trees, delicate ferns, and rare land snails.
Peninsula also harbors eight miles of shoreline. Wave-splashed and ice-pushed, it is ever changing. Walk the coast to see windrows of rounded cobbles. Watch for boulders strewn near the water's edge. Brachiopod and coral fossils, evidence of ancient Silurian Sea, may be embedded in the rock.
Look along the rocky shore for brachiopod fossils. These two-shelled ocean animals lived here millions of years ago.
Cedar trees are cliff survivors. They sink their roots into rock cervices that catch bits of soil and moisture, then are helped along by rock-bound algae and fungi. At least a few of Peninsula's ledge-loving cedars are over 500 years old.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features.
Location. 45° 9.757′ N, 87° 11.893′ W. Marker is near Fish Creek, Wisconsin, in Door County. Marker is on Shore Road west of Eagle Terrace, on the left when traveling west. Marker is in the Eagle Tower and Sentinel Trail parking area in Peninsula State Park. Fee area; a vehicle admission sticker is required. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9462 Shore Road, Fish Creek WI 54212, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Tough Tree (a few steps from this marker); Shipwrecked! (within shouting distance of this marker); Looking Back (within shouting distance of this marker); Shaped by Water (within shouting distance of this marker); A State Park System is Formed (approx. 0.2 miles away); Albert E. Doolittle (approx. 0.2 miles away); A Road Less Traveled (approx. ¼ mile away); Late Bloomer (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fish Creek.
More about this marker. captions:
• Brachiopod Fossil
• Eagle Cave
• Generalized Location of Niagara Escarpment in North America
• Eagle Bluff in winter
Also see . . .
1. The Niagara Escarpment: Wisconsin's eighth natural wonder. (Submitted on November 29, 2014.)
2. Door County and the Niagara Escarpment. (Submitted on November 29, 2014.)
3. Niagara Escarpment. Wikipedia entry. (Submitted on November 29, 2014.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 29, 2014, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 392 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on November 29, 2014, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.