Ellison Bay in Door County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Clearing

Photographed by Fitzie Heimdahl, November 24, 2020

1. The Clearing Marker

Inscription. The Clearing is a not-for-profit school for adults, offering classes in the arts, humanities and natural sciences. It was founded by Jens Jensen, renowned landscape architect and conservationist. Born in Denmark in 1860, Jensen immigrated to the United States in 1884 and eventually settled in Chicago. He started The Clearing on land he began acquiring in 1919 and modeled it after the Danish folk schools. When Jensen died in 1951, leadership passed to his longtime assistant Mertha Fulkerson. In 1953, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau agreed to sponsor The Clearing. Mertha remained as manager through 1969. Farm Bureau support ended in 1988, and The Clearing board of Directors assumed management.

Erected 2020 by The Clearing Folk School. (Marker Number 590.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Education. In addition, it is included in the Jens Jensen, and the Wisconsin Historical Society series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1860.

Location. 45° 15.713′ N, 87° 4.256′ W. Marker is in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin, in Door County. It is on Garrett Bay Road.

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Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 12171 Garrett Bay Rd, Ellison Bay WI 54210, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Ecological Treasures (approx. 1.2 miles away); This Is Karst Country (approx. 1.2 miles away); A Grand View (approx. 1.2 miles away); Meet Gunnar (approx. 1.2 miles away); Bead Breaker and Tire Changer (approx. 1.2 miles away); Outhouse (approx. 1.2 miles away); Platform Swing (approx. 1.2 miles away); Corn Crib (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ellison Bay.

Photographed by Devon Polzar, August 1, 2021

2. The Clearing Marker

The Clearing School image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devon Polzar, August 1, 2021

3. The Clearing School

Credits. This page was last revised on March 24, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 29, 2020, by Fitzie Heimdahl of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,617 times since then and 114 times this year. Last updated on January 25, 2021, by Fitzie Heimdahl of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Photos: 1. submitted on December 29, 2020, by Fitzie Heimdahl of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. 2, 3. submitted on March 24, 2022, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.