Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek in Door County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Late Bloomer

Witch Hazel

Photographed by Sean Flynn, December 31, 2023

1. Late Bloomer Marker

Inscription. In September when other forest trees begin to drop leaves, witch hazel magically springs to life. Bright yellow flowers bloom along bare branches and seed pods develop. When mature, the pods burst open and throw two shiny black seeds several feet.

Menominee Indians boiled leaves then rubbed the liquid on legs of those participating in games of skill. Settlers used forked branches as divining rods, believing witch hazel could locate water and mineral deposits. Today, witch hazel is still used in these ways.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 45° 9.531′ N, 87° 12.078′ W. Marker is in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, in Door County. It is in Peninsula State Park. It can be reached from Shore Road. The marker can be found in Wisconsin's Peninsula State Park on the Sentinel Trail between Shore Road and Highland Road. It is a hike of about one-third of a mile from the Eagle Tower. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fish Creek WI 54212, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and 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 walking distance of this marker: A Worldly Pine (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Cold Cure (about 700

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feet away); Growing a Forest (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rock Pavement (approx. 0.2 miles away); Albert E. Doolittle (approx. ¼ mile away); A State Park System is Formed (approx. ¼ mile away); The Candelabra Tree (approx. ¼ mile away); A Tough Tree (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fish Creek.

Also see . . . American Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana L.). From the U.S. Forest Service

Excerpt: American witchhazel posses some interesting lore and uses. The most interesting use as been the use of forked limbs as dowsing or divining rods. Early European settles observed Native Americans using American witchhazel to find underground sources of water. This activity is probably where the common name witchhazel came from. 'Wicke' is the Middle English for 'lively' and 'wych' is from the Anglo-Saxon word for 'bend.' American witchhazel was probably called a Wicke Hazel by early white settlers because the dowsing end of the forked branch would bend when underground water when detected by the dowser. This practice had a widespread use by American settlers and then
Photographed by Sean Flynn, December 31, 2023

2. Late Bloomer Marker
exported back to Europe. Dowsing became an established feature of well-digging into the 20th century.

(Submitted on January 1, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 1, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 159 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 1, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.