The Village of Newport

The Village of Newport. A vanished community. ,

"There is a certain irony to the fact that Wisconsin's only formally designated Wilderness Park was once a bustling village." , Robert J.W Erwin

, Right here, where you stand, was once a thriving little village called Newport, What brought people here? Why has wilderness now reclaimed this land?, Imagine what pioneer life was like along this rugged Lake Michigan Shore. , , Those who arrived to this densely forested wilderness in the 1880s labored under a most unfortunate misconception…that land that supports trees must be more fertile than grasslands. Instead, they encountered rocky soil and a formidable bedrock.,

“Life here was challenging and hard physical work abounded. The hardy pioneers who settled here existed from day to day. Work was frequently difficult to come by and wages were low. The only means of travel; walking, horse or boat." , Roy Lukes

, The wild lands and waters of Newport once shaped the way of life for all who lived along it shores. And in-turn, those who once lived here forever shaped the landscape you see today., Rocky, shallow soil proves a constant challenge. Hand stacked stone fences and rock foundations remain as cultural artifacts of a time when there was a necessary and intimate relationship with the land., Dense forests: a key resource, and lumbering a way of life. The area is heavily logged, cordwood is shipped to Milwaukee and Chicago and later a sawmill is built to process wood for local farmsteads., Forests are cutover, farms abandoned, land is sold. Virgin forests are cleared with little understanding that other methods could better maintain livelihoods. Without trees lumbering fades. Nature reclaims the land here once more., Settlers were predominantly Scandinavians, Germans and Bohemians who challenged wilderness and built a town., People have been drawn to this region for its beauty and richness of natural resources for centuries., Native Americans lived in this forested wilderness gathering plants for food and fiber, clearing small sections of land for village sites and gardens., European settlement would drastically change the forest forever, , Settlers cleared the forest to start a new life. The land beneath your feet turns to village and farm. But soils are shallow and rock and farming proves difficult., A Biography of This Landscape , A rich environment draws settlers here in the early 19th century. Forest is transformed by the axe and plow.,

"Hans Johnson locating a new village at a point northeast from Ellison Bay, on the lakeshore. , There is a large tract of hard-wood timber in that vicinity which will be valuable as soon as the proposed new pier is ready. , This newly formed settlement has been christened Newport." , , Door County Advocate, 2 June 1881, "There was a pier that stretched some distance out into the lake. Boats would come in at regular intervals from Milwaukee, Racine and Chicago. , Horses would haul the logs, which with fishing, was the main source of living. , , Oscar F. Quarforth, Jr.

, The village of Newport as seen from the tip of the pier. Notice stacks and stacks of logs on the shoreline., Bubbling springs and root cellars provide much needed refrigeration for early settlers., The Newport springhouse was about eight feet square and had a three-foot square box inside where the spring water flowed up and over. It supplied people with drinking water and kept things chilled for them. ,

Peter Knudsen kept the milk from his farming operation in the spring house along the shore. , , Nicoli Nelson, as told to Marie Lang

, Hans Johnson, founder and Mayor of Newport, is so popular among his constituents they call him Governor. His store is the site of dances, parties, and celebrations.,

Our esteemed friend, Governor Hans Johnson, writes to us from Newport instructing that business is booming at this point. , , Door County Advocate, 31 May 1883

, The General Store and Post Office are soon the social center of the community., The original Newport School along Timber Lane, complete with separate doors for boys and girls., In 1904, this class of 75 students at Newport School was taught by 19-year-old John Brann, who already had two years' experience.,

I recall a little yellow school house…three miles to reach, over roads that were muddy at times and slush and blizzards in winter., Children would walk north from the village along Newport Lane to Europe Bay Road then west to Timber Lane. , , Oscar F. Quarforth, Jr.

, Knudsen sees the railroad as a golden opportunity., He enters into contract with a firm from Minneapolis to map and elaborate city that stretches from Europe Bay to Rowleys Bay. 751 lots are platted., In 1914, the railroad falls through, Knudsen vacates his plan, World War I begins, and citizens put their money into war bonds., There will be no railroad, no city. Newport becomes Knudsen's farm., A railroad is proposed from Sturgeon Bay to Newport. Knudsen plans to subdivide his land and village., Newport Village meets its true end. Knudsen's entire property, from Europe Lake to Rowleys Bay, is bought by Hotz.,

"All the land had been logged prior to my fathers ownership. I recall when we walked the property in about 1918 there were still piles of logs along the shoreline., They had been piled there with the intention of loading them onto schooners. Possibly they had an overload and their logs remained." , , Ferdinand Hotz, Jr., "My father came to the United States at the age of 16 from a small town in Germany which no doubt gave rise to his great love of trees and for unspoiled country., This must have attracted him to Door County in 1905 and then ultimately to Europe Lake. To him that was the finest place in the world. , , Ferdinand Hotz, Jr.

, 1930 aerial view of Newport looking northeast , Europe Lake is to the left. Europe Bay and Newport Bay are separated by a narrow peninsula. Nearly all the land south (to the right) of Europe Lake was owned by Hotz at the time of his photograph, and is now Newport State Park., The village is now a private retreat for the Hotz family. Under their stewardship, the land reverts to wilderness., What remains of the Village? Lilacs, apple trees, rock fences, pier footings, a root cellar…, When exploring the park and shoreline, search for remnants of Newport's fascinating past.,

Perhaps these remnants will remind you of the thriving little community that once existed here and the legacy of one family that preserved this landscape for posterity. , , Sue Oshmman, 1976; Landscape Architect, "Newport State Park would never have been possible if it weren't for the land and the value of conserving natural resources embodied by Hotz and his family., "We might all in our own ways, preserve Newport and other natural areas of value wherever we find them. , , William E. Scheckler, MD

, Newport, now classified a Wilderness Area, provides outstanding opportunity for solitude, recreation, and nature study., Out of Wilderness , A Vast Wilderness , The entire Door peninsula is covered in dense forest. Native Americans are the first inhabitants. One prehistoric site is documented within the park., [Timeline:] , 1679 , French Explorers , Robert La Salle sets off from Washington with fourteen men in four canoes. They paddle along the shores of Newport to begin explorations of the lower Mississippi River., 1835 , Land Survey , Field notes and maps drawn prior to European settlement illustrate "A Wilderness: swampy in the southern part, generally level, but soil too poor to rate. Timber: Beech, Sugar, Hemlock, Cedar, Ironwood, and Aspen., 1882 , Village of Newport , Hans Johnson buys 200 acres here along the shore. He builds a pier, establishes a General Store and Post Office. Logging begins. Horses haul logs onto ships from Milwaukee, Racine and Chicago., 1895 , Change of Hands , Hans Johnson sells all his land, the pier and the General Store to his partner, Peter Knudsen. With a population of 300 Newport is at its peak. Mail delivery is semi-weekly., 1908 , Sawmill , As the area grows, lumber is needed locally. Knudsen builds a saw, shingle and lathe mill at Newport. Trees are now cut and hauled to his mill for area farmers to build homesteads. The shipping of lumber slows., 1915 , Dawn of a New Era , Caption: Ferdinand Hotz and Family , A Chicago diamond merchant, Ferdinand Hotz visits Door County on a business trip in 1905. Soon after, he begins to buy property. In 1918 he acquires the former Knudsen land; 1500 acres from Europe Lake to Rowleys Bay., 1920 , Love of the Land , Hotz builds a cottage overlooking Europe Lake. He and his family enjoy the solitude. After his death in 1946, his descendants chose not to develop the land, but to preserve it in its natural state., 1964 , In Conservation , The Department of Natural Resources purchases the Hotz property to establish Europe Bay State Park. It is later renamed Newport. Most structures of the past are torn down or moved., Into Wilderness , Today , Newport State Park encompasses 2,400 acres of forest and 11 miles of lakeshore as a Wilderness Area to be preserved and interpreted for this and future generations., Newport State Park , A return to wilderness , Throughout history, people have had an intimate relationship with, and need for forests and wilderness. , Join us in the preservation of this wilderness area and dark sky experience , Join the Wilderness Society the official friends group of Newport , Together, with park management we work to preserve Newport in its natural state., Let's Be Friends , We encourage and support the study of nature and the preservation of wilderness. , We provide important annual funding for the Park Naturalist and educational programs. , Many of Newport's natural history programs, hikes, trail work and special events would not happen without the support of friends like you., You are in a second growth forest , Wilderness has been restored, Over the past 150 years, most Wisconsin forests, like this one, were cutover and have since regrown. Through succession, trees slowly replaced the grasses and shrubs of the abandoned fields and a new "second growth" or secondary forest began. , To preserve and interpret this large area of natural beauty for this and future generations to enjoy , And to provide recreational opportunities compatible with the preservation of the resource, What does the word Wilderness mean to you? , Today this forest and its shores are cared for and sustainably managed as wilderness for those seeking solitude and primitive recreation. , Newport's night skies are 'remarkably dark' , As an International Dark Sky Park, we value dark skies. Enjoy educational programs in astronomy and on the importance of natural darkness., Study the natural and cultural history of this land with qualified guides , We host events and underwrite interpretive nature hikes, workshops and experiences in geology, the night sky and history., Newport is home to hike-in only primitive campsites. , Pack up your gear and give it a try! Backpack camping in Newport's wilderness is the quiet alternative. Most sites feature Lake Michigan or Europe Lake shorelines., As you wander the beaches and trails of Newport Park, think of those who have passed this way before; Native Americans, fur traders, surveyors, European immigrants, villagers and homesteaders. And since 1964, hundreds of thousands of Park visitors in search of a bit of wilderness. With your help, Newport is destined to stay in its most natural state. Join us. , Out of Wilderness Into Wilderness