Newport State Park near Ellison Bay in Door County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
This Forest
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Out of Wilderness Into Wilderness
Photographed by Joel Seewald, October 11, 2025
1. This Forest / Out of Wilderness Into Wilderness Marker
This Forest
A valuable resource, a way of life
Long ago this forest was the workplace. The air rang with the music of the ax and the crosscut saw.
Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum
Maple was shipped by schooner to fuel the kilns of Milwaukee brickyards. The sap provided settlers with syrup.
Balsam Fir
Abies balsamea
These fragrant evergreens were shipped to Milwaukee where the German population guaranteed a market for Christmas trees.
Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis
Tannins in the bark were used in the treatment of leather. Bark was stripped, bailed and sent to tanneries in Milwaukee.
Northern White Cedar
Thuja occidentalis
Cedar is rot resistant. The pier and village were built of cedar logs. Settlers distilled the greens to make furniture oil.
Out of Wilderness Into Wilderness
"There is a certain irony to the fact that Wisconsin's only formally designated Wilderness Park was once a bustling village."
Robin J. Irwin
Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine
Native Americans at Newport
One prehistoric site discovered near Lake Michigan, others suspected.
1679
French Explorer Robert La Salle
this page online
Early 1800s
The rich natural environment drew settlers to Newport. This forest was transformed by the new lumber industry and farmers converting woodland to field.
1879
The Newport pier is built by Hans Johnson. Boats come at regular intervals to load cordwood, which with fishing, is how we make a living.
1908
Sawmill is built by Peter Knudson. The outfit is one of the best in the region.
1919
The forest returns to wilderness under the ownership of German immigrant Ferdinand Hotz.
1946
The land is described as "The most outstanding state park possibility along the Lake Michigan shore."
1964
Newport property is purchased by the Department of Natural Resources and on September 24th, the park is established.
1974
Designated a Wilderness Area, Newport provides exceptional opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation.
Today
Newport State Park conserves 2,400 acres of forest land with eleven miles of natural shoreline to preserve and interpret for this and future generations.
Topics. This historical
Photographed by Joel Seewald, October 11, 2025
2. This Forest / Out of Wilderness Into Wilderness Marker
Location. 45° 14.488′ N, 86° 59.228′ W. Marker is near Ellison Bay, Wisconsin, in Door County. It is in Newport State Park. It can be reached from Newport Park Road 1.6 miles east of County Highway NP. Marker is along Fern Trail, which can be accessed from the farthest parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: 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 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Remnants of Ancient Forests (approx. 0.2 miles away); Welcome to Newport (approx. Ό mile away); Preserving Our Dark Sky Heritage (approx. Ό mile away); Newport Historic Waterfront (approx. Ό mile away); The Village of Newport (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Hotz Estate (approx. 0.7 miles away); Pilot Island Site (approx. 3.4 miles away); Town of Liberty Grove (approx. 3.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ellison Bay.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2025, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 62 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 23, 2025, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
