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

The Home of Ole Larsen

The Home of Ole Larson Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, July 27, 2026

1. The Home of Ole Larson Marker

Inscription. The home of Ole Larsen, first farmer in Door County, stood here. In 1850 he came to Eagle Island where he supplied the Buffalo Steamer with wood on its weekly run to Green Bay. Three years later the timber was consumed and he moved his log house to this spot. He fostered the Ephraim colony and was the founder of the large Scandinavian settlement in the northern Door Peninsula. In 1957 the house, oldest in Door County, was removed.

Erected 1958.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.

Location. 45° 9.838′ N, 87° 12.98′ W. Marker is in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, in Door County. It is in Peninsula State Park. It can be reached from Shore Road 2½ miles north of State Highway 42, on the right when traveling north. The marker is in Peninsula State Park, near the group campgrounds. It can be accessed by hikers via the Minehaha Trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fish Creek WI 54212, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

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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 Tree That Heals (approx. 0.4 miles away); Past Life (approx. half a mile away); Northwoods Newcomer (approx. half a mile away); Forest Nursery (approx. 0.6 miles away); Rock Pavement (approx. 0.7 miles away); Albert E. Doolittle (approx. 0.7 miles away); A State Park System is Formed (approx. 0.7 miles away); Triple Trunk (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fish Creek.

More about this marker. Eagle Island is today called Horseshoe Island and is, like this historical marker, part of Peninsula State Park.

Regarding The Home of Ole Larsen. Several other histories of Door County and of Ephraim state that Larsen actually settled Eagle Island (now

The Home of Ole Larsen Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, July 27, 2026

2. The Home of Ole Larsen Marker

Obscured by the trees in the background is Nicolet Bay, which is part of Green Bay. Ephraim on the bay is located about two miles southeast of here, and Eagle Island (now called Horseshoe Island) is a mile north across the bay.

called Horseshoe Island) in 1852. He was among the Norwegian members of the Moravian religious community who established Ephraim about two miles east of here in 1853, five years after Wisconsin was admitted as the 30th U.S. state.

Also see . . .
1. History of Peninsula State Park. From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The park land was acquired by the state in 1909.

Excerpt: "1850s: Ole Larson settles on 'Eagle Island.' Eventually, the Larson family relocates to Nicolet Bay. Peter Weborg and Even Nelson settle with 35 Scandinavian families near Weborg Point."

(Submitted on July 30, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. History of Ephraim. From the village website. (Submitted on July 30, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

3. Ole Larsen on Find a Grave. The listing includes a look at the text of this historical marker.

Excerpt: "This monument was dedicated on July 5, 1959, by the historian Hjalmar Höland and others. Oddly, they seem to have gotten the date of Ole's arrival at Eagle Island wrong. We know for sure that Ole and Rachel were still in Buffalo on May 29,
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 13, 2017

3. Horseshoe Island (previously Eagle Island) in the distance
Ole Larsen settled on Eagle Island (now Horseshoe Island) before building a cabin on the Door County mainland about a mile due south, on land that is now part of Peninsula State Park. This photo, taken from Nicolet Beach, shows Horseshoe Island in the center-distance, with the shoreline of mainland Door County near Ephraim on the far right. The Ole Larsen historical marker is a ½-mile hike from this beach.
1850, when their son William was born there. There is evidence that they spent time in both Milwaukee and Fort Howard (Green Bay) after leaving Buffalo. Höland himself tells a different story in his book 'History of Door County,' page 340, where he states that in the spring of 1852, Ole, along with Even Nelson and Peter Weborg, headed north on Green Bay in a boat to find a good place to start as fishermen. 'At Fish Creek they found Increase Claflin, the only settler in the northern part of the peninsula. He told them that the fishing among the islands near by was excellent. Consequently they settled there, Nelson and Weborg taking claims a short distance north of Claflin, while Larsen went a little farther north and settled on Eagle Island.' Ole's arrival there in 1852, not 1850, seems more likely.

(Submitted on July 30, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 28, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on July 28, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 2. submitted on July 29, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 3. submitted on July 30, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.