Door County Coastal Byway (Wisconsin) Historical Markers
The Door County Coastal Byway is a 66-mile loop on Wisconsin highways 42 and 57 through the bucolic northern part of Door County. Stretching from just north of Sturgeon Bay (where 42 and 57 diverge) to northern tip of the peninsula at Northport, the byway includes scenery of the Niagara Escarpment as well as the Lake Michigan and Green Bay shores. The Door County Coastal Byway was designated a Wisconsin Scenic Byway in 2009, and a National Scenic Byway in 2021.
In 2013, the Byway began erecting kiosks, each with multiple historical markers describing local attractions. As of 2024, there are 11 kiosks, the southernmost being south of Sturgeon Bay (not technically part of the Byway) and the northernmost at the "Devil's Door" where the peninsula ends.
Photo Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society, July 20, 2018
Marker detail: View looking south toward downtown Egg Harbor, 1925
On Horseshoe Bay Road at Egg Harbor Road (State Highway 42), on the right when traveling south on Horseshoe Bay Road.
Blessed with good farmland and a deep water port, Egg Harbor has thrived since its beginning in 1861. In the early years, Egg Harbor served fishermen, farmers, and lumbermen. It was the first community in Door County to hard surface its road. . . . — — Map (db m130495) HM
On Sunnyside Lane (State Highway 42) 0.1 miles north of Porcupine Bay Road, on the left when traveling north.
The land surrounding you was once owned by John Ellison. Johan Eliason, later known as John Ellison, was a Danish immigrant who founded this community in 1865. He purchased 8,000 acres of land including a mile of shoreline, and advertised in . . . — — Map (db m130477) HM
On State Highway 42 near Humbug Road, on the left when traveling north.
This view has inspired people for more than a century.
From this vantage point, you can see Ellison Bay nestled into the wooded bluffs of the Niagara Escarpment, the waters of Green Bay, and Washington Island in the distance. A Door . . . — — Map (db m254230) HM
On Sunnyside Lane (State Highway 42) 0.1 miles north of Porcupine Bay Road, on the left when traveling north.
The limestone bluffs you see along Green Bay are part of the same formation that Niagara Falls plunges over in New York. The Niagara Escarpment arches for a thousand miles around the Great Lakes. Lower layers of soft, erodible shale are . . . — — Map (db m130478) HM
On State Highway 42 0.1 miles south of Humbug Road, on the left when traveling north.
The Door Peninsula is a dynamic landscape formed by
water and limestone.
The Niagara Escarpment, a high limestone ridge along Green Bay, tilts at a 6-degree angle toward Lake Michigan where it disappears under water. This limestone is . . . — — Map (db m254228) HM
On Main Street (Route 42), on the right when traveling north.
Peninsula State Park protects the largest contiguous tract of Niagara Escarpment in Wisconsin.
This limestone ridge was formed by the deposit of ocean animals, plants, and mud on the floor of an ancient sea. Today, rare plants flourish in the . . . — — Map (db m230277) HM
On Main Street (Wisconsin Route 42), on the right.
One hundred years ago, the Fish Creek dock was a bustling portal to a summer vacationland.
Arriving tourists, decked out in elegant clothes, waved cheerfully as steamers delivered them from the summer heat of Chicago and Milwaukee. Many . . . — — Map (db m230274) HM
On State Highway 57 south of Pioneer Road, on the right when traveling south.
Welcome to the
Door County Coastal Byway
Discover the true spirit of Door County.
Travel this scenic byway as it loops 66 miles along the Green Bay bluffs and through the dunes and bays of Lake Michigan. Explore lighthouses, nature . . . — — Map (db m229711) HM
Near North Port des Morts Drive north of State Highway 42, on the right when traveling west.
Porte des Morts, or Death's Door, is the treacherous strait that separates the peninsula from the Grand Traverse Islands. French explorers named it after hearing tales of native warriors who perished in the turbulent waters. The strait . . . — — Map (db m193878) HM
On State Highway 42 at Forest Road, on the right when traveling north on State Highway 42.
Sevastopol orchards thrive in an ideal blend of climate and soils. Lime-rich soils provide essential nutrients for fruit trees. In addition, cool spring temperatures moderated by the waters and ice of Lake Michigan and Green Bay delay blooming. . . . — — Map (db m130498) HM
On State Highway 42 at Forest Road, on the right when traveling north on State Highway 42.
Sevastopol is the heart of Door Peninsula's famous fruit orchards. Swiss immigrant Joseph Zettel planted the first orchard one mile from here in 1862. His State Fair apple exhibit led University of Wisconsin scientists Emmett Golf and Arthur . . . — — Map (db m130496) HM
On Mill Road (State Highway 42) at Bay Shore Drive, on the right when traveling west on Mill Road.
Sister Bay was named For the Sister Islands that Flank its harbor. This pair of small uninhabited islands is a significant nesting site for gulls and terns. The Village of Sister Bay offers the largest public waterfront in Door County for . . . — — Map (db m229455) HM
On Mill Road (State Highway 42) at Mill Road, on the right when traveling west on Mill Road.
Village life has always revolved around this deep water port.
The community of Sister Bay was born in 1870 when the firm of Henderson, Coon & Dimond built a pier, sawmill, grist mill, hotel, and two stores. They hired Swedish woodchoppers . . . — — Map (db m229454) HM
