Seventy miles long, and 18 miles wide at the southern edge, the Door County Peninsula has more miles of coastline, more state parks, and more lighthouses than any other county in the United States. The water of Lake Michigan borders its eastern shore while on the westward side Green Bay separates it from the mainland. Kewaunee County lies to the south. The county emcompasses 477.7 sq. miles with some 250 miles of shoreline.
Washington Island lies off the tip of the peninsula and was once home to the Potawatomi, who moved into the area after most of the Winnebago there died from contact with the French and their diseases. The Potawatomi farmed land near the ancient effigy mounds built by earlier indian tribes. The treacherous currents between the top of the peninsula and Washington Island were described by the French as Porte des Morts, Death’s Door, where many ships have sunk trying to cross the straights, and from which Door County got its name. |
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