Rock Island, Wisconsin
 Rock Island
Rock Island
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Green Bay, Wisconsin |
| Coordinates | 45°24′55″N 86°49′15″W / 45.415322°N 86.820831°WCoordinates: 45°24′55″N 86°49′15″W / 45.415322°N 86.820831°W |
| Administration | |
Rock Island is a wooded island off the tip of Wisconsin's Door Peninsula at the mouth of Green Bay, in Door County, Wisconsin. The 974.87-acre (394.5 ha) (approximately 1.6 miles long and 1.1 miles wide) uninhabited island is almost entirely owned by the Wisconsin DNR, which maintains Rock Island State Park. It is the northernmost part of the town of Washington.
Rock Island was originally settled by Native Americans. European explorers and missionaries used it as one of several stops along the Grand Traverse route between upper Michigan and Wisconsin. The island was home to the first permanent European settlement on the Door peninsula, a small fishing village on the eastern shore. The settlers later relocated to nearby Washington Island, leaving the original village abandoned. On the North shore of the island you can still find the grave markers of some of the original villagers.
The island became a navigational landmark in 1836 following the construction of the Potawatomi Lighthouse on the northern tip.
In 1910 wealthy inventor Chester Thordarson purchased 775 acres (314 ha) of the island. 30 acres (12 ha) on the southwest side of the island were cleared in 1920 and Thordarson began construction of a summer estate. His large boathouse, which is decorated in with characters from the Norse Runic alphabet, is open to the public.
The Wisconsin DNR purchased the island and buildings from Thordarson's heirs in 1965. Today the only other landholder on the island is the US Coast Guard, which maintains an automated navigation light near the old lighthouse.
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