Fish Creek, Wisconsin (original) (raw)

Unincorporated community in Wisconsin, United States

Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Unincorporated community
Fish Creek marina from Peninsula State ParkFish Creek marina from Peninsula State Park
Fish Creek is located in WisconsinFish CreekFishCreekLocation within the state of Wisconsin
Coordinates: 45°07′40″N 87°14′49″W / 45.12778°N 87.24694°W / 45.12778; -87.24694
Country United States
State Wisconsin
County Door
Town Gibraltar
Elevation 600 ft (200 m)
Population (2010)
• Total 997
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code 54212[1]
Area code 920
GNIS feature ID 1564983

Fish Creek is an unincorporated community located in Door County, Wisconsin, United States, within the town of Gibraltar.[2] It is located on Highway 42 along Green Bay.[3][4]

Fish Creek sits on the site of a Menominee and Ojibwa village known as Ma-go-she-kah-ning, or "trout fishing".[5] The first settler of Fish Creek was Increase Claflin and his family circa 1844,[6] but the village founder is considered to be entrepreneur Asa Thorp. Loggers and fishermen started settling in Fish Creek in 1853.[7] Thorp owned much of the area's land by that year, and built Fish Creek's first dock in 1855. The first post office began in 1866 in the kitchen of John Brown's home.[8] Fish Creek's oldest unchanged residence, the Alexander Noble House, was built in 1875 and today is on the National Register of Historic Places. By 1900, summer tourists were frequently visiting the village, and Fish Creek became a resort community.

Fish Creek is also adjacent to Peninsula State Park, and its main entrance is in the village. The park has a cream city brick lighthouse built in 1866. Eagle Bluff Lighthouse is fully restored, furnished with fine antiques, as it looked in the 19th century, and is open daily for tours in the summer months. The great advantage of the almost 4,000-acre (16 km2) park is that it is the main view from Fish Creek Harbor. The fact that it will never be developed is a great asset to the community. The view of Weborg Point is spectacular, with the huge Gibraltar Bluff looming behind the village. The Department of Natural Resources has also worked to encourage a return of eagles, which were once almost extinct; Eagle Bluff is now the home to a number of nesting pairs.

With a fairly large art community, Fish Creek has always attracted artists and craftspeople. It is home to one of the last remaining clockmakers in the State of Wisconsin. Many studios sell artwork and are open to the public. The village is also home to the Peninsula School of Art, founded by Madeline Tourtelot in 1965. Classes in most of the arts are available in the summer months. Not far from the Art School, the Door County Auditorium hosts performing artists from all over the country. It is accessible to the local high school so that students may take advantage of the stage for their own productions.

Historical landmarks

[edit]

Fish Creek Harbor and Thorp Pond
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D 63 −6 −9 52 −8 −18 49 1 −6 97 9 −1 86 14 4 91 19 9 105 19 14 96 22 17 96 18 13 107 10 5 80 5 2 57 2 −4 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mmSource: [9]
Imperial conversion JFMAMJJASOND 2.5 21 16 2 18 0 1.9 34 21 3.8 48 30 3.4 57 39 3.6 66 48 4.1 66 57 3.8 72 63 3.8 64 55 4.2 50 41 3.1 41 36 2.2 36 25 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Gibraltar Area Schools serves the community. Gibraltar Elementary School[10] and Gibraltar Secondary School[11] are the two schools.[12]

  1. ^ "Fish Creek ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  2. ^ Map of Chambers Island and Fish Creek, Door County Land Use Services Dept, August 16, 2017 (Archived April 9, 2019)
  3. ^ "Fish Creek, Wisconsin". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  4. ^ Hometown Locator
  5. ^ Romance of Wisconsin Place Names by Robert E. Gard and L. G. Sorden, New York: October House, Inc. 1968, page 42
  6. ^ Door County Visitor Bureau.
  7. ^ "Fish Creek » History". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2008.
  8. ^ History of Fish Creek Post Office Related at Dedication by Elinor Maahs, Door County Advocate, Volume 99, Number 55, September 27, 1960, page 2
  9. ^ "NASA EarthData Search". NASA. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  10. ^ Gibraltar Elementary School Archived May 3, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, gibraltar.k12.wi.us
  11. ^ Gibraltar Elementary School Archived May 3, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, gibraltar.k12.wi.us
  12. ^ Gibraltar Area Schools, Gibraltar Area School District, (Archived July 14, 2014)