Ellison Bay is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

in northern

Door County, Wisconsin Door County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,066. Its county seat is Sturgeon Bay. It is named after the strait between the Door Peninsula and Washington Island. The dangero ...

, United States, within the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

of Liberty Grove and is located on Highway 42 along the Green Bay. As of the 2020 census, its population is 249. Sur La Baie, one of Wisconsin's largest and most expensive homes, is located nearby.

History

A Native American name for the bay was Joe-Sahbe Bay, after a son of the Potowatomi Chief Neatoshing, who was also known as Mishicott. Joe-Sahbe means "Feather of the rolling cloud". The community was founded in 1872 by John Eliasen, a Danish immigrant.

Lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from fish stocking, stocked bodies of water such as fish pond, ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. ...

were important businesses in the 19th century, replaced by fruit growing in the early 20th century, and today

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

is the main business.

Education

Gibraltar Area Schools Gibraltar Area Schools is a school district headquartered in Fish Creek, an unincorporated area in the town of Gibraltar, Wisconsin. It has two schools: Gibraltar Elementary School (K-6) and Gibraltar Secondary School (7-12). It serves communi ...

serves the community. Gibraltar Elementary School and

Gibraltar Secondary School Gibraltar Secondary School is a public school in the unincorporated community of Fish Creek, Town of Gibraltar, Door County, Wisconsin, United States. It serves grades 6-12 and is a part of the Gibraltar Area Schools. It used to be known as ...

are the two schools.

Demographics

Attractions

Important attractions include

The Clearing Clearing may refer to: Arts and media * ''Clearing'' (Fred Frith album), 2001 * Clearing (Hyd album), 2022 * ''The Clearing'' (film), a 2004 drama film * The Clearing (EP), a 2006 EP by Weatherbox * ''The Clearing'' (Sleep for Sleepers album), ...

, a private center for

adult education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ral ...

that was originally established by

Jens Jensen Jens Jensen may refer to: * Jens Jensen (footballer) (1890–1957), Danish football (soccer) player who played one game for the Denmark national football team * Jens Jensen (landscape architect) (1860–1951), Danish-born landscape architect in Chi ...

, a prominent landscape architect. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. Other attractions include the

Mink River The Mink River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed December 19, 2011 lacustuary, or freshwater estuary, near the northern tip of the Door Peninsula of Wisconsin, in ...

four miles south, Turtle Ridge Gallery, a cooking school, former Church turned Asian art gallery turned coffee shop, and pottery studios. Local restaurants in Ellison Bay are the Viking Grill, home to one of Door County's oldest fish boils, and the Wickman House, a restaurant featuring local produce.

Ellison Bluff

Ellison Bluff County Park includes a scenic hiking trail, a picnic area, and a fenced catwalk. The bluff area has wildflowers and trees. One cedar was found to be over 250 years old. Rough-winged swallows hunt for insects along the bluff. Other birds seen at the park include American redstart, great-crested flycatcher, broad-winged hawk, wood thrush, scarlet tanager, yellow-throated vireo, and pileated woodpecker. 170 acres of the park is protected as the Ellison Bluff State Natural Area.

2006 explosion

On July 10, 2006, an explosion leveled the 136-year-old Pioneer Store, killed two vacationers and injuring 13 others. The blast also burned down one cottage and damaged another. It is believed a propane gas leak caused the explosion, which may have resulted from a contractor damaging unmarked underground propane lines."Explosion Kills Two Guests at the Cedar Grove Resort in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin; Likely Caused by Propane Leak"
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Climate

Gallery

References

Sources

*''Around the Shores of Lake Michigan: A Guide to Historic Sites'' by Margaret Beattie Bogue (1985,

University of Wisconsin Press The University of Wisconsin Press (sometimes abbreviated as UW Press) is a non-profit university press publishing peer-reviewed books and journals. It publishes work by scholars from the global academic community; works of fiction, memoir and ...

)

External links

Video tour of Ellison Bluff County Park
{{authority control Census-designated places in Wisconsin Census-designated places in Door County, Wisconsin