Saxon Harbor is located on

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

Oronto Bay Oronto Bay is an arm of Lake Superior between Marble Point in Iron County, Wisconsin and Little Girls Point in Gogebic County, Michigan and includes part of the Bad River Reservation. The Montreal River, which forms the border between the two ...

Iron County, Wisconsin Iron County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 6,137, making it the third-least populous county in Wisconsin. Its county seat is Hurl ...

, United States. The harbor, adjacent to Oronto Creek, is a part of a county park that includes deep sea fishing, camping and a sandy beach stretching for four miles westward. Historically, this was near the beginning of an ancient Native American trade route known as the Flambeau Trail and was the site of a fur trading post operated by

John Jacob Astor John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848) was a German-born American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul, and investor. Astor made his fortune mainly in a fur trade monopoly, by exporting History of opiu ...

American Fur Company The American Fur Company (AFC) was a prominent American company that sold furs, skins, and buffalo robes. It was founded in 1808 by John Jacob Astor, a German Americans, German immigrant to the United States. During its heyday in the early 19th c ...

from 1808 to 1830. In 2006, a $2.17 million expansion to the harbor was completed. Primarily funded by a Section 154 grant set up by

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Dave Obey David Ross Obey ( ; born October 3, 1938) is an American lobbyist and former politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for from 1969 to 2011. The district includes much of the northwestern portion of the sta ...

, the project added a new harbor basin, shoreline protection, new docks and restroom facilities and American Disability Act-complaint sidewalks. On the night of July 11, 2016, a major storm destroyed the harbor. Oronto Creek spilled over its banks, washing down trees and brush; its water flowed into the harbor, washing away boats, vehicles, asphalt, concrete, and trailers at the campground. One fatality occurred at the harbor. It has since been rebuilt.

References

{{coord, 46, 33, 46, N, 90, 26, 04, W, type:waterbody_region:US-WI_source:GNIS, display=title Geography of Iron County, Wisconsin Ports and harbors of Wisconsin