Potawatomi State Park

History

The federal government began a quarry operation at what is now Potawatomi State Park in 1834. Following the treaty the lands surrounding what is now the park were opened to settlement, which meant that the more decentralized Potawatomi in the area were divested of their land without compensation.

In 1837 the federal government enacted a 1,000 acre federal reservation on the site. This legal designation prevented the area from being sold to settlers or absentee landowners. Instead it was reserved for federal ownership and came to be called "Government Bluff". The rationale for not selling the land was twofold. The area was considered strategically valuable for military purposes because it had a commanding view of Sturgeon Bay and Green Bay. In addition the land was valuable because high quality dolomite could be quarried from the area.

The nature and scenic resources of Government Bluff were apparently coveted by the local inhabitants. Historical accounts give the distinct impression that the reservation's inaccessibility to the public was an unpopular restriction. Quarry operation never grew to the extent of several other local quarries, but the property remained in federal ownership until 1928.

Potawatomi State Park was created in 1928 by the Wisconsin state legislature after the purchase of 1,046.10 acres from the federal government. During the ten succeeding years after the property was purchase, facilities for camping, picnicking, and hiking were developed.

In the 1950s, other improvements to the park were made, including new toilets, park service building, and a new picnic shelter. A new park office building was built in 1983–1984.

An interesting facet to the history of the park was the development of a winter sports recreation area. The facilities were developed in 1941 in cooperation with a group of winter sports enthusiasts known as the Sturgeon Bay Winter Sports Club. Downhill skiing, tobogganing, and ski-jumping were popular activities. Tows for skiers and tobogganers were provided as were rental equipment, food, and beverages.

The area was operated by different groups with various names over the years. The area at one time exclusively a downhill ski hill with two main ski runs and a recently installed chairlift. A non-profit corporation, the Potawatomi Ski Club, leased the ski area from the state and operated it for public recreation.

The ski hill closed following the 1997–1998 season due to an insufficient number of volunteers, club members being made personally responsible for maintenance expenditures, and a string of mild winters.

Activities and amenities

• Trails: The park has several hiking trails and is the eastern terminus of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Park trails are used for hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.
• Green Bay: The park has two miles of water frontage on Green Bay which provides opportunities for boating, canoeing, and fishing.

Climate

Gallery

|Image:SturgeonBayNorthwestPotawatomiStatePark.jpg|Looking northwest from beach at Sturgeon Bay |Image:SturgeonBaySoutheastPotawatomiStatePark.jpg|Looking southeast from beach at the city of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin |File:View of Sturgeon Bay along the Tower Trail..jpg|View from Tower Trail |File:Gfp-Wisconsin-lonely-fishing-shack.jpg|Ice fishing shack |File:Something out of nothing 2.jpg|Eastern white cedars, Thuja occidentalis |File:Wisconsin's potawatomi state park.jpg|Shore |File:Gfp-wisconsin-potawatomi-state-park-park-road.jpg|Road |File:Gfp-wisconsin-potawatomi-state-park-forest.jpg|Forest |File:Oak-Fern-&-spider.gif|Harvestman on an oak fern |File:Flying kites at Potawatomi State Park.jpg|Flying kites |File:Biker Potawatomi State Park Wisconsin.jpg|Biker seen from the Old Ski Hill Overlook |File:View in August from Tower in Potawatomi State Park Wisconsin.jpg|View in August from the now-closed tower. Sawyer Harbor is in the foreground, with the western part of Sturgeon Bay in the background. The small island at right is Heaven On Earth Island, formerly Bug Island. The larger island to the left is Idyll Wood Island. Cabot Point is behind the two islands. It is part of the Idlewild area. In the far distance at center-right is the rock cut of the Old Stone Quarry on the northwest shore of Sturgeon Bay, once the largest in the state.

References

References

1. (July 19, 2013). "Potawatomi State Park". Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
2. Two years later, the [[Menominee]] ceded their claim to the Door Peninsula, including the area which became Potawatomi State Park, to the United States in the 1831 [[Treaty of Washington, with Menominee (1831). Treaty of Washington]].[https://data.glifwc.org/ceded/reference.maps/Wisconsin1.Map64.png Ceded territories map], Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission ([[Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission
3. Chapter on [https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/2419668/pdf The Migrations: 1835–1845] in ''Place of refuge for all time'' by James A. Clifton, University of Ottawa Press, 1975, pages 65, 73, and 86–87 (pages 2, 10, and 23–24 of the pdf)
4. [https://embed.widencdn.net/pdf/plus/widnr/vf5cjk33bu/FL_PotawatomiSP_MasterPlan_1987.pdf Potawatomi State Park Master Plan Concept Element] by Dan Rogers, Arnie Lindaue, Terry Lynchwick, Tom Bahti, and Harry Porter, ''Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources'', May 28, 1987, Section II - Support Data, Part A. Background information, Item 4: History of the Property, page 8 (page 17 of the pdf)
5. [https://embed.widencdn.net/pdf/plus/widnr/vf5cjk33bu/FL_PotawatomiSP_MasterPlan_1987.pdf Potawatomi State Park Master Plan Concept Element] by Dan Rogers, Arnie Lindaue, Terry Lynchwick, Tom Bahti, and Harry Porter, ''Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources'', May 28, 1987, Section II - Support Data, Part A. Background information, Item 4: History of the Property, pages 7–8 (pages 16–17 of the pdf)
6. [https://doorcountypulse.com/warm-memories-of-cold-winter-fun/ Door County’s Old Ski Hills: Warm Memories of Cold Winter Fun] by Karen Grota Nordahl, ''Door County Living'' November 15, 2007
7. [https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/potawatomi/recreation/hiking Potawatomi State Park: Hiking], ''Wisconsin DNR''
8. [https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/potawatomi/recreation/biking Potawatomi State Park: Biking], ''Wisconsin DNR''
9. [https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/potawatomi/recreation/winter Potawatomi State Park: Winter recreation], ''Wisconsin DNR''
10. [https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/potawatomi/recreation/water Potawatomi State Park: Water recreation], ''Wisconsin DNR''
11. [https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/potawatomi/recreation/fishing Potawatomi State Park: Fishing], ''Wisconsin DNR''
12. "NASA EarthData Search". NASA.