Ellison Bay Service Club, Ellison Bay, Door County, Wisconsin

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Where the Past and Present Meet

John Eliason is Ellison Bay's founding father, a well known pioneer and entrepreneur, as many of the early residents of Ellison Bay, Gills Rock and Rawleys Bay were. Most of the immigrants to this area were from northern Europe especially the Scandinavian countries, Germany and Poland. Searching for their own piece of land and the chance to make good, these men and women braved intense winters, short and steamy summers and isolation. Their Christian faith and strong family bonds held these farmers, fishermen and jacks of all trades together. The land was rich in lumber and fish and many fortunes were made and lost on these lands. Many locals and residents of the northern part of the Door County will be featured here on a rotating basis. If you have a Door County family story, put pen to paper and let us have it!

THE STORIES OF ELLISON BAY

By Phil Hansotia

Marilyn and I moved to Ellison Bay from Marshfield, almost exactly a year ago(May 17th 2004). After living in this lovely town and friendly community for almost a year we became interested in the town’s history and the people who contributed to it. We were soon directed to our present postmistress Gloria Johnson who is very knowledgeable in this matter. She graciously lent us some books that she owned, to learn about developments. What follows is abstracted from one of these books(A Century In God’s Country---Welcome to Ellison Bay. 1866-1966. By Grace Grasse and Lorraine Varnell), and gleaned from conversations with some of our neighbors in Ellison Bay.

Mr. Johan Brandt Elliason was born in September 1823 in a village near Copenhagen, Denmark. We do not have much information on his youth or when exactly he left Denmark, and when or how he arrived in Door County. We do know that he came to Ephraim in 1858, at which time he also received his citizenship papers. As so often happened with many Europeans who settled in this country, his name was Americanized locally to John Ellison. He promptly adopted that name signing all documents and letters thereafter as John Ellison. Thus it was John Ellison who bought a large tract of land north of Ephraim, in what is now called Ellison Bay. He bought about ? miles of shorefront property extending deep away from shore. He kept buying land in Door County till he owned about 8,000 acres. In 1858 he was appointed postmaster, and also owned and operated a store. He also set about developing this area for settlers. Piers were built on the waterfront along with a large home for himself, a post office and a general store. Notices and advertisements for farmers were put out to log the heavily wooded land, under contract, then get the cleared land to homestead and farm. Within a few years he had added a warehouse next to his home. The logging and cord wood industry brought prosperity to this area and attracted other industries. In 1865, the government named Ellison Bay after John Ellison. John Ellison married Caroline Top who had been born in Germany and lived in the German settlement near Ephraim. They were married for many years but the marriage was childless. Times were not easy in those early years for first generation pioneers. It was often bitterly cold in winter and there was a shortage of food when settlers were forced to live on potatoes and salt. From time to time, when the weather allowed, they could get fish. There were dreaded epidemics of diphtheria, measles and influenza and fires swept through the forests and wooden homes. Taxes too were capricious and often excessive for this northern community causing much hardship. John Ellison spent much of his time here, walking around in his blue serge suit, light gray flannel shirt, gray sweater and blue, buttoned vest. He strolled around talking to the town folk, until September 1908, when he became suddenly ill and died. He is buried in the Trinity Lutheran Church cemetery, in the heart of the little town that bore his name.

In the early years logging of the heavily wooded area in northern Door County and the setting up of sawmills to make cord wood was dominant. Maple, beech, ash, pine, hemlock, cedar, spruce, tamarack and balsam fir were logged. Cord wood was cut and shipped by sailing vessels to Chicago. For a while cheese factories were also set up, one of those was in what later became Gust Klinke’s garage. Gust worked for a while as a cheese maker for Ed Evanson. Much of the lumber was also shipped to Sheboygan where it was used in their chair factory. In 1911 large chicken and duck farms were set up but they were destroyed by a terrible hailstorm that leveled the buildings and ended that venture. Farming remained difficult and never prospered in northern Door.

When settlers came to Ellison Bay area they took to farming from necessity. They got their first plot of land by purchase or through homesteading. They began with a small garden to grow their own food and slowly expanded to become a small truck farm and sell their produce to their neighbors. As their children grew and helped they were able to expand and thus grow a small family farm. With machinery they were able to expand and grow more. Dairy cattle grew in number, with surplus milk going for cheese making. Wheat was ground at the mill for flour and green peas were frozen and later carried across Green Bay to Marinette on ice in winter to be sold as a cash crop. For a while the farms prospered, then began to decline, until few are left today. The138 acre farm of Andrew Wickman remained in the family from 1875 to 1959 when it was sold by Gilbert Wickman to Leland Rogers. The old two room log house has been remodeled several times until its present attractive form as the home of Mr. and Mrs. Leland Rogers. August Johnson immigrated to the United States from Sweden as a young lad. In 1867 he was able to buy property at the top of Ellison Bay hill from John Ellison. He cleared the land and built a barn, and the first frame house in the area, next to it. August married Mathilda Pfiel and they had ten children. The family, through its younger generations, continues to live in the same house. The Hansons, present owners, raise Shetland ponies.

From its early days until recently, commercial fishing had been a very important part of the Door County economy. In 1868, commercial fishing began as ice fishing through holes in ice for trout! The fish were salted in kegs that held 125pounds, then hauled across the ice to Menominee, Michigan. If the ice was poor or, after the ice broke the fish were loaded on board boats docked at Ellison bay, and shipped to Michigan. Usually the first thing built in a settlement was a dock, since boats were an important link with the outside world. This explains why all early settlements were built close to shore. At first the fish caught in winter were buried deep in ice, close to shore. About twice a week, a man pulling a sleigh with a team of horses came around and collected the fish in 200 pound containers and hauled it to Sturgeon Bay or Menominee.. Fishermen netted about 2 cents a pound. Hook and line commercial fishing of trout was profitable for 60years and then faded away. In the 1880s fishermen started setting hooks with boats and extending their fishing season. Herring were used as bait for the hooks but later became a prized delicacy themselves. Fishing was big business in Ellison Bay. The pond nets that were used to catch herring are now used to catch whitefish. Herring production and fishing reached a peak in 1950 when over 2 million pounds were caught. In the late 1930s parasitic sea lamprey began to reduce the trout population. The Wisconsin Conservation Department began a program against the lamprey, including poisoning them and restocking the lake with trout fingerlings that has proved quite successful. The first fishing vessels were sailboats, later gasoline and lastly diesel powered engines were used. There are many harrowing tales of fishermen caught at sea, and also some of men cut adrift on ice floes while fishing. The Weborgs, Teskes, Johnsons and Andersons are some of the well known families associated with commercial fishing in northern Door.

The location of Door County, between two large bodies of water, make it ideal for growing fruit. The sour pie cherry was felt to be ideally suited to grow here as were apples. Bingham and Lawrence were horticulturists from Sturgeon Bay who planted 56 acres in cherry and apple trees. That orchard was started on land now known as Roen’s orchard, in 1911. In July of 1912, a terrible hailstorm devastated more than half the young trees, and the orchard had to be replanted. In 1912, August Carlson planted 400 cherry trees, and three years later, he planted 150 apple trees. Those early apple trees were Greenings, Ben Davis, McIntosh and Delicious apple varieties. The apples were hand picked, graded and packed and then shipped and sold by August. In those days he paid 15cents for a bushel basket. In those days cherries were picked with their stems on. It cost 35 cents to ship a case of cherries to the leading markets of the day at Rhinelander, Antigo, and Marshfield. Later canning plants were built in the cherry growing area and cherries were prepared with sugar for market. When farm labor became harder and harder to find for cherry picking and maintenance of the orchards, Dale Seaquest developed a mechanized system to shake cherry trees, collect the fruit as it fell in a skirt around the tree, and collect them in bins for washing, sorting and packing at a cherry processing plant. Nowadays a large force of migrant laborers, care for, harvest and process the fruit each season. The cherry industry is thriving and the varieties of apples grown here have widened considerably. One of the lanes at cottage glen , Carlson Court, celebrates this history.

One of the oldest landmarks and businesses in northern Door County is the Pioneer Store, formerly known as Ruckert’s Store. An article written sometime back described Ruckert’s Store as follows: “Ruckert’s Store was and still is one of those memory disturbing emporiums of the past that tug at the heart-strings of all who are old enough to remember when wieners were not so much an article for sale as something to pass out to small boys, chin high to his counter, who stopped by for a pound of lard, 15cents worth of round steak or a spool of thread. Speaking of thread, Ruckert’s store still has the old fashioned oak thread cabinet that used to be a part of all dry goods stores—‘Clark’s Mile-end Spool Cotton Thread’. Ruckert’s Store stocks groceries, paints, kitchenware, light hardware, nails, screws, mousetraps and the like. The dress counters haven’t changed much through the years even though materials have.” In the years 1913 to 1920 there were two grain elevators operating in Ellison Bay, one operated by Ed Evanson and the other by Charles Ruckert. The two men would buy grain from farmers , fan and bag it and store the grain in a common warehouse located at the end of the dock. Peas were bought and bagged the same way. Each man kept his grain separated by putting his name on the burlap bag.

Today you see cars and trucks parked at the entrance to the Pioneer Store. Outside on the Door and the glass windows are listings of coming events, notices of meetings and social events, and some advertisements for plays and concerts. The building has the same appearance it had almost a hundred years ago. As you walk in you get the impression that the place is well stocked with almost anything you might need. To your left at the entrance is a news-stand loaded with the Door Advocate, The Green Bay Gazette, The Milwaukee Journal and Sentinel, the Chicago Tribune and The Wisconsin State Journal. In the summer you can also get The New York Times daily paper and you can get the Sunday Edition all year round. That reflects the readership in the area today (2005). On your left is a stand for video and DVD movies for all ages. Straight ahead is a stand with nuts, cookies, snacks, and birthday cards. A narrow isle on either separates the stocks laid out on shelves and counters on both sides. Canned and packaged foods, dry mixes, cereals, spices, tea, coffee, cookies, Norwegian and Finnish flatbread, and crisp crackers, breads, jars of salsa, jams, preserves, peanut butter, and a host of other things compete for your attention. There are also tooth brushes, toiletries, over the counter medicines and paper products. Further down you’ll find fresh fruit and vegetables, frozen food, instant dinners, ice-creams and desserts, milk, cheese, yogurt , beer, soft drinks and also a whole case of freshly butchered meats. Stacked on top of the old counters are samples of goods once sold here, old butter churns ,kerosene lamps, old tools, washing and cooking utensils and other items too numerous to count. It is, in fact, a living archive of the history of the people who have lived here, of their values and the rare beauty of a community that knows how to live with and accommodate people. The Newman family, who own the store today, live upstairs, as did the Ruckerts before them. They are gracious and helpful and have an amazing feel for what this community needs. I know I’ve never come away disappointed. When the store opened, Mr. Ruckert instituted a charge account system, as records show that many fishermen and farmers purchased supplies on credit until the next good crop was raised on farms or the fishing season opened and good catches were made. The store was very instrumental in making its services and money available to worthwhile community projects, and helping several local businesses quietly to get off to a good start. Many local businessmen got their start as clerks at Ruckert’s store. Charley Ruckert ran the store for twenty years, then turned it over to his son Walter who ran it till he passed away. His widow Mrs. Jean Ruckert ran the store for several years, with some help. Mrs Ruckert sold the store to the Newmans. After Mr. Newman passed away his widow Carol and her family continue to run the store.

At the corner of Highway 42 and Garrett Bay road lies the old Klenke Standard Station. Next to it his old pickup truck is parked with a bale of hay in the back or a Stuffed Santa in the driver’s seat in December. A couple of old metal chairs sit next to the garage door, now overgrown with weeds, just as they used to when the garage was in business. Gus Klenke came to Ellison bay in 1918. He worked for Ed Evanson making cheese in the building where the garage is today. Gust also made cheese at Newport for about ten years. In the late ‘20s the factory in Ellison Bay became a garage and sold Standard Oil products. For years it was one of two garages in town, the other being Johnson’s Mobil Station. Gust Klenke was legendary for helping many a fisherman or farmer, repair a broken machine, often by improvising a part from scrap metal. Mrs.Gust Klenke was a school teacher, and the first president of the Women’s club. The Klenkes were part of the ‘woof and wool’ of Ellison Bay. They also owned summer cottages , which were operated by their two daughters. Gust also raised bees as a hobby and produced many pounds of honey annually, which he sold at his garage. If you talk to some of the older residents of Ellison Bay you can still get some lively Klenke stories of his adventures. A street has been named after the Klenkes at Cottage Glen.

The Viking Grill was built in1939, by Gilbert Wickman, on a plot of land previously owned by the Ellison Bay Land Company. For the first few seasons it was a short order restaurant, also serving the overflow crowd from the Ellison Bay Lodge. In 1947, Lawrence Wickman (Gilbert’s nephew) bought the place and ran it as a full scale restaurant. From the start serving fish—whitefish or trout –was their speciality. In 1961 they expanded their restaurant and added a new feature—the fish boil! The fish boil soon became very popular and drew crowds to their hall on Wednesdays and Fridays (The Vikings days for fish boil). Fresh whitefish was bought off the fishing boats and cooked in brine over a wood fire . After boiling for about 12 minutes the fish was cooked and came off easily from the bones with a fork. After the fish, red potatoes, and onions were cooked and placed in hot pans. Guests lined up for their share of the meal with cole slaw, pumpernickel bread and cherry pie. Fish boils soon became a Door county attraction, but it all began at the Viking Grill. Nowadays you often find a cluster of cars and pick-up trucks at the Grill around six o’clock in the morning, waiting for the tasty pancakes, omelets and corn beef hash with potatoes and eggs, to start the day. In the early ‘70s Dale Peterson bought the restaurant, and his family continues to run it to this day.

The Ellison bay post office was established in 1873 and given a zip code of 54210. The Door County Advocate noted the event and reported that ‘Mr. John Eliason was its first postmaster. He remained postmaster until 1878, and was succeeded by Mrs. Matilda Hunt(1878), Albert Icke ( 1893), Matilda Hunt-Tostenson (1897), Charles Ruckert (1904), Elmer Disgarden (1915), Walter Severson (1942—1972), Karen Sunstrom (1992), Gloria A. Johnson (1993 ), Karen Sunstrom (1993). Many of the early post offices were opened in people’s homes, at the Ruckert store, at the Disgarden Hotel and other places until the present post office was built as a free standing office. Walter Severson, postmaster from 1942 to 1972, wrote an account of the postal service during his tenure (In “Going for the Mail. A history of Door County post offices.”----By James B. Hale. 1966.Publ. by the Brown County Historical Society). “The mail arrived about 9.45 a.m. via Star Route, six days a week, originating from Green Bay (later from Sturgeon Bay),and it left at 3.45p.m. to make outgoing train and truck connections for next day delivery in Milwaukee and Chicago. The Star Route drivers were hired by contract and were not civil service employees.”

Mail for Washington island also had a Star Route , starting in Ellison Bay. A local driver with a pickup truck took the mail and met the ferry at Gills Rock and brought back the outgoing mail from the island each morning. Occasionally weather disrupted this service and mail remained in Ellison Bay for two or three days..” Now our post office is getting ready to move again. The plan to expand the Ellison Bay marina includes possible use of adjoining shore land and the post office and old fire station will be moved to clear the way. The new location of the Ellison Bay post office has not been determined at this time.

Across from the Pioneer Store is the Marathon Gas Station, owned and operated by Ken Johnson. This gas station first opened as Johnson’s Mobil Gas Station in 1949. All gas stations were full service in those days, and Ken has kept his that way. For years this gas station sold Mobil oil products and gas but provided no other services. Ken bought the station in 1976, from Russ Koepke, who also owned The Mink River Supper Club at that time. In 1999 the gas station switched from Mobil to Marathon Oil and Gas. The same year Ken’s father sold his Ford car garage and repair shop in Sister Bay, and Ken moved the repair shop to his gas station in Ellison Bay. He recalls that in 1976, when he took over, the Door County Reminder, had its offices next to “The Silly Goose” until the mid 90s, when they moved to Sister Bay. The garage next to the Mink River Supper Club had a blacksmith’s shop. He feels that in all the years he has been in Ellison Bay, things and buildings have changed very little. Ken is happy with his station, meets his friends and has a loyal clientele.