Pilot Island in Washington, Wisconsin

A string of small islands stretch from the northern tip of Door County, where the warm waters of Green Bay meet the icy waves of Lake Michigan. The shoals surrounding these islands, combined with the unpredictable currents and weather patterns, have given this infamous passage the title of Death’s Door. While the origin of the title is shrouded in folklore and fish tales, the seriousness of the sobriquet is under no such dispute – hundreds of ships have succumbed to this passage over the centuries.

To combat these dangers, and provide aid to the burgeoning maritime commerce on the Great Lakes, a lighthouse was erected to mark the mouth of the Door on a minuscule, 3.5 acre island. Built in 1858, it was only the third lighthouse in the region, and the very first made out of Cream City brick imported from Milwaukee. It was accompanied by a foghorn – taking up another entire building – which was said to be so loud that it shook the entire island, killed bird embryos, curdled milk and threw china out of the cabinets in the lighthouse. The remoteness of the post led to several reported cases of insanity, and at least one assistant light keeper committing suicide by a self-inflicted blade to the throat. Both structures were continuously manned until the 1960s, at which point the foghorn was abandoned, the lighthouse was automated, and the island was handed to USFWS to serve as a wildlife refuge.

Despite these aids, many ships continued to be driven upon the shoals of Pilot Island (and indeed continue to this day). Three of the most famous happened in a single year, with the Forest wrecking on October 28, 1891, joined by the JE Gilmore on October 17, 1892, and the AP Nichols on October 28, 1892 – in a daring rescue by lightkeeper Martin Knutson, the crew of the Nichols was dragged through a storm by their literal hair, down a ladder to the decks of the other abandoned vessels. These three wrecks now rest less than 100 feet off the island, 25 feet deep, stacked on top of each other like cairns – a warning to other sailors not to underestimate the dangers of Death’s Door.