Charles Martin's 1881 history of Door County, Wisconsin, provides a brief survey of the early history of the county, as well as descriptions of the towns of Washington, Otumba (Sturgeon Bay), Forestville, Gibralter, Chambers' Island, Brussels, Liberty Grove, Clay Banks, Nasewaupee, Sevastopol, Bailey's Harbor, Gardner, Union, and Jacksonport. Brief biographical sketches of county residents and a county business directory are included.

Befitting its role as Wisconsin's thumb, Door County has its own unique pulse. It is the "Door of the Dead," which some historians blame for more shipwrecks than any other body of freshwater in the world. It is also the idyllic paradise "north of the tension line," that sends many unsuspecting tourists spiraling into an addiction that lands them in a summer home. The variety of nature's splendors and terrors is matched by the cast of characters that has risen up among them. In Door County Tales, these characters are given free rein, which seems only proper in a place where one might walk out of a restaurant and see goats grazing on the roof.

Jutting out of Wisconsin into the blue waters of Lake Michigan, the scenic peninsula of Door County is endowed with the longest coastline of any county in the nation. Since the mid-1800s, the region has boasted a strong maritime industry, dependent on the constant vigilance and efforts of U.S. Coast Guard units. The county has been home to as many as 12 historic light stations, as well as three life-saving stations. Beginning with Pottawatomie Light in 1837 and Sturgeon Bay Canal Life-Saving Station in 1886, keepers and surfmen survived both boredom and peril to ensure safe navigation and commerce, while rescuing those in distress. Through archival photographs, stories of shipwrecks, rescues, service, and pride spring to life. Rare rescue images of the Otter, a schooner which wrecked in 1895, are especially noteworthy.

Most of Hjalmar Rued Holand’s adult life could well be called a 65-year love affair with the woods and waters of the Door Peninsula of northeastern Wisconsin. Born on a farm in Norway just a hundred years ago, Hjalmar Holand was brought to the United States as an orphaned child of 12 by an older sister. He was reared in a brother’s home on the west side of Chicago. Getting a vision of a college education, he worked his way through the University of Wisconsin, winning his bachelor’s degree in 1898. The ensuing summer, intrigued by the look of the Door Peninsula on maps, he pedalled his way on bicycle up the stony roads of the Peninsula. It was love at first sight. Before he returned to Wisconsin to get his master’s degree, he had bought 57 acres of shore and cliffland in what is now the Peninsula State Park. Two years later, in June 1900, he brought his bride to his newly built log house facing Eagle Harbor. For the next sixty years, Hjalmar and Theresa Holand lived the good life at Ephraim together. Here he wrote a dozen historical works and scores of magazine articles.

A picturesque peninsula with 298 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, state parks, forests, and cozy inns, Door County is one of the Midwest’s prime tourist attractions. Magill Weber explores the many recreational opportunities available to visitors, including secret spots known only to locals and longtime seasonal residents. Wisconsin native Janet Mrazek contributes 125 detailed and easy-to-follow maps. With suggestions of more than 150 scenic hikes, biking and paddling routes, end-of-the-road beaches, lighthouses, and wildlife-watching sites, and descriptions of the local flora and fauna, Door County Outdoors is the ultimate guide for active travelers and nature enthusiasts.

Contains over seventy tales of ghostly hauntings from each of the fifty United States and Canada.