By Tom Cornell
 When you think of a lighthouse, what images come
before you? Maybe it’s a solitary tower on a bluff next to the ocean. Or maybe it’s
a tall sentry standing guard on a rock, warning the passing vessels
of what lurks below the water. Lighthouses represent a way of life
that lives on in the memories of just a few people. My family and
I are some of those lucky few: in return for serving as volunteer
docents, we were able to live for a week at the Pottawatomie Lighthouse
on Rock Island, off the tip of Door County, Wisconsin.
The Pottawatomie lighthouse was restored through collaboration between the Friends of Rock Island and the DNR, with support from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund. I was particularly interested in staying there as my great uncle, Edward Cornell, had served as a lighthouse keeper there from 1911 to 1928. I come from a long line of lighthouse keepers; my grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather were all keepers at different lighthouses around Lake Michigan.
The Pottawatomie was the first lighthouse on Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan shore. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 had opened up the western Great Lakes for trade, and with the increased maritime traffic, the treacherous waters off the tip of the Door peninsula quickly came to be known as “death’s door.” Ship owners from Detroit petitioned the government for a light at this dangerous strait between the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan, and the Pottawatomie lighthouse was born.
 The current incarnation of the Pottawatomie Lighthouse was built in 1858, two decades after the first version went up and was torn down. The lighthouse has never had running water nor electricity, so every morning we pumped water from the well out in the yard. We actually got used to it, and after being there for a few days we were rewarded by the sight of warblers that flew down to play in the puddles that formed in the grass around the pump.
The land surrounding the lighthouse is now a state park. The diversity of the terrain, flora, and fauna of the island is absolutely amazing. The northern part of the island rises out of the lake over 100 feet high with bluffs of dolomite limestone capped by cedar, firs, and birches. On the east end are the limestone formations known as the “windows,” where waves, freezing, and thawing have created openings in the rock that one could look or even walk through.
 The Fernwood Trail is lined with ferns like I’ve never seen anywhere else; Ostrich ferns and maidenhair were just a few that I noticed. One morning while taking a walk along the eastern side of the island, I noticed a nesting pair of bald eagles. I have also seen many deer as well as gray foxes, which would come to the clearing by the lighthouse around dusk every evening. Many of the trails are lined with an amazing array of wildflowers: Indian Pipes, Jack-in-the-pulpits, Lady’s Slippers, just to name a few.
The Thordarson Trail traverses the entire perimeter of the island and is named after one of its great protectors. Chester Thordarson, a wealthy Chicago inventor, purchased the island in the early 1900s and for several years worked with passion to not only create his own retreat, but also to protect the natural beauty of this place. He built a magnificent water tower of stone from the island, as well as a massive stone boathouse that has been restored with the original Icelandic carved-wood furniture and is very impressive to see. Thordarson was also a great student of botany, and was reported to have walked the island speaking to visitors at length about the many different species he found there. His heirs sold the island to the state of Wisconsin in 1965 and it became a state park, destined to be preserved for future generations.
When you step foot on Rock Island, you are very aware that you are a visitor. Very little evidence of human habitation is evident – only the remains of Thordarson’s retreat, an old fishing village, and the Pottawatomie Lighthouse. If you’re looking for a place where the eagles fly and the terrain is as diverse as the plant and animal life, then Rock Island is the place for you. You will need to bring your hiking boots and a camera to capture its beauty. When you leave, I promise you will leave with a peaceful heart and a longing to return to this unique place. |
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