Gills Rock, Wisconsin

Unincorporated community in Wisconsin, United States

45°17′24″N 87°01′18″W / 45.29000°N 87.02167°W / 45.29000; -87.02167Country

United StatesState

WisconsinCountyDoorTownLiberty GroveTime zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)Area code920

Gills Rock is an unincorporated community located on Highway 42 at the northern tip of the Door Peninsula in Door County, Wisconsin, United States.^[1] It is within the town of Liberty Grove and was formerly known as Hedgehog Harbor.

History

This area is known to the Potawatomi as Wah-ya-qua-kah-me-kong, for "head of the land" or "land's end".^[2] Today the area is named for Elias Gill, a local 19th century landowner.

Gills Rock has a strong history and tradition of commercial fishing, which continues to this day.^[3] Death's Door Maritime Museum is located there.^[4] The area is also popular with scuba divers who explore the many shipwrecks in and around Death's Door, the narrow strait connecting Lake Michigan to Green Bay, also known as Porte des Morts. The Pilot Island Light is located on Pilot Island near Gills Rock.

Gills Rock is also the departure point of a passenger ferry to Washington Island. ^[5] The vehicle ferry to Washington Island departs 2.25 miles (3.5 km) to the East, in Northport, Wisconsin^[6]

In popular culture

The town is the birthplace of fictional character Gwen Raiden from the TV series Angel.

Education

Gibraltar Area Schools serves the community. Gibraltar Elementary School and Gibraltar Secondary School are the two schools.^[7]

Climate

Table Bluff (At the northern tip of the Gills Rock area)

Climate chart (explanation)

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
66 −4 −9	60 −8 −10	62 0 −4	112 3 0	86 9 3	77 13 10	96 18 16	73 19 16	109 17 14	119 10 7	110 6 5	66 4 1
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm
Source: ^[8]

Imperial conversion
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
2.6 25 16	2.4 18 14	2.4 32 25	4.4 37 32	3.4 48 37	3 55 50	3.8 64 61	2.9 66 61	4.3 63 57	4.7 50 45	4.3 43 41	2.6 39 34
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches

Images

Looking north at downtown Gills Rock
Sign on Wisconsin Highway 42
Welcome sign
Island Clipper ferry
Gust Klenke's garage
Fish tug Gem near Gills Rock, photo taken March 1973
Fishing village at Gills Rock, published 1941

References

^ "Gills Rock Populated Place Profile / Door County, Wisconsin Data".
^ Romance of Wisconsin Place Names by Robert E. Gard and L. G. Sorden, New York: October House, Inc. 1968, page 47
^ "Door County Pages". Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved April 25, 2007.
^ "Death's Door Maritime Museum".
^ "The Island Clipper & The Viking Train". www.islandclipper.com. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
^ Washington Island Ferry
^ "Gibraltar Area Schools, Gibraltar Area School District, (Archived July 14, 2014)
^ "NASA EarthData Search". NASA. Retrieved January 30, 2016.