Gills Rock, Wisconsin Explained

Gills Rock, Wisconsin
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:USA Wisconsin
Pushpin Label:Gills
Rock
Pushpin Label Position:right
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within the state of Wisconsin
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Door
Subdivision Type3:Town
Subdivision Name3:Liberty Grove
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population As Of:2000
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Coordinates:45.29°N -87.0217°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP codes
Area Code:920
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID

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

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gills Rock Populated Place Profile / Door County, Wisconsin Data.
  2. Romance of Wisconsin Place Names by Robert E. Gard and L. G. Sorden, New York: October House, Inc. 1968, page 47
  3. Web site: Door County Pages . 2007-04-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070209232614/http://doorcounty.innline.com/area.asp?areaId=11 . 2007-02-09 . dead .
  4. Web site: Death's Door Maritime Museum.
  5. Web site: The Island Clipper & The Viking Train. www.islandclipper.com. 2018-06-26.
  6. http://www.wisferry.com/ Washington Island Ferry
  7. "Gibraltar Area Schools, Gibraltar Area School District, (Archived July 14, 2014)