Streching midway across Wisconsin's famous Door County peninsula, Sturgeon Bay has developed into the county's business and industrial center. Divided by the waterway it's named after, this small city provided a home to a working waterfront that housed sawmills and docks for shipping ice, quarried stone, and later cherries. A canal dug from Sturgeon Bay to Lake Michigan in 1880 enabled ships to avoid the long passage over the tip of the peninsula. Sturgeon bay became a shipbuilding capital, housing three major yards. The lively downtown districts on each side of the bay sported the typical hotels, taverns, stores, and blacksmith shops. Residents took pride in their newly formed schools, churches, and public services such as the Pioneer Fire Department. Families, fortunate to live in a land of great natural beauty, enjoyed recreational pusuits in the woods and on the water, whether it was perch fishing early on a summer morning or skating over the ice on a crisp winter afternoon.

Maggie Weir, curator, and Ann Jinkins, assistant curator, have worked at the Door County Historical Museum for many years. They are both involved in local history pusuits, including portraying "women in history" characters for the Door County Historical Society.

The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities accross the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.