Costume lore: My mom made this for one of my older siblings, its a bunny costume out of an old overall. I used it for years as a kid and my nieces and nephews used it. I also giggle at the thought of a heirloom bunny costume.
Finnish easter lore (during a brainfog sorry): On one of the easter days, kids dress up as witches, bunnies, princesses etc. But it’s also early spring here so 98% of the country is still under snow, kids are well packed up in warm clothing and on top of that the costume must fit. Kids make either branches with colourful feathers in them or thank you/greeting cards which they give out. The kids then go house to house and wish a happy easter (there is also a poem/song that goes with it) then they give the branch/card and get candy. A copper coffee pan was a traditional way to carry your candy, at least in my region growing up.

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Thordarson's $250,000 boathouse, Rock Island.
The men who have served as chairman of the Town of Washington have all been extremely busy men. For instance, Bo L. Anderson (brother of the late Mrs. Nor Shellswick) owned and operated a hotel and general store on the property now owned by Alfred Stelter. He was an amateur poet and actor, and wrote a song, praising the Island, to the tune of "Home, Sweet Home." He was also postmaster of the Detroit Harbor post office in 1895.
William Jess was referred to as the "Mayor" of Washington Island, although not a mayor. At the time that he was Town Chairman he was also Clerk of the School Board, Treasurer and general manager of the telephone company, and secretary of the local insurance company. He held some of these jobs from the time they were created, and for many years. He was appointed postmaster in 1907 and served until 1921. These jobs, plus his private enterprise, made him one of the busiest men on the Island.
Other chairmen have been Chas. O. Hansen, who served eight years, and who was a successful dairy farmer and had a milk delivery route for years, as well as serving on various civic boards. Then came Conrad Anderson, Roger Gunnerson (President of the Telephone Company at present), Dr. E. C. Farmer, and now Jack Hagen is serving his third term of two years.
Being the general practitioner on Washington Island is a full-time job, but Dr. Farmer took on the job of Chairman of the Town as well, which kept him hopping almost day and night, since many of his sick calls came in the middle of the night, and practically all babies were ushered into the world in the wee small hours. Also, Dr. Farmer played the saxophone in the Island orchestra back in the 1930's.
Jack Hagen is a dairy farmer, and President of the Washington Island Cooperative Dairy, Inc., as well as being Town Chairman.
The succession of postmasters on the Island began with Mr. Ranney in his store at Washington Harbor. Later the post office was located in the old home on the H. J. Leasum property with Robert Severs as postmaster. About 1895 another post office was established at Detroit Harbor, with Bo L. Anderson as postmaster.
In 1901 Mr. Severs died, and L. P. Ottosen (Carrie Jorgenson's father) became postmaster in a building which stood where Clifford Young's house now stands. Mr. Ottosen held this job until 1912, when he retired due to ill health, and that post office was discontinued.
In 1907 William Jess was appointed postmaster at Detroit Harbor, and served until 1921, when John Gudmundsen (brother of Haldor Gudmundsen) was appointed and served until 1924, when Mack Magnusson was appointed. Mack served for 34 years, the first two of which the post office was located in the basement of the John Malloch house, and the next 32 years in the present location. Mack retired in 1958 at the age of 70 years. In 1940 the post office came under the Civil Service, and Mack was required to take a Civil Service examination to hold his job. There were two other Islanders, women, who took the examination, but Mack was successful in holding the job.
Mrs. Robert (Theresa) Rainsford, daughter of Christine and Haldor Gudmundsen, was then appointed postmaster, and is still serving in that capacity. Her assistant is Mrs. Clifford (Betty) Young. Carrie Jorgenson serves as substitute when one of them is ill. Carrie also served as substitute for Cecelia and Mack Magnusson.
In 1926 the name of the post office was changed from Detroit Harbor to Washington Island. The post office will in the near future be located in the new post office building under construction on the corner next to the Clover Farm store, and owned by Roger Gunnerson.
The first rural mail route was established in 1902, with. John Malloch as carrier. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 1928. Ernest Boucsein was then the rural carrier for some years until his death. Then followed Elden Hettiger (who moved to Milwaukee, Wis.), and now Harley Hanson.
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Mail to Washington Island once crossed frozen Death's Door.
The life of the mail carrier, transporting the mail to and from the mainland in the late 1800's was adventurous, particularly in the wintertime. Back around the turn of the century the mail was carried by sailboat, and Pete Anderson (brother of John O. Anderson and the late Clara Boyce) was the carrier from Washington Island to Ellison Bay, Wis. He had many harrowing experiences when the ice began to break up in the spring. There was one time when he and his horse and sleigh were almost lost, because the ice broke loose and left them stranded on an ice cake, floating around helplessly. The horse was very frightened, and kept falling down every time he tried to stand. Finally, some kind soul was able to throw a rope to Pete, which he made fast and pulled that ice cake over to firm ice where he could walk off.
The mail has been carried with the small mail boat (also named Welcome) from the East Channel between Washington and Detroit Islands; it has been hauled on a sleigh by hand within a mile of Plum Island, then on the Coast Guard boat (when all boats were frozen in tight at the ferry dock).
During the depression some farmers shipped cream to Fairmont, so it had to be hauled along with the mail. (The Richters had the mail-carrying contract only at that time.) One time Arni Richter and Ray Andersen were pulling the sleigh with the mail and two 10-gallon cans of cream, walking out to where they could get close to the Coast Guard boat (about a mile from Plum Island). There was a stiff southwest wind in their faces, and the ice was very rough and frozen up in peaks. Then men had to wear creepers on their shoes in order to walk. I happened to be the only passenger going to the mainland that day, and had been injured in a fall ice skating. The men kindly told me to sit on the sleigh, although they were already straining at pulling the heavy load. They said they could not feel any difference when I got on the sleigh.
The mail was carried by snowmobile a few years later (when the "Door" was frozen over). Everybody drove back and forth across the "Door" then. It was just about this time that the most awful tragedy occurred in the memory of island people, when the Washington Island basketball team went down through thin ice to their death on Mar. 10, 1935. They were returning to the Island on Sunday morning after playing a basketball game at Sister Bay Saturday night. It was foggy; they lost their way, and drove on ice too thin to hold them in the "Door." Their names were: Leroy Einarsen (son of Anne), Roy Stover (brother of the late Marie McCormick), Norman Nelson (son of Olga Nelson, and nephew of all the members of the Ottosen family), Raymond Richter (son of Minnie Richter), Ralph Wade (son-in-law of William Jepson), and "Bub" Cornell (brother of Mary Richter). There has never been another Washington Island basketball team.
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At Washington Island. Sleighs with sails attached.
There has been no necessity for the people to drive across the "Door" for the past few years because the ferry goes across almost every day in the year. Arni Richter's crew keep the ferry cut loose all the time. It does happen occasionally in the spring that a strong wind will pile ice cakes so high that the ferry cannot get out, but as soon as the wind shifts, it is all cleared. It is not like in the old days when L. P. Ottosen recalled that there were seven weeks when no word was received from the outside world. This situation could not occur today, because if the boats could not run, and the telephone lines across the "Door" were down (which has happened many times in years gone by), there is a police radio located in the home of Ann and Victor Cornell, which can be used in case of emergency to call Sturgeon Bay.
Up to 1904 there had been no telephones on Washington Island. In that year the government extended telephone service to the lighthouses on Plum, Pilot, Rock, St. Martin's, Poverty, and to Washington Island. Phones were then installed in Bo L. Anderson's, Koyen's store, Washington Harbor Dock, and at the Rasmus Hansen home. In 1910 the Washington Island Telephone Company was organized, and now there is a telephone in almost every Island home.
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Josie Jepson, telephone operator.
There have been many different telephone operators over the years, but the first people to operate a telephone office were the Carl Hansens, who lived in the house now owned by John Jessen. When the switchboard was installed in its present location Mae (Ottosen) Sorensen became the Chief Operator. She had been working for the Carl Hansens. Mae had different helpers in the time that she was Chief Operator, and Lena (Einarsen) Pickert was one, and Josie Jepson was another. Mae Sorensen recalls that there were 14 local telephone lines when she was the operator, as compared to 41 lines today. There are five long distance circuits at present, and 307 telephones on the Island, including those of summer residents. The telephone office has been located in its present building for all these years. Mrs. Harry (Reggie) Hansen, Gladys Boshka, Florence and Orville Jess, and others have been the Chief Operators and have had many helpers. Two of my children, Kent and Rosalie, have worked there a couple of years each after school and on Saturdays and Sundays while attending high school. For the past four years Mrs. L. A. Davison has been saying, "Number, please," and Alvin Cornell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Cornell, is her helper. Mrs. Davidson knows the voice of every Islander, and can usually locate anybody in a few seconds if they are visiting where there is a phone.
The storekeepers have played an important part in the history of Washington Island also. One of the oldest stores was Koyen's, owned and operated by A. A. Koyen. Later on it was Jesse and Floris Koyen who kept the store. This store was a hang-out for old-timers, who sat around the pot-bellied stove and reminisced about pioneer days. In more modern days after the high school was moved to the Washington Harbor school, the store became a hang-out for high school pupils at noon hour. They could buy candy, gum and pop, and learn early history of the Island from Jesse and Floris. Jesse would also sew up a torn shoe for them while they waited. Koyen's store has ceased to operate since the death of Floris.
Ted Thorarinson was the first owner of the store now known as the Harbor Grocery. The main part of this store building had been the old Detroit Harbor school (the picture of which was taken in 1887), and was moved to the present location when the new school was built. Sigrid and Ted Gudmundsen next owned and operated Ted's store for many years. Ted and Sigrid had the custom of holding open house at Christmas time each year, and for all who attended, there was fresh homemade Christmas bread and coffee. The recipe for this bread was brought to this country from Norway by Mr. Hagen (Sigrid's father), and many Islanders use it every year, as it appears in the Island Cook Book, put out by the women of Trinity Lutheran church.
The store has changed hands several times since then, and is now owned by Ruth (Young) and Fred Boniface.
Mann's store has the longest history in one family. George O. Mann came to the Island as a young school teacher, and taught the Lucke school (now Roger Gunnerson's store), at a salary of $16 a month. After a few years he and his brother opened a general store. After a time he bought out his brother's interest. His first store was two stories high, with furniture kept in the upper story. This store burned down in April 1932, in spite of the gallant efforts of the bucket-brigade. This occurred before the Island owned any fire-fighting equipment. He carried on his business in Harry Hansen's hall across the road temporarily, and rebuilt his store on the same spot, which is the present Mann's store. There had been a garage adjoining the south side of the old store, but it was thought unwise to have it so close again, so it became a separate building. Fred Mann's house was moved from next door to the store to its present location.
George O. Mann acquired several farms, went into the fish brokerage business find other business enterprises. He was president of the telephone company, a member of the board of education, an officer of the Mutual Fire Insurance Company, the R.E.A. cooperative, and other organizations; one of the busiest men on the Island. In July 1953 he celebrated 50 years in his general store, and served coffee and lunch to everyone who attended. Since his death four years ago, the store has been operated by his son, Fred, with the help of Fred's son, Jerome.
Milton Cornell and his son, Kirby, operate the Clover Farm store, which is of more recent vintage. Milton was a clerk and delivery boy in Mann's store from the time he was 14 years old, and boarded next door with the Jim Boyce family. After he grew up and married, he started a store of his own where Gordy's Tap is located on the Main Road. Before long he decided to build a store in its present location across from the post office. He has added more space and changed the face of the building in the past few years.
Roger Gunnerson bought the Lucke school building when the four grade schools were consolidated, and opened a store called "Gunnerson's Hardware." However, he has expanded until you can get practically everything except groceries there.
All cooperative organizations on the Island, such as the Telephone company, the R.E.A., the Fire Insurance Company, and the Washington Island Cooperative Dairy (formerly called Island Creamery and privately owned then, have sprung up of a necessity. As the need for these organizations occurred, the business men met and elected officers and started the ball rolling.
One of the most unique facts about Washington Island is that there is no jail, and there has never been any need for one. In early times the people did not even elect any constables. Later on, when constables were elected, they didn't even bother to qualify for the job, because they felt themselves unnecessary. It is only in these past few years that constables have been necessary, mostly to check on traffic violations, since there are so many cars. Most bad infractions of the law have been traced to outsiders, like the vandalism in the cemetery. When the constables do find it necessary to arrest someone, they just call the sheriff on the police radio and have him meet them across the "Door." It is not easy to get away from the Island, so culprits think twice before attempting anything.
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BEGINNING OF THE END for the old hitching rail, right foreground. Tom Nelson is pictured in shirtsleeves and vest. These are the first cars on Washington Island. Antique car buffs say there's a 1916 Buick at left, a 1914 Hupmobile or Overland at right.
One of the strangest incidents that ever happened on Washington Island occurred back in 1937, when Islanders at a town election had voted the Island dry, in spite of the fact that the rest of the country had repealed the Volstead Act. The tavernkeepers were hard up, so they started selling "bitters," and other drinks containing alcohol. It had always been a custom for people on the mainland to warn Islanders of the approach of game wardens, revenue men, etc. It seems that someone reported the tavernkeepers for their illicit business, so four or five state revenue men, disguised as sport fishermen (because it was the bass season in October), travelled to Washington Island unsuspected, and raided all of the taverns simultaneously. Where they made their mistake was drinking up the evidence before the case came to trial, so the tavernkeepers all got off with suspended sentences.
The Washington Island Maternity Home; or Pearl's Baby Center, as it is called, had its beginning in the 1940's, after Pearl Haglund graduated from a nursing school in Evanston, Ill. in 1942.
Prior to this time all babies were delivered either at home, or if there was any fear, an occasional woman would travel to a hospital. There had been a number of mid-wives who went with the different doctors to the homes. Mrs. Clara Boyce, Pearl's mother, could point to dozens of children and say, "That's one of my babies." She not only cared for the baby and mother, but also did all the work for the rest of the family in the home. Mrs. Lizzie Hansen, Chas. O. Hansen's mother, was another woman who helped with nursing.
Pearl was prevailed upon to open her home on the McDonald Road as a maternity home. She has had as many as three babies and mothers in her home at one time. When she needs help, she calls on Esther Wylie, who is also a nurse. Pearl's home is well-equipped with hospital beds, etc. Pearl also cares for other sick people in her home, when there are no babies around.
In off seasons, when no babies are expected, Pearl goes on private nursing cases down in Illinois.
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The Icelandic family with the most members living here is the off-spring of Magnina and Peter Gunnlaugsson (original Icelandic settlers), who are: Steve, Peter, Magnus, Louis, Bjorn, Mrs. Haldon Johnson (Magnina) and Mrs. Maurice Andersen (Dagmar). The first four of the men are 80 to 85 years of age.
Steve, the oldest member of this family, was born Feb. 22, 1877, in a house on top of the hill quite near Bjorn Gunnlaugsson's present home. Right here it is interesting to note that two houses burned at different times almost on the same spot. Steve attended school at the Schoolhouse Beach school.
As a young man he says he "sailed on the Northland, one of the finest passenger boats on the Great Lakes." He then went sailing on different sailing schooners, namely, the "Madonna" whose bones were burned just a few years ago) with Ole Christiansen, and then with Capt. John C. Jessen (grandfather of the late John Jessen).
Steve was engaged in commercial fishing with Fred Richter (brother of Carl G. Richter), then with John W. Cornell (father of William Cornell and Mary Richter).
After his marriage to Bertha Andersen in 1907, he started farming, and has continued to the present time (now just helping his son, Raymond). In the absence of a veterinarian, Steve acted as midwife to hundreds of cows. He says they are just as inconsiderate as humans as to the time of birth, and most cases came in the middle of the night.
Steve's brothers been farmers on Washington Island up to the time of their retirement.
Ben Johnson, who formerly owned the Washington Hotel, came to Washington Island with his parents and his brothers and sister from Iceland in 1887, when he was 12 years of age. He attended school at the Schoolhouse School.
In 1912 he built the Washington Hotel down in Detroit Harbor. He was the owner, operator and cook until 1946, when he sold it to William Jepson, the present owner of the Washington Island Boat Works. The hotel has changed hands several times, but has been known as Wrasse's Washington Hotel for the past 10 years.
Ben did the cooking, and kept his guests entertained with his unlimited store of funny stories. Then in the evenings he often played cards with them, if they needed another player, so versatile he was. He had the first hotel on the Island with indoor plumbing, and there was an occasional summer resident who would pay him 25 cents to let them take a bath. Ben was a cook on steamboats on the Great Lakes for many years. He now resides with his children in California, although Washington Island is very dear to his heart. It is too difficult to travel back and forth spring and fall.
Thomas Johnson, brother of Ben, age 89, cut cordwood for a few years after the family came to Washington Island, then became engaged in commercial fishing for the next 45 years until his retirement. He lives here with his daughter and husband, Lettie and Fred Mann.
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Jens Jacobsen, who started Jacobsen's museum on Washington Island.
One of the most interesting men who helped make Island history was Jens Jacobsen, a Danish immigrant, who came to Washington Island shortly after 1900. He fell in love with the Island because it reminded him so much of his homeland and the stormy Baltic Sea.
Jens farmed and fished, and studied the early history of the Island and the Indians who inhabited it. He bought the land around Little Lake, and in clearing parts of it, dug up rocks, two skeletons of unknown Indians, arrow-heads, mortar and pestle, and many other items. Jens wove a wonderful story around his collection of museum pieces, which attracted many of the same people to return again and again. He included in his narrative the "cross" in the ground, which is a hallowed spot on the property at Little Lake.
In 1931 Jens and his son, Ralph (who now carries the burden of repeating his father's stories) built the museum to house the collection of relics. The museum attracts about 3,000 visitors every summer, some of whom have come from Singapore, India, Australia, Chile and Iceland, as well as many of our states.
The prize pieces in the collection are several fossil rocks, which geologists say date back several millions of years to a time when a tropical sea covered Washington Island. Peace pipes, old stone dishes, Indian beads and other items are on display in glass cases or on open tables. Ralph believes he has many relics here that perhaps are not duplicated in any other state museum.
Also on display in the museum is a large collection of wooden ships with birch bark sails, which were expertly carved by Jens Jacobsen on long winter evenings. He learned carving at a vocational school in Denmark at the age of 9, and since there was no radio or television for diversion (and Jens was not a card-player), he spent his evenings carving. Each ship is named after a famous Great Lakes vessel.
"The Griffin, a many-sailed flagship of Robert LaSalle, the famous French explorer, anchored just off Washington Island in 1679 and traded with the Indians," Ralph said.
Jens Jacobsen was a versatile man, who was as much at home writing poetry as carving ships. One poem, which he wrote concerning the Michigan-Wisconsin boundary dispute (in 1926), was entitled, "The Pearl of the Lake," and is as follows:
"Oh, Wolverine State, 'am amazed at thy course, Did Washington Island e'er sue for divorce? Ne'er courting the mermaid would straightway take This Washington Island, the Pearl of the Lake. This bone of contention to which I allude Some cities and mines of the state might include; The Badger, however, will never forsake Her Washington Island, the Pearl of the Lake. And now they have gone to establish a line, Directing our fisher in setting his twine. And woe to the fisher who makes a mistake Near Washington Island, the Pearl of the Lake. These beautiful shores again and again, Our father preferred for your favorite main. Your favorite mainland, the place could not take Of Washington Island, the Pearl of the Lake."
Jens and Ralph built a number of cabins around Little Lake to rent to summer residents. These have now been sold to visitors, who return here year after year.
George Nelson, one of the Island's last remaining pioneers, passed away during 1961 at the age of 91. At age 18 he left Norway and came to Wisconsin. For six years he worked as cook or mate on the lake schooners. On Washington Island he sailed with Captain Pedersen (Chester and Hazel's father).
Before his marriage to Martha Anderson, he made his home with the Jacob Richter family, and had the companionship of Carl G. Richter.
He bought the farm where his daughter, Virginia Bjarnarson now lives and farmed for some years, fishing thru the ice in the winter months.
George eventually set up a commercial fishing business in Jackson Harbor, and his sons, Russell and Spencer, fished with him.
The Washington Island baseball team will miss him and his loyal support. One dollar from him went to each player who hit a home run, and he seldom missed a game.
George never learned to drive the new fangled cars, and a Model T Ford even proved too much, since it wouldn't stop when he hollered, "Whoa!"
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CLASSIC PIONEER PHOTO — The subject is Bo Anderson and Aurora Shellswick's mother. The cabin is now in ruins. Clarence Koyen took the picture.
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Islanders have felt the need of a local newspaper at different times, and back about 1930 Jacob and Eugene Gunnlaugsson (cousins) set up a print shop, where Mrs. Tillie Ellefson lives now. They printed a small sized newspaper called, "Island Reporter," which was a credit to their integrity but a liability to their pocketbooks. After a time Jacob sold out to Eugene, and he continued alone for a few years, until July 1936, when he printed a larger issue advertising the Washington Island Centennial (which was 100 years since some Danish people had settled on what is known as the John Larson place). Eugene finally left the Island and went to work in a printing plant in Chicago.
Since that time different people have put out an Island newspaper (mimeographed) called the "Islander." The Girl Scouts and their leader, Mrs. Hans Baasch (Synnove) were the editors of the "Islander" before the days of electricity 1941-1944. When they tired of the job, Martha Stelter and Margaret Smith assumed the task. They continued publishing the paper through 1947, but since both of them were involved in their own businesses, it became too much work and ceased. They had a staff of typists and reporters, but the burden was too heavy. This staff did a good job of collecting all the news, as existing copies of the paper will verify. Since that time Island news has been published only in the Advocate and the Bethel Tidings, put out by the church and containing community news in brief as well as Bethel church news. This is a non-profit paper, and donations are made by interested people to defray the expense of paper, postage, and other supplies. Rev. C. H. Lundberg and his family started this publication, and it is now kept up by women in the church.
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POTATO SHIPPERS waiting to be weighed in at Koyen's store, after which the wagon-loads were driven down the hill to the waiting schooner.
Potatoes, now the main crop on Washington island, held the same place to a much lesser degree 50 years ago. In those days there was no "potato king." Every farmer raised potatoes, hauled them by wagonloads to Washington Harbor dock, where they were loaded on schooners and taken to Chicago to be sold. Wagons were weighed at Koyen's store and would be lined up past Bethel church waiting in line to go down to the dock.
There were many years in between when the lowly potato was simply raised for home consumption until Edward H. Anderson, a former Islander, saw the possibility of raising, first, certified seed potatoes, then great quantities for market. He had long been one of the largest carlot potato merchants in the country.
The unique feature about Ed Anderson's operation, is the way he gets his potatoes to market. He bought twofold automobile ferries from the State of Michigan, converted each into a massive storage bin by building bulkheads on both ends and adding insulation. One held 100,000 bushels, the other 70,000 — then towed them across Lake Michigan to Benton Harbor, Mich. Enroute the potatoes were sorted, graded and packaged, so they were ready for customers' trucks waiting at dockside.
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Steam threshing rig at Washington Island.
https://archive.co.door.wi.us/jsp/RcWebImageViewer.jsp?doc_id=1e8fc801-90a4-4104-8e86-19a1ea0947dc/wsbd0000/20151119/00000232&pg_seq=81
https://archive.co.door.wi.us/jsp/RcWebImageViewer.jsp?doc_id=1e8fc801-90a4-4104-8e86-19a1ea0947dc/wsbd0000/20151119/00000232&pg_seq=82
https://archive.co.door.wi.us/jsp/RcWebImageViewer.jsp?doc_id=1e8fc801-90a4-4104-8e86-19a1ea0947dc/wsbd0000/20151119/00000232&pg_seq=83
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
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Articles about history: https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/history
Articles about churches: https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/churches
Articles about the postal service: https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/postal-service
Education-related articles: https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/education-related