Gills Rock’s Story

Gills Rock, Wisconsin was originally known as "Hedgehog Harbor," the name given it by Washington Island fisherman and boat builder Amos Lovejoy. In 1855, Lovejoy decided to winter his sloop on the shores of a cove he liked to fish. Over that winter, a family of hedgehogs, also known as porcupines, moved on board. When Lovejoy launched his sloop again in spring, he didn't notice the numerous holes the hedgehogs had chewed in the hull. The boat began taking on water through those holes and Lovejoy was forced to abandon the sloop and come ashore. The cove was "Hedgehog Harbor" until 1870 when it and the settlement on it were renamed Gills Rock in honor of Elias Gill, a prominent lumberer.

Gills Rock lies at the very tip of the Door County peninsula, where a strong tradition of commercial fishing continues today. Professional and amateur divers, alike, love to explore the many (some legendary) shipwrecks that scatter along the bottom of the peninsula's treacherous shoals and reefs that belie the beauty and charm of the peninsula itself. Gills Rock offers resident and visiting divers the opportunity to explore the forgotten vessels still lying in and around "Death's Door."

Washington Island, located just above Gills Rock, lies northeast of the peninsula just beyond the straits of Death's Door. This name was given to the six-mile-wide passage between Lake Michigan and Green Bay by Native Americans. The name was translated by French explorers as "Porte des Morts" because the treacherous currents and unpredictable wave action claimed war canoes and schooners alike. (The Door County Maritime Museum offers exhibits in Gills Rock, Cana Island and Sturgeon Bay and eahc locale houses many artifacts from these wrecks as well as chronicling the fishing industry in Door County.)

The nearby Northport Pier at Gills Rock is also the launching and arrival point for regularly-scheduled ferries to Washington Island. These ferries, with their views of spectacular bluffs and rocky shores, make the crossing of Death's Door a pleasure for today's passengers. Once on the island, many visitors take in its leisurely pace and pastoral beauty while bicycling. Door County residents, as well as some visitors, oten prefer to take their cars, rent mopeds or take a guided tour.

Four miles east of Ellison Bay on the Lake Michigan shore lies Rowleys Bay, the gateway to the Mink River estuary. The Nature Conservancy shoreline of pristine wilderness is the home of many rare plants, birds and animal life. The cross on the shoreline is a replica of one built by Jesuit missionaries in the late 1600's. The bay bears the name of Peter Rowley, who lived there during the middle 1800's.

For more information on activities in and around Gills Rock, Wisconsin, visit:

Door County Maritime Museum
Welcome to Washington Island
Door County Living
Door County Online
Door County Vacations
Travel Wisconsin - Door County
Door Bell.Net LakeCam

Gills Rock Homes and Real Estate

Gills Rock real estate includes a wide variety of homes for sale, condos for sale, water access properties, active adult communities, hobby farms and executive properties. With Jamie Sanger and Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group, Inc. as their real estate partner, home buyers and home sellers, alike, can rest assured they’ll find the real estate solution they’ve been looking for.

Sellers who have been in the area for a while know our reputation for knowledgeable advice, enthusiastic service, creative marketing and professional networking. We mine every source for interested buyers so you can feel at ease that your home will attract value and that it will remain in good hands.

For buyers new to the area, Jamie Sanger and Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group, Inc. will provide the specialized services you deserve: a strong work ethic, personal real estate expertise to help define your needs, help with selecting and securing standard financing for your purchase, special technology, constant communication throughout the transaction, and more. Our company has gained a proud reputation for providing superior benefits to our home buying clients as we help them complete their search, from existing homes for sale, properties for sale, lots, vacant land, new construction, 55-plus and retirement communities, investment properties, waterfront, golf and recreational properties, all the way to luxury villas, estates and executive homes.

So when you're ready to buy or sell real estate in or around Gills Rock, Wisconsin, please let Jamie Sanger and Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group, Inc. help you purchase the home or property of your dreams. Contact Jamie Sanger and Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group, Inc. today!

Other nearby communities have similar real estate characteristics as Gills Rock and may also be of interest to you in your home search. Please feel free to ask your friends at Jamie Sanger and Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group, Inc. about homes for sale, lakeside/riverside properties and other real estate listings for nearby communities.

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