ISLAND WATERFRONT - Then and Now - Part IV

Washington Island -

Continuing the theme of looking at the Washington Island waterfront as time changed, I've come across photos that interest me, and I hope readers who have a connection to Washington Island are similarly interested.

My personal knowledge, and the photos readily available to me help me to make connections.  Most of these photos center on Detroit Harbor, but there are occasional, interesting side trips to other harbors and piers.   I'll admit these are not placed in a chronological sequence.  Rather, I've followed what piques my interest, and also what pops up that seems to make a connected story or sub-theme.

The photo above, for instance, is a fairly recent one.  I've received aerial photos over the years from pilots (Jack Cornell, Tim Graul and Ed Graf, to name a few) but I believe I took this one seated in the rear seat of an ultralight, behind pilot Butch Gordon, in February 1990.  (If anyone believes I'm wrong, please let me know!)

I was interested in obtaining photos for the book Over and Back (published later that summer), and Butch offered to take me up in his small plane one late afternoon when the sun's angle was low in the sky.  At the island ferry dock as shown above are five ferries, with the C. G. Richter moored on the end of the pier, and the Voyageur moored at the Standard Oil dock's north side.  (Both of those ferries were sold years later.)  At this time, all Hansen Oil product tanks were still in place, and you can see autos parked south of the tanks, in the general area that is now open pavement leading to the new ferry terminal entrance (completed in1996).  The old ferry office on the dock was still painted white, later to become "federal blue."

Eric Bonow,  from Superior, Wisconsin, who enjoys digging into history, especially anything to do with regional maritime activity, visited last week.  In our conversation Eric reminded me how as operators we had to avoid a shoal area located directly astern of where the C. G. Richter is moored.  This shoal wasn't dredged until around the year 2000.   To safely leave the channel and head in to the pier, we used a range consisting of the light pole in line with the old office door.   Then we were assured of staying in deep enough water.  This shallow hump (with about 6-8 feet of water over it) also had to be avoided during ice breaking around the docks -  just one more deterrent that, when eventually removed, was longer thought about.

The relationship of the current ferry dock to the adjacent Standard Oil pier, and to the Island Outpost dock north of that, is clearly shown in this photo, and that's the main reason why I chose to feature it here.

Below is a May 1930 survey of the ferry dock property (the earliest survey I've seen), courtesy of Eric's sleuthing at the Courthouse.   I believe this survey was produced because of an impending sale of land from  Ole Christiansen to Captain William Jepson, who before that sale operated his ferries from the far eastern side of Detroit Harbor.   Ole's marine railway is indicated in the survey.

May 1930 survey of Standard Oil (previously the Cornell Tract)
and Ole Christiansen tracts  (later Wm. Jepson's, then WIFL)
in Detroit Harbor.

In a previous blog, I wrote that Ole was co-owner of a pier in Jackson Harbor, along with Bo Anderson, and a chart and photos Eric passed along show where that pier was located.  The photo is an old postcard, and although its not entirely clear in this version, piled lumber can be seen on shore and an unidentified small sailing vessel is at the pier, presumably loading - year unknown.

Related text reprints from the Advocate newspaper follow:

 Door County Advocate - 2.28.1903:
   The bulk of the Forster Lumber Co. lands have been sold mostly to settlers, the heaviest investors being Bo L. Anderson and Capt. Ole Christianson (sp), who secured about 500 acres.  These gentlemen are now engaged in building a dock inside the east point near the entrance to Jackson Harbor.  The cribs have all been completed and the stringers are now being laid.  There are two gangways to the main structure, which will prevent all backing or turning by teams.  Three vessels will be able to lay at the dock at the same time.  Captain Christianson is superintending the work which is a full guarantee that the structure will be put up in good shape.   The entrance to Jackson Harbor is shallow, so that only light going craft are able to pass in our out.  The owners contemplate removing the bar, which is only a few yards wide. They will likely have a small dredge do this work, although Captain Christianson has told us that he could remove the bar by other means, but at all events it will require a good outlay, but when this obstruction is away, allowing large vessels to load at the dock, it will fully pay for the outlay.  Besides that several of those owning timber lands on the northeast side have expressed their willingness to help pay for the expense in deepening the inlet. The enterprise of Messrs. A & C is sure to have the effect to build up Jackson Harbor.  There are thousands of cords of wood to go over the dock, and shipping is bound to be lively for some time to come.

Jackson Harbor shown on 1922 Lake Survey
Chart.  (Courtesy of Eric Bonow)

Door County Advocate - 7.30.1904:
Capt. Ole Cristianson is and has been engaged in the wood trade between Jackson Harbor and Milwaukee with the schooner Madonna. The Lucy Graham, Capt. Goodletson, is also carrying fuel from the same place to Manitowoc.  She came here on Saturday night for the sixth time so far this year.  The crew report that the yards are filling up rapidly, and the delivery will have to stop soon until more room can be secured.  Although 36 years old the Lucy is as sound as a trivet, having been well taken care of by her owner.  She was built at Sturgeon Bay in the winter of 1868 by the late Capt. Robert Graham, one of the pioneer residents of the county.

Door County Advocate - 12.3.1904:
The portable sawmill for Christianson & Anderson has arrived, and is now being set up.  The firm has enough orders ahead to keep the outfit busy the greater part of the winter.  Strange to say the demand all comes from the islanders, who are rather adverse to sawing their stove wood by the old and laborious method when it can be done by steam in one fraction of the time.  The buck saw is a thing of the past.

Door County Advocate - 3.4.1905
A good deal of cordwood is being banked every working day at Jackson Harbor, and the owners anticipate god prices again for this commodity.  There are two piers over which the wood will be shipped, that of Anderson & Christianson and Ras. Hansen.  The latter, which formerly belonged to Capt. Denio, is undergoing a substantial rebuild this season.

Door County Advocate - 10.10.1907
Rasmus Hansen is steadily improving and developing his Jackson Harbor property which has in late years become one of the most important shipping points in this region. 
The Lucy Graham has been lying at Jackson Harbor for more than a week waiting for a load.  Capt. Goodletson says that wood is getting very scarce in these parts, but he hopes to get in a few more trips before the end of the season.
  Chas. Anderson, Matt Swenson and Ben Jensen are building a structure on the south side of Jackson Harbor to be used for a saw mill, and as soon as it shall be completed the outfit will be removed to that place from the west side of the pond.  Business is pretty lively at that point, as there is considerable wood being banked and carried to market by the schooner Madonna, Capt. Ole Christianson.

Postcard - Jackson Harbor, inside Carlins Point, early 1900s.

After nine more years, the shipment of timber had slowed…and it was around this time the Madonna was abandoned in Detroit Harbor west of Snake Island.   Ole Christianson may have concentrated his efforts from that point forward at his shipyard on Lobdell Point.

Door county Advocate - 4.6.1916:
The Jackson Harbor Mill Co. will begin their spring sawing this week. Lumbering is nearly a thing of the past on the Island, the stock of logs being comparatively small.  But, still we wonder where so many come from.

  - Dick Purinton

ROCK, CONCRETE & STEEL

Work began Sunday, March 23, on the east end
of the Island ferry dock. Ramp in foreground was removed
for access to footings beneath.  This ramp was used more
than any of the other landing points since
installation in 2000.

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

Dredging around island ferry docks was nearly complete as of this past Sunday, March 23.  Work immediately shifted from removal of bottom material to the repair of the docks themselves.

The original foundations for these piers were wooden cribs, protected by driven, wooden piles.  The first work was completed around 1931, when Captain Bill Jepson moved his ferry operation from the shipyard at the eastern end of the harbor to the former Ole Christianson boatyard site.  Slowly, those docks were expanded upon and repaired over time.  During the 1960s, interlocking sheets of steel were driven outside the wooden structure.  This provided a tight and lasting perimeter for the wooden pier, encompassing all of the rock and fines that filled the interior.  Concrete was added later to the margins, both below and above dock surface, caulking holes that appeared from time to time from settlling.  This capped the material that lay beneath the dock and provided a cleaner, more durable surface.  It was thought at the time each work phase was completed, that stability would be brought to that portion of the pier for decades to come.

View from end of island pier looking west, shows pier
 under construction with A-frame pile driver / dredge
moored to left.  This is the same basic shape as the pier today.
To the north (right) is the Standard Oil dock.
A guess as to the date: 1931

But as will happen with fluctuating water levels, the finest materials wash and settle, and if there is a chance of escaping outside the sheeting, they will.  Voids can open up beneath the concrete and blacktop, and yet for appearances it still looks like one, solid dock.  Large voids within the dock are what occurred in two locations where the interlocking sheets of steel years ago weren't driven deeply enough into the bottom.  Then, lower water levels coupled with aggressive wash from the ferry propellers when backed in stern-first created openings at the foot of those sheets.  This became most pronounced where the ferries back in frequently with props toward the pier, at the east end and south side ramps.

[Last August in order to examine those voids, Hoyt Purinton dove with a video camera and filmed the underwater structure.   He discovered dozens of smallmouth bass resting within the shade of those mini-underwater caves.  You can see several minutes of his underwater footage - and lots of bass - by going to the Ferry Line's website  wisferry.com     and there will be a tab along the top to take you to the Facebook page.  Hoyt is working with that video so that it will load more easily.   Patience, please!]

Step one in repair was removal of the 20 x 20 steel ramp from its foundations at the end of the dock, so that a hammer could break up the concrete cap.  Like a dentist drilling into a decayed tooth, large voids were exposed, and the result was nearly as painful to see as the trip to the dentist can be under such circumstances.   The exposed cavities beneath the concrete were larger than anticipated, and the scope of work quickly expanded.  (Thinking root canal, I was...)

Added to our current navigational problems with water depth is the fact that these adjustable ramps have been at their lowest possible settings most of this past year.  The steel and concrete foundation "floor" prevented them from going lower.  But low water also presents the perfect opportunity to fix the pier and to lower the ramp.

A horizontal beam called a whaler ties all of the sheets together in a straight line, and such a beam was installed on the inside face of the sheeting.  The lowest practical point a whaler can be attached to sheets is just above the lake level, where cutting and welding and fitting can be managed.  Now that the water level is down, this whaler can be lowered to accommodate the new lake level.  The H-beam whaler and the 1-1/8" steel rods that tie it in place are fastened to a pile driven vertically into the pier and later covered up with fill.  This whole arrangement can be installed to accommodate the new lake levels.  (Some day, this installation may be beneath the lake if water levels rise.  But we'll deal with that if and when it happens.)

Rich Ellefson inspects and pulls pieces of broken concrete
from one of the two deepest voids on either side of the ramp box.
Daylight can be seen, down five feet and to his left.

This project may sound fairly easy and straight forward, but there are many steps, each with a great deal of handwork:  cutting concrete; cutting steel, welding and grinding,  besides use of heavy equipment to break up and lift concrete and rock.

The two deepest voids, on each side of the ramp box, had to be dug by hand, one piece of rock or concrete at a time.  Those large boulders seen piled on the dock in the top photo were set aside by Mike Kahr from recent dredge spoils.  They'll be packed into the voids to anchor the base of the sheets from inside the pier.  To that mass will then be added smaller pieces of broken, jagged rock.  Concrete with steel reinforcement will cap the rough rock.

This project is expected to take several more weeks, during which time the bay and harbor ice may begin to soften.  (Night time temperatures are still lower 20s, and we've barely been above 35 for the daytime temperature.)  Its a good bet ice will still be around, in and near our route during that time, so the Potato Dock remains the landing of choice.

Excavator breaker was used to open up concrete
foundation (about 10 inches thick) and create trenches for tie-backs
to the new deadman, the pile driven at left.

Besides extensive dock work is the pair of engines and gears waiting on the deck of the Eyrarbakki for installation, back on the island after major overhaul.

There has been no shortage of winter work.  Keeping our heads (and keels) above water has not been easy.

-  Dick Purinton

BACK TO MUD

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

There's not a great deal to add to the above photo.

Mud spoils are off-loaded to dump trucks at the island ferry dock by Mike Kahr, Death's Door Marine Construction, and hauled to the Hagen gravel pit.   Areas of less than 9-ft. depth were recorded in a bottom survey last fall.  Much of the maneuvering area is too shallow for the Arni J. Richter, and close to the keel for other ferries.

Island dredging has now been half-way completed.

Above photo taken 3.13.13 - Purinton

The good news, according to Ferry Line vice-president Rich Ellefson, is that water levels improved six inches since December.  This is a trend we hope continues, as snow melt and spring rains add to the lake depths.  For now, and possibly into April, we may continue to use the Potato Dock, even though the surface is getting muddier by the day.

Movement of the Robert Noble from our service dock to the end of the main dock (noted by several who look at our web cam) was to open up the area for dredging.   Ice still covers the harbor, a good 16 to18 inches of ice, and with cold weather recently overnight (low 'teens) we can expect to see ice beyond the month's end, and maybe later.

-  Dick Purinton

Harbor scene early Saturday morning,
Mike Kahr's barge being positioned
for drilling final core samples. (Purinton)
 

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

This is being written Tuesday morning, on what we hope will be the final day of major dredging at the Potato Dock.  There will be more dredging over the next few weeks, but in smaller volumes, as areas around the main ferry landings are brought to useable depths.

A reminder of the Potato Dock dredging project goal:  safe navigation and maneuverability at one island landing for our winter ferry, Arni J. Richter (draft of slightly over 11-ft.,loaded.)  The Detroit Harbor channel is now too shallow to chance regular passage with that ferry, the Ferry Line's only ice breaking vessel.   Other ferries draw less water, and because we've not had ice to contend with yet this winter, we've made daily trips much as before, loading at our regular docks using the ferry Washington. (Eyrarbakki and Robert Noble are currently in winter lay-up.)

Roen's project supervisor and crew chief Don Sarter said, "It's time.  We're ready to head home.  It's been a long season."  Ice hasn't yet set in near Sturgeon Bay heavy enough to cause them difficulties in navigating home, a good thing, and winter maintenance and a return to more normal working hours and home life lies ahead.  The crews work in the outdoors, 10-12 hour days, with two crews alternating shift time since Jan. 2nd in order to gain on the production of dredge spoils.

Mike Kahr arrived in port with his barge Wednesday from Fish Creek, and he provided a work platform for Subsurface Exploration Services, LLC, of Green Bay, with its drill rig and operators, along with a Foth Environmental Engineering representative as observer.  Their objective was to obtain representative core samples along the channel bottom that will reveal what type of material a contractor  might encounter after the channel dredging project is bid.  (We're saying "when,"not "if," with optimism that project funding will be approved, in this case by the State of Wisconsin.)

Core sampling resumed Saturday morning for the final holes (and that's when the above photo was taken) as the Kahr barge with drill rig and workers headed out the channel.   Early morning conditions were perfect for stable drilling outside the harbor entrance light.  The photo below was taken by Jim Rose earlier, on Friday, when the rig worked near lighted aid #5.

Kahr work barge with drill rig.  (Jim Rose photo)

 Regular traffic and logging trucks  continued to be ferried aboard the Washington.  Saturday, with Captain Bill Jorgenson down with the flu and Joel Gunnlaugsson driving dump truck, I had a chance to try the helm on three round trips.

Saturday morning log trucks. (Purinton)

Aside from light ice surrounding island landings, no ice is in sight on the route, getting on in January for such a condition to be observed.  It makes me wonder what ice cover we'll ultimately see over upper Green Bay this winter.

While the lack of ice and extreme cold aided greatly to complete the recent weeks' dredging and trucking tasks, ice cover can supposedly slow evaporation of surface water, at least from that small percentage of the lake typically ice covered each winter.  Aside from the rain, sleet and snowfall of several weeks ago, we've since had a dry spell for precipitation.

Monday brought very strong SW winds (30+ mph), but both the Kahr and Roen crews kept dredging, two excavators digging from neighboring barges, tucked in the lee of  the Potato Dock to find calm water.  Sunday's production marked what may have been the highest 12-hour volume so far.  It took more than 66 truckloads to empty the barge, given a good daytime production.  The pile of spoils on the barge was being replenished every few hours with the added stones and hardpan from Mike Kahr's barge.

-  Dick Purinton

TIPTOE THROUGH THE PERIWINKLES

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

"Richard, can you help me create something that I can mount some shoes on - old wooden clogs - in front of my shop windows?"

The idea shopowner Ruth Gunnerson had was to provide pockets for plants: petunias, periwinkles and such.  (I have no idea what I'm talking about in flower-speak.)

I procrastinated on this project for several weeks until one afternoon, while shopping the metal pile at the Island Exchange, I  came across a thing that had been welded up from old hay rake tines.  These were tines that are about 3/8" diameter rod, hardened, and are bent with a loop in them for spring action in the event of striking a large stone in the field.

There were five such tines goobered together with weld, as if the outcome had been intended for use as an outdoor table base.

These I disassembled, having to cut them in half with a torch as I did so.  Then I rewelded the pieces into approximately 40-inch standards with loops on the top end , and with small washers welded to the loops.  Then, selecting from an ample supply of old wooden clogs saved by Ruth, I chose several with brighter colors to fasten with screws to the washers.  I pushed each finished planter into the ground the other morning and waited for Ruth to do the rest.

Fortunately, the idea seemed to work, and more importantly, Ruth seemed pleased.   Well, that's a cheap birthday gift in advance.  (Our birthdays are nearly the same day in September, as is Mary Dawn, Ruth's sister, and son Hoyt.)   Old shoes, old metal, new use.

Stop by the Kaupstadur to admire her flowers-in-clogs when you are out shopping.

- Dick Purinton