Torstenson’s Pier / Hedgehog Harbor
Gallery
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Torstenson's Pier and Sardinia and Maria Shipwrecks site plan
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Timber and crib stones
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Crib stones
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Timber and crib stones
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Crib stones
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Timber and crib stones
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Timber and crib stones
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Possible Torstensen's Pier layout and shipwreck area, overlaid on modern aerial imagery
 
Details
Attraction
Location
Body of Water: Lake Michigan
Trail Name: Green Bay/Door County
Year Built: 1873
Nearest Address: 926 Cottage Rd, Ellison Bay, Wisconsin, 54210
Nearest City: Ellison Bay
County: Door
Zip Code: 54210
Latitude: N 45° 17.193332'
Longitude: W -87‎° 01.457913'
Attraction
Features
Open to public?: No
Mooring buoy?: No
Mooring buoy in place?: No
Snorkelable?: Yes
Dive guide?: No
Trails sign?: No
National Register?: No
Attraction
Description
Hedgehog Harbor was home to three piers within a half mile of each other that operated simultaneously in various states of competition, cooperation, and unease. Hedgehog Harbor is located at the northern tip of the Door County Peninsula between Gill’s Rock to the east and Garrett Bay to the west. The harbor opens onto the Death’s Door Passage between Lake Michigan and Green Bay. The area that became Hedgehog Harbor was named after the porcupines that frequented the area. In the early 1870s, Elias Gill and Hans Torstenson arrived and extended piers into the lake. Gill built his pier in 1873 but put it up for sale a year later. The pier was eventually purchased by Thomas Scott, but he moved to Sturgeon Bay after his election as county vice-coroner. William Voight built his pier in 1880 at the former location of Elias Gill’s pier. Fellow settler Andrew Weborg built his pier between Torstenson’s and Voight’s.

Shipping soon commenced from the harbor. Although Elias Gill is the namesake of Gill’s Rock, Hans Torstenson is described as the community’s founder. Torstenson built a pier store and service buildings. The complex eventually included a sawmill, blacksmith shop, and post office. An unusual occurrence called a “load and run” happened at Torstenson’s pier in 1881. Stevedores were moving lumber on board a vessel for Mike and A. Anderson. The workers took a break for dinner and when they returned, the schooner had disappeared with the unfinished load. The Anderson’s lost their lumber and the workers lost their day’s pay.

Schooners seeking shelter in Hedgehog Harbor during Death’s Door’s famous storms came ashore frequently. In spring 1880, Mrs. Andrew Weborg and William Mulloch were caught in a romantic affair. A resulting mob ran Mulloch out of the area. Lumbering in this region was very strong but diminished just like the other Lake Michigan piers. A portion of Weborg’s Pier was demolished by ice in 1888. In 1889, Torstenson’s complex was chosen as the northern terminus of Door County’s telephone line. As time passed, shipping diminished in size and in scale. In 1900, the post office caught fire and burned to the ground. Weborg Pier continued on as Hedgehog harbor shifted from lumber to fishing. Today, Weborg Fisheries continues the tradition of commercial fishing out of Hedgehog Harbor.
 
Map
 
Nearby
Attractions (7)
Bohemia Town / Duck Bay
Gills Rock Maritime Museum
Newport Maritime Trails Marker
Newport Pier
Newport State Park
S. A. Rogers Main Pier at Rowley’s Bay
Torstenson’s Pier / Hedgehog Harbor
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