Detroit Harbor (bay)
bay in Door County, Wisconsin, United States of America
Detroit Harbor is a bay between the southern end of Washington Island, and the northern end of Detroit Island. It is located in Washington, Door County, Wisconsin. An unincorporated community also named Detroit Harbor is found on the northern side of the bay. There are three islands inside of the bay, Snake Island, Big Susie Island, and Little Susie Island. The bay is dredged on either side to allow boats through, forming the East and West channels. Both car and passenger ferries to Washington Island go through Detroit Harbor, before they dock. The United States Coast Guard maintains operations in Detroit Harbor through the Washington Island Station. Detroit Harbor is designated as a Wisconsin state natural area by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The public source identifies “Detroit Harbor (bay)” as bay in Door County, Wisconsin, United States of America. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Detroit, Harbor and Door.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Detroit Harbor (bay)”, the useful work is to connect “bay in Door County, Wisconsin, United States of America” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q49376231.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Detroit Harbor (bay)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Detroit Harbor (bay) primary sources, Detroit Harbor (bay) archive and Detroit research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Detroit Harbor (bay)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.