Detroit Island
island in Door County, Wisconsin
Detroit Island is an island in Lake Michigan in the southern part of the town of Washington in Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The island has a land area of 2.578 km2 (0.9955 sq mi, or 637.12 acres), out of which 27.6% is open to the public. The northern end of the island borders the waters of Detroit Harbor.
In 1967 there were no taxable buildings erected on the island, but after one of the four landowners began subdividing and selling lots, seasonal residences were built. Six residences were developed by 1978. The Door County Board of Supervisors, the Town of Washington, and the Detroit Island Landowners' Association opposed plans by the state Department of Natural Resources to acquire the entire island for use as a park.
Grand Traverse Island State Park was founded in 1970 and protects slightly more than 5 acres (2.0 ha) of land on Detroit Island. It consists of five discontiguous parcels and there is no ferry access. 22.25 acres (9.00 ha) adjacent to two of the state park parcels are owned by the Door County Land Trust and are open to the public as part of the Detroit Harbor Nature Preserve.
The current purpose of the state park is to "maintain public access to provide opportunities for hunting, fishing, trapping, walking, wildlife watching and nature study and other compatible nature-based outdoor recreation activities." Deer, ruffed grouse, and waterfowl have been hunted on the island.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Detroit Island” is island in Door County, Wisconsin. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Detroit, Island and island, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “island in Door County, Wisconsin” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
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 Aug 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5265950. Authority coordinates are 45.317, -86.911. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1967, 1978 and 1970.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. 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 Island”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Detroit Island primary sources, Detroit Island 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
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Detroit Island”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Detroit Island” 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.