Apostle's Rocky Island added to historic register

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The Rocky Island Historic District in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The district encompasses a complex of publicly-owned dwellings and other structures along the eastern shoreline of Rocky Island. Significant from 1931-58, the district is comprised of the Hadland, Benson, Edwards, Nelson and Erickson fish camps.

“I'm delighted that the historic fishing village at Rocky Island has now been officially listed on the National Register,” Apostle Islands National Lakeshore superintendent Bob Krumenaker said in a news release. “It's a testament to the hardy fishermen that struggled to make a living on Lake Superior in all kinds of weather, and how one can't tell the story of this national park without including both nature and people, and how they've changed each other.”

Portions of the Rocky Island Historic District remain under life estates negotiated when the properties were purchased to establish the park, but strategies for the long-term management of the district and the issue of public access will be determined by the park's general management plan. The plan is scheduled to be released for public comment next summer.

The national lakeshore previously had 14 sites listed on the National Register, including its lighthouses, a quarry, a shipwreck, a logging camp, a farm, and two fish camps.

Tags: outdoor, apostle, island, historic, register