Wisconsin Gems

The Schooner Coast is full of genuine Wisconsin character. Stop by a fish market, cheese shop or supper club to get a real taste of the coast.

Added in 2026

Each of the five towns grew up around its harbor, and each still has a landmark that tells that story better than a brochure. Checked against public records in November 2026:

Manitowoc: the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company built 28 submarines in World War II, half of them Gato class and half Balao class, and employed about 7,000 people at its peak (Wikipedia).
Two Rivers: the Frenchside Fishing Village along the East Twin River was placed on the National Register in 1987 (Wikipedia).
Kewaunee: the Kewaunee Pierhead Light joined the National Register in 2022, and its old fifth-order lens is on display at the county history center (Wikipedia).
Algoma: the Art Dettman Fishing Shanty, listed in 1993, is still used by a commercial fishery (Wikipedia).
Sturgeon Bay: the Michigan Street Bridge opened on July 4, 1931 and was added to the National Register in 2008 (Wikipedia).

Questions visitors ask

Which is the biggest town on the Schooner Coast?

Manitowoc, with 34,626 people in the 2020 census. Then come Two Rivers (11,271), Sturgeon Bay (9,646), Algoma (3,243) and Kewaunee (2,837).

Which counties do the five towns belong to?

Manitowoc and Two Rivers are in Manitowoc County, Kewaunee and Algoma in Kewaunee County, and Sturgeon Bay is the county seat of Door County.

Is commercial fishing still done on the coast?

Yes, on a small scale. Algoma's Art Dettman Fishing Shanty is still in commercial use, and Two Rivers' Frenchside district is one of the longest-running fishing communities on the Great Lakes.

Original text restored from the Wayback Machine capture of May 7, 2015. Typos and dead links were tidied; nothing else in the original section was rewritten. How this archive works.