Kewaunee County Courthouse on September 9, 2013
Kewaunee County is located in northeastern Wisconsin – it is the base of the “thumb” formed by Door County. Like Door County it has a shoreline on both Lake Michigan and Green Bay, though to be honest the Green Bay shoreline is fairly minimal. Kewaunee County was created in 1852 from land which had been part of Manitowoc County. The name “Kewaunee” is thought to be derived from a Potawatomi word meaning “river of the lost.”
The city of Kewaunee is the county seat and is located on the Lake Michigan shoreline at the mouth of the Kewaunee River. The Potawatomi Indians were the original inhabitants, and French explorers visited the area in the 17th century. The first permanent European settlement began in 1836. Kewaunee was incorporated as a village in 1873 and as a city in 1883. Kewaunee began as a lumber town, but its natural harbor led to thriving fishing and shipbuilding industries in the late 19th century.
The Kewaunee County Courthouse was built in 1873 and is located on the top of the highest hill in the city of Kewaunee at 613 Dodge Street. It is just a block from Highway 42 (or Main Street) and just a few blocks south of the harbor.
I don’t have much of a connection with Kewaunee County. I’ve passed through it many times on my way to Door County, but that’s because there is no way to get to Door County by land unless you pass though Kewaunee County. In September 2012 I stayed in Algoma the weekend of the Door County Century bike ride, but this was only because I had waited too long to make motel reservations and Algoma was the nearest place I could find something in my price range. This was my first time staying overnight in Kewaunee County. In both 2012 and 2013 I drove home from the Door County Century on Highway 42 along Lake Michigan and had a chance to see a little more of Kewaunee County.
- Kewaunee County links
- Kewaunee photos from September 9, 2013
- Algoma photos from September 8, 2012