For Immediate Release

Contact: Kara O’Keeffe 
608-261-9596
[email protected]

May 16, 2019

Step into the Stories that Make Madeline Island Enchanting at the Madeline Island Museum

La Pointe, Wis. – Get ready for a season of fun at the Madeline Island Museum, May 25 through October 29, 2019. Madeline Island Museum will kick off opening day with a community open house on May 24, from 5:00 –7:00 pm.

“We want the Madeline Island community to join us for a special open house before the site is officially open,” said Keldi Merton, site director at Madeline Island Museum for the Wisconsin Historical Society. “This is a great opportunity to have a look around and see what's new in 2019.”

This community open house is free and open to the public.

Visitor Appreciation weekend will be held June 1-2, during this weekend guests will receive half-priced admission at the museum.

On July 4, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, guests can attend, “A Day on the Green: Traditional Madeline Island 4^th of July.” This annual Fourth of July celebration is a tradition on Madeline Island.  Island residents and visitors gather on the Madeline Island Museum Green and take part in the day's festivities including a parade, speeches, music, and fireworks.  In the morning, visitors can watch the parade with a program on the green immediately following. The museum will be open all day following the program and don't miss the fireworks at dusk!

See history come alive, July 12-14, at the “Exploring the Lake Superior Fur Trade Festival and Re-Enactment”.  As guests cross over to the island, they will be immersed in a living fur trade encampment on the Madeline Island Museum lawn. This year, the fur trade historians and re-enactors will be focusing on three major themes: the role of the Ojibwe in the fur trade, the life of a voyageur, and the role of birch bark canoe.  The weekend will be packed with interactive programming for the whole family.

Learn about the history of the Treaty of 1854, September 28-29, which established the first Ojibwe reservations in Wisconsin and stipulated the rights of the Ojibwe to hunt, gather, and fish in the ceded territories. This special event commemorates the Treaty of 1854, which was signed at La Pointe, on Madeline Island.  Special activities will be featured during the weekend event.

November 30, shop for all of your holiday gifts during the Island Boutique. The event features local and regional arts and crafts and a soup lunch to benefit the island school parent/teacher association. 

Madeline Island Museum is a great place to explore the history of the island as soon as you arrive. For more information, hours of operation and to start planning your trip visitmadelineislandmuseum.org.

About Madeline Island Museum
Founded in 1958, the Madeline Island Museum tells the story of Madeline Island and surrounding region. Owned and operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society since 1969, the Madeline Island Museum is located in La Pointe, Wisconsin. The Museum is located half a block from the ferry dock. Visit madelineislandmuseum.org for a complete list of programs and events, or call 715-747-2415 for more information. Madeline Island Museum is one of twelve historic sites and museums for the Wisconsin Historical Society. 

About Wisconsin Historical Society

The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.

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