Summary
Sandy Bay Pier
Restricted site, Town of Carlton, Kewaunee County
The Sandy Bay Pier site is significant as a surviving and early example of a resource crucial to Euro-American transformation of Kewaunee County and the midwestern United States. The Sandy Bay Pier represents the rural coastal heritage of Kewaunee County and the infrastructure that facilitated the creation of the county’s agrarian economy during the Colonization era. The pier served as a point of disembarkation, embarkation, export, import, and resupply serving area residents and owners of the adjacent Sandy Bay sawmill and commercial complex in the years immediately prior to and the decades after the 1854 Treaty of the Wolf River, when the forests of the northwestern Lake Michigan coast were opened for exploitation and Euro-American colonization.
The pier represents a nexus where the lumber trade and immigration interfaced to permanently alter Kewaunee County’s landscape and economic system. Archaeological deposits around the pier have the potential to supplement historic records regarding the often-unnoted people who worked on the pier, trod its decks, and frequented the waters around it.
Property Details
| Criteria | Information Potential |
|---|---|
| Area Of Significance | Archeology/Historic - Non-Aboriginal,Transportation |
| Period of Significance | 1851-c 1885 |
| Architectural Style | No Style Listed |
| Architect | Unknown |
| Resource Type | Site |
| Historic Use | Water-Related |
Resources Within The Property
| Contributing Buildings | 0 |
|---|---|
| Contributing Sites | 1 |
| Contributing Structures | 0 |
| Contributing Objects | 1 |
| Non-Contributing Buildings | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Sites | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Structures | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Objects | 0 |
Designations
| Historic Status | Listed in the State Register |
|---|---|
| National Historic Landmark Listing Date | Nov 14, 2025 |
| Historic Status | Listed in the National Register |
| National Historic Landmark Listing Date | May 21, 2026 |
State & National Registers of Historic Places
The State Register and National Register recognize buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are significant in national, state, or local history. The State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service maintains the list for Wisconsin and makes the data available to the public for research and education.
Questions?
Wondering about if your property is eligible or have other questions about the registers, reach out today!
Email UsAttribution
For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier.
The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.
For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.
Sandy Bay Pier Listed in the National Register of Historic Places
Friday, June 05, 2026
The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the Sandy Bay Pier in the National Register of Historic Places on May 21, 2026.
Sandy Bay Pier
Lake Michigan
The Sandy Bay pier is located offshore from the grounds of the Kewaunee Power Station. It is one of several mid-19th century private commercial bridge piers along the Kewaunee County coast, each ma...
STATE HIGHWAY 42 AND SANDY BAY RD, NW CNR
26258
Located in Carlton, Kewaunee County
Sprague's Pier
Lake Michigan
Sprague's Pier, otherwise known as the Sprague & Owen Pier or Robert's Pier, is located within the exclusion zone of the Kewaunee Power Station. The pier was one of the earliest, and the smallest, ...
In Lake Michigan at E end of South Pier at Kewaunee River mouth, 0.5 miles E of Route 42
100007998
Located in Kewaunee, Kewaunee County
