You will see a reimagined Native American settlement in the future, thanks to the input of local tribes. For years, Whitefish Dunes State Park featured replica wigwam structures and prehistoric tools to showcase what life would have been like for Native Americans living along the Lake Michigan shoreline. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, several native tribes, including the Potawatomi and the Oneota, called the land now known as Whitefish Dunes State Park home. Friends of Whitefish Dunes State Park President John Swanson says recently, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation visited the park and cited some of the inaccuracies in their tribute to Native Americans. Swanson says that dialogue started a process that will now see the Friends group start from scratch and ensure the new replica settlement is historically accurate.

Swanson, much of the funding for the improvements comes from grants received from Destination Door County. He hopes to have a conceptual drawing of the site by mid-summer.

Picture courtesy of Destination Door County