Two of the newest additions to the National Register of Historic Places can be found in Kewaunee County.

Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Historical Society announced the addition of the Town of Carlton's Sandy Bay Pier and Algoma's Tug John Evenson shipwreck to the National Register of Historic Places.

Located offshore from the Kewaunee Power Station, the pier served as an important part of the economy in the mid-1800s, supporting area residents as well as the nearby Sandy Bay sawmill and commercial complex. It played a key role in the years immediately before and the decades after the 1854 Treaty of Wolf River, when forests along the northwestern Lake Michigan coast were opened to exploitation and Euro-American settlement.

The Wisconsin Historical Society also points to archaeological deposits found around the site that help tell the story of the people and businesses that relied on Sandy Bay Pier.

In 1895, the 54-foot tugboat John Evenson was assisting the I. Watson Stephenson a few miles northeast of Algoma when it crossed in front of the larger steamer's bow and was crushed.

The vessel was discovered by Brendon Baillod and Bob Jaeck in 2024 before being added to the State Register of Historic Places last year.

Picture of the John Evenson courtesy of Brendon Baillod