In 1885 or 1886, what is now the Coast Guard Station was established at Sturgeon Bay. In 1883, Harry Dankoler at the Door County Advocate set a world typesetting record. Following the fire, some residents decided to use brick instead of wood. Altogether, 128 people in the county perished in the Peshtigo fire. The area of this disaster is now Tornado Memorial County Park, named for a fire whirl which occurred there. When the 1871 Peshtigo fire burned the town of Williamsonville, fifty-nine people were killed. Highway 42 between Sturgeon Bay and Egg Harbor had 27 chronic mudholes, some more than 3,000 feet (910 m) long and passage by wagons was at times unfeasible. There were 25 school districts, but staffing was a challenge due to delinquent taxes. It was difficult to earn enough money to pay taxes, which were often delinquent. The entire assessed valuation of the county that year was $395,000, with an average of $8.00 in tax assessed to each family. Out of the total population of 2,948 people, 170 fought in the Civil War. Fishermen caught lake trout and whitefish, which were sold for two cents per pound. Sturgeon Bay had a population of 230 people. The fishing industry centered on Washington Island, which at 632 persons was the most populated area at the time. The remaining portion of the population consisted of about 1,000 fishermen and their families. The most common product was cordwood a cord of maple sold for 37 and a half cents. Īt the time the Homestead Act of 1862 was passed, most of the county's nearly 2,000 farmers were squatters earning most of their revenue from lumber and wood products. The other patents concerned the sale of land: 711 patents were filed under the Land Act of 1820, 139 patents were filed under the Homestead Act of 1862, and 37 patents were filed under the Morrill Act of 1862. Of these, 774 were bounty-land warrants to veterans authorized by the Scrip Warrant Acts of 1842, 1850, 1852, and 1855. From 1841 to 1932, 1,661 land patents were issued to private citizens. Lots from 40 to 320 acres (16 to 129 ha) were sold at 50 cents an acre. Following the treaty, land in what is now the county was sold or granted to private citizens. Shortly after the 1831 Treaty of Washington, the federal government surveyed what is now Door County to determine the value of the timber and to divide up parcels for eventual sale. They built small roadside votive chapels, some still in use today, and brought other traditions over from Europe such as the Kermiss harvest festival.

In the 19th century, a fairly large-scale immigration of Belgian Walloons populated a small region in the southern portion of the county, including the area designated as the Namur Historic District. In 1855, four Irishmen were accidentally left behind by their steamboat, leading to the settlement of what is now Forestville. Also in 1854 the first post office in the county opened, on Washington Island. An African-American community and congregation worshiping at West Harbor on Washington Island was described in 1854. In 1853, Moravians founded Ephraim after Nils Otto Tank resisted attempts at land ownership reform at the old religious colony near Green Bay.

In 1851, Door County was separated from what had been Brown County.

In 1834, a federal government-operated quarry operation at the mouth of Sturgeon Bay shipped its first stone blocks they were used for a harbor breakwater in Michigan City, Indiana. The first white settler was Increase Claflin. The 19th and 20th centuries saw the immigration and settlement of pioneers, mariners, fishermen, loggers, and farmers. 6.1.4 Most elderly and youthful communities.

Door county webmap