At one time, a local fishery once encompassed this entire block. Early sailing vessels would bring their harvests here to be salt packed in barrels and shipped to market. Here in “The Cooperage,” one of the remaining buildings of that fishery, 5 skilled coopers assembled barrels around a huge open hearth. The coopers turned out a high quality, hand made barrel, that was said to hold a “150 pound pack of salt fish.”

Today, power driven fishing boats still land fish here in Bayfield, one of Wisconsin’s most famous fishing villages. Herring are still being salted annually, as it was done over 150 years ago.

National Register of Historic Places

1976

Marker is at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Front Street, on the left when traveling east on Washington Avenue.

Courtesy hmdb.org

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