The History of Clark Lake

For generations, Clark Lake has been a special place for families who come here to fish, swim, boat, gather with neighbors and enjoy one of Door County’s most beautiful natural settings. But the lake’s story began long before the first cottages appeared along its shores.

An Ancient Landscape

Clark Lake was shaped by the glaciers and ancient waters that formed the Door Peninsula. Today, it is the second-largest inland lake in Door County, covering approximately 865 acres, with an average depth of about seven feet.

Logan Creek enters Clark Lake from the north, carrying cold, clear spring-fed water from the Lost Lake area. Water leaves the lake through Whitefish Bay Creek and eventually reaches Lake Michigan.

People have been drawn to this area for thousands of years. Archaeological discoveries at nearby Whitefish Dunes have documented multiple periods of Native American occupation dating back more than 2,000 years. The abundant fish and wildlife of Clark Lake, Whitefish Bay and the surrounding wetlands made this an attractive place to live, hunt and fish.

John P. Clark and the Early Fishing Era

Clark Lake takes its name from John P. Clark, one of the area’s earliest European-American settlers.

Clark arrived in the vicinity around 1838 and became involved in a substantial commercial fishing operation along Whitefish Bay. By the early 1840s, John and his brother Isaac Clark were operating a fishery that employed dozens of fishermen during the season.

Whitefish, lake trout and other fish were caught in large quantities, salted and packed into wooden barrels for shipment to markets around the Great Lakes.

The inland lake near Clark’s operation eventually became known as Clark Lake.

Clark Lake Becomes a Vacation Destination

For much of the 1800s, Clark Lake remained surrounded by forests, wetlands and farms, with very little development along its shoreline.

That began to change around the turn of the 20th century.

One of the earliest recreation destinations developed on the northwest side of the lake. The property included a dance hall, hotel, tavern, pavilion, clubhouse, cottages and boats for rent.

By 1912, newspaper accounts were advertising celebrations at Clark Lake featuring music and dancing. Improved roads made the lake increasingly accessible, and people came to fish, picnic, swim and spend weekends at the water.

After World War I, larger properties around the lake began to be divided into cottage lots. During the 1920s and following decades, more families established summer homes along the shoreline.

Clark Lake was becoming the lake community we recognize today.

A Growing Lake Community

Fishing remained central to life at Clark Lake. State records show fish-management and stocking efforts dating back many decades, while boating, swimming and hunting became increasingly popular.

By 1965, the Wisconsin Surface Water Inventory documented just how much Clark Lake had changed.

The state counted:

116 shoreline dwellings
3 boat liveries
58 acres of bordering woody wetlands

The report described Clark Lake’s water as clear, its bottom primarily sand and rock, and noted the lake’s popularity for fishing, boating and fall waterfowl hunting.

The transformation from a largely undeveloped lake to a recreational community was well underway.

Protecting Clark Lake

As development and recreational use increased, so did awareness that Clark Lake needed active stewardship.

Residents organized through the Clark Lake Advancement Association (CLAA) to protect the lake and represent the interests of the Clark Lake community.

Over the years, the CLAA and its volunteers have worked on water quality, fisheries, aquatic vegetation, invasive species, shoreline protection, boating safety and preservation of important natural areas.

Clark Lake residents have participated in formal water-quality monitoring for decades, creating a valuable long-term record of the health of the lake.

Particular attention has been given to the north end of Clark Lake and Logan Creek. The Logan Creek corridor contains extensive wetlands, springs, forests and wildlife habitat and is recognized as an environmentally significant part of the Clark Lake watershed.

Clark Lake Today

Clark Lake has changed enormously since John P. Clark arrived in the area nearly two centuries ago.

Early fishing camps gave way to summer cottages. Many cottages became year-round homes. Rowboats and fishing skiffs were joined by sailboats, pontoons and modern recreational boats.

But much of what has attracted people to Clark Lake remains unchanged.

It is still about early mornings on the water, fishing from the pier, swimming, sailing, sunsets, Fourth of July celebrations, gatherings with neighbors and generations of families creating memories at the lake.

The history of Clark Lake is more than the history of a body of water. It is the story of the people who have enjoyed it, cared for it and worked to preserve it.

That history continues today — and protecting Clark Lake will help ensure that future generations have their own stories to tell.

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Share Your Clark Lake History

Do you have old photographs, postcards, maps, newspaper clippings or stories about Clark Lake?

The Clark Lake Advancement Association would like to help preserve them. Historical photographs and family stories can help us document how Clark Lake has changed — and what has remained the same — from one generation to the next.