Holte Fishery/Wright Island: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Isle Royale National Park, National Park Service

The Holte Fishery landscape is located on Wright Island, part of the wilderness archipelago positioned in the northwestern corner of Lake Superior that forms Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park. The fishery is located at a small point of land on the southwestern side of the island, near the mouth of Hopkins Harbor. It is a vernacular landscape that exhibits the Scandinavian character of its initial settlers. Measuring approximately three-quarters of an acre, the property consists of the Holte residence, an addition to the non-extant Johnson residence, a privy, the remains of a net house, and some small scale features. The Holte Fishery landscape reflects the culture and lifestyle of fishermen and their families, as well as the changing technology associated with developments in commercial fishing. The landscape’s period of significance begins in 1920 with the construction of the extant main residence and continues through the peak of the fishing industry, ending when Ingeborg Holte discontinued her husband’s fishing business in 1980. She had continued to sustain the operation following her husband’s death in 1971, assisted by extended family and hired hands. The landscape is important for its associations with the fishing industry and transportation in the region. It is also notable for exhibiting the vernacular architecture that is distinct to this time period in Isle Royale, and for its connections with Scandinavian settlement and heritage. The Holte Fishery has been compared to the Edison Fishery for its representation of a Scandinavian-American fishery operation during the industry’s prime years on Isle Royale, and these are the park’s only two fishing complexes with log structures built specifically for commercial fishing. An influx of miners to the islands during the mid-1800s increased traffic and settlement in the region, expanding opportunities for commercial fishing operations. Fishing activity is known to have occurred here as early as the 1850s, and both Mike and Sam Johnson were fishing out of Wright Island in the 1890s. The extended Johnson family is responsible for construction of the extant buildings on Wright Island, as well as a number of features that no longer exist. Fishing was typically a seasonal activity, and structures were designed to be functional and inexpensive, often constructed using salvaged lumber or buildings re-located from other sites. What began as a family operation at the Holte Fishery expanded with the regional fishing boom between 1915 and 1925. Although the business was challenged by factors such as the Great Depression, park regulations, new invasive species, and unfavorable market conditions, the Holte family continued to fish off the island for many more decades. Overall, The Holte Fishery cultural landscape retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Despite losses and deterioration, the buildings and structures at the station generally maintain integrity and are integral components of the cultural landscape. Today, the island is primarily used for recreational and interpretive purposes as part of the Isle Royale National Park, operated by the National Park Service.

Holte Fishery/Wright Island: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Isle Royale National Park, National Park Service

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