STURGEON BAY

city, seat (1851) of Door county, northeastern Wisconsin, U.S. The city is a lake port at the head of Sturgeon Bay, which is an inlet of Green Bay on the western side of the Door Peninsula. The federal government maintains a ship canal, constructed across the peninsula in 1878, connecting Green Bay with Lake Michigan. Sturgeon Bay was settled as a lumbering community in the 1850s and was named for the once-abundant sturgeon in local lake waters. Shipbuilding and cherry processing are the main occupations. The scenic beauty of the area makes the city headquarters of an important tourist trade. Inc. 1883. Pop. (1990) 9,176.