| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Menominee River, Marinette, Wisconsin |
| Coordinates | 45°06′07″N87°37′45″W / 45.1019294°N 87.6292735°W |
| Administration | |
Stephenson Island (formerly "Stephenson Isle" [1] ) is located in the Menominee River within the boundary of Marinette, Wisconsin at a latitude of 45.1019294 north and longitude 87.6292735 west, [2] at an elevation of 587 feet. [3] It is named after Isaac Stephenson, [3] [4] a prominent politician and lumberman in Marinette at the turn of the 20th century. The island is operated as a city park and is uninhabited. [5] US Highway 41 runs across it, which provides access to the park's pavilion, gazebo, playground, and picnic areas. [5]
A footbridge to the island connects from the Marinette side of the river, adjacent to the Wisconsin Tourist Information building and the Stephenson Public Library. [5] In homage to the city's logging past, there is a logging museum on the island, operated by the Marinette County Historical Society. [5] [6] The island is a popular place for access to the Menominee River for sport fishing and launching recreational boats. [7]
The island is the location for Marinette's Civil War memorial, The Soldiers Memorial. It is a figure of a soldier at parade rest, hewn from pink Westerly granite. The memorial is a total of 25 feet high and was given by Isaac Stephenson. It was dedicated in 1917. [1] The memorial was designed by architect Wallace W. DeLong of Appleton, Wisconsin. [8]
The island's facilities host Marinette's "Sunset Concert Series" for Marinette's concerts. (Other concerts in the series are hosted by Marinette's twin city, Menominee, Michigan.) [4]
When Marinette had a Fourth of July celebration, fireworks would be launched from Stephenson Island. [9] This ended in 2012 and has been replaced with a "Marinette Logging and Heritage Fest" in mid-July. [10]