The Historic Fishing Camps and Cabins of the Apostle Islands

A look at historic fish camps and the tradition of staying on the islands

For more than a century, the Apostle Islands were home to some of the most iconic commercial fishing camps on Lake Superior. Scattered across the archipelago, these small clusters of cabins, sheds, docks, and net houses tell the story of a way of life shaped by the lake itself. While most visitors explore the Apostle Islands by boat or hiking trail today, the historic fish camps offer a rare glimpse of what it once meant to live and work along this rugged, beautiful shoreline.

Two of the best preserved examples are the Benson Fish Camp on Rocky Island and the historic Manitou Fish Camp on Manitou Island.

The Benson Fish Camp on Rocky Island

Rocky Island was once a busy seasonal community of Scandinavian American fishing families who came to the islands each spring to set nets for herring and trout. Among these families were the Bensons, who built a simple collection of cabins and working structures close to shore. Their camp, like many others in the islands, was practical and modest, designed for the hard work of fishing rather than comfort.

Today the Benson Fish Camp is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognized for its role in documenting the commercial fishing industry that shaped communities across northern Wisconsin. Walking the beach and imagining the daily routines that unfolded here is like stepping back into an earlier chapter of Lake Superior history.

The Historic Manitou Fish Camp

Manitou Island Fish Camp Today

Another remarkable example sits on Manitou Island, where the National Park Service has stabilized and restored the historic fish camp for visitors. Originally used by commercial fishermen for decades, the Manitou camp includes a log cabin, net house, privy, and work areas that show how fishermen lived with the rhythms of the lake. The structures here feel untouched by time, and the island’s quiet setting makes it easy to picture boats pulling in at dusk, nets hanging to dry, and the smell

of woodsmoke drifting from the cabin.

The National Park Service maintains the site today as an outdoor museum of sorts, giving visitors a chance to understand how important these camps were to the cultural and economic life of the region.

Visiting the Fish Camps Today

While these historic structures sit on remote islands within Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, they are still accessible to visitors. One of the easiest ways to see them is by taking the True North Island Hopping Adventure operated out of Bayfield. The route varies with conditions, but it often includes landings or shoreline visits near Rocky Island, Manitou Island, and other places where the old fishing tradition still feels present. Seeing the preserved cabins in person adds a powerful sense of scale and atmosphere that photos simply can’t capture.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and Cabin Stays Today

When Apostle Islands National Lakeshore was established in 1970, nearly all of the islands came under federal protection. The only exception was Madeline Island, which remained outside the National Lakeshore boundary and continued its long tradition as a working island, community, and place for visitors to stay.

Because of that distinction, Madeline Island is now the only island in the Apostles where travelers can stay in a private cabin. For people who love the history of the fish camps, staying on Madeline Island offers a modern way to experience island life while still being close to the sites that defined the region’s fishing heritage.

A Modern Cabin Experience Inspired by Island History

North Channel Cabin, located on the quiet shoreline facing the Apostle Islands, carries this tradition forward in a contemporary way. Though designed with comfort in mind rather than the rugged work of historic fishing families, the experience of staying on an island in Lake Superior still connects visitors to the same rhythms of water, weather, and landscape that shaped the old camps. Watching the sun rise over the National Lakeshore or listening to waves along the bluff gives guests a sense of the same elemental beauty that drew those early fishermen to the islands.

Exploring the historic fish camps during the day and returning to a warm, comfortable cabin at night creates a memorable way to appreciate both the past and present of the Apostle Islands. For anyone interested in the region’s history, scenery, or island atmosphere, the combination of visiting Rocky or Manitou Island and staying on Madeline offers a rare chance to experience the islands in a deeper, more meaningful way.