In the mid-1800s, Wisconsin was famous for its wheat production. Knowing this, farmers journeyed to the Door Peninsula and quickly planted large crops of the grain. After all, those living in the southern part of the state had already enjoyed great success. Unfortunately, growing wheat alone wore out the soil, which was already limited because of the Niagara Escarpment, a 600 mile long formation of limestone that allows for little soil to form atop it.
This led many farmers to supplement their fields with other small grains, and experiment with crops better adapted to the peninsula’s unique landscape.

Though farms in southern Door County continue to grow wheat and other grasses to this day, others had great success with fruit trees. Joseph Zettel planted the county’s first cherry trees in 1896 and found that they prospered in the shallow soil. After the fruit industry skyrocketed, many families (including the owners of the Petersen Granary) converted their granaries into seasonal housing for orchard workers.