The Greenwood Supper Club of Door County in Fish Creek, Wisconsin

The Joe Kwaterski’s recall the interesting years.

Both Joe and Ethel had lived through some exciting times in Door County, and have seen it expand form a depressing economy to the foremost tourist area. They were among a thousand others trying to survive in difficult times and in the process made many friends and contributed to a tradition of hard work within Door County.

Joe was born March 9, 1899 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. A coalmine employed his father. The mine provided conditions much like those described by Ernie Ford in his song “Sixteen Tons”. Both of his parents were emigrants; his father from a part of Poland dominated by the Russians, his mother from Galicia, where the German and Austrian influence was heavy. This led to a bi-lingual household where polish and some German and Russian were spoken.

This fact led to some special privileges for Joe’s father who often had to serve as an interpreter between foreign-born miners and company officials. But the prospect of living with in cramped conditions with social and financial limitations persuaded Joe’s parent to move the family.

At the age of two, Joe Kwaterski found himself a resident of Green Bay, Wisconsin. After finishing school, Joe went to Milwaukee for two years to work in a machine shop. It was I Milwaukee where he received notice to report to the draft board in Green Bay. The date for reporting was November 11 1918. Joe arrived in Green Bay in time to be sworn into the United States Army, and because of the Armistice he was discharged. He decided not to return to Milwaukee and found a job in Green Bay. During his Green Bay years, Joe also spent some time “In the Ring” as a professional wrestler.

I the year 1919 Joe moved to Door County where he found work as a carpenter. It was also the year he married Ethel Root of Baileys Harbor. Ethel was born August 14, 1903. Her parents moved to Door County from St. Martins Island, located north of Washington Island.

In later years the Kwaterski’s new venture was the Sister Bay Hotel and Bar, which today is known as the Sister Bay Bowl. Then in 1954 they built the Woodland Motel between Ephraim and Sister Bay. Joe and Ethel had seven children together; Ethel, Florian, Ben, Eleanor, Bernice, Arlene, and Wesley. Joe passed away December 1, 1987 at the age of 87. Ethel died October 10, 1986 at the age of 83.