Joseph Soit and Point Beach State Forest: Making Two Rivers A Tourist Destination

Situated on Lake Michigan’s shoreline is Point Beach State Forest. This forest serves as a recreational haven and one of the state’s best examples of ridge and swale topography. Most would assume that Wisconsin’s state parks were all established to conserve and preserve our state’s natural beauty. However, in many cases, parks were also created to draw tourists into a community. This was the case in the establishment of Point Beach State Forest. 

Point Beach State Forest Entrance Sign, circa 1991. (MCHS 2012.30.151)

Joseph Soit, of Two Rivers, was the main figure behind the establishment of Point Beach State Forest. After growing up and learning the tailoring trade in Austria, Soit immigrated to America in 1913. He settled in Two Rivers and worked for a local tailor, before opening his own business in 1927. Soit eventually became the president of the Two River Community Club, later became known as the Chamber of Commerce.

As chamber president, a business owner, and a member of many local organizations, Soit had community development in the forefront of his mind. Soit believed that a recreational area would draw tourists and benefit Two Rivers just as Potawatomi State Park had boosted Sturgeon Bay as a tourist destination. A previous publication by the Manitowoc County Historical Society mentions that “Soit would be the first to admit that his goal was not ‘conservation and preservation,’ it was to enhance the economy of the area through tourism.”

Joseph Soit (on the left) with a customer in his Two Rivers tailor shop, circa 1952. (MCHS 2007.29.259)

Soit spent nearly 25 years working to bring the park to fruition and grow its acreage. The first 280 acres of park land was acquired in 1937. The Manitowoc County Board appropriated an additional $9,500 for land purchases the following year. The project’s speed slowed down when it came to securing an appropriation from the city of Manitowoc. Denied first by the City of Manitowoc, Soit secured an appropriation of $4,000 from the State Conservation Commission. Within the first year the park was over 700 acres.

Park access was the next logistical challenge. State law held that park entrances should as close as possible to a highway. Hoping that the park entrance could direct people to Two Rivers Soit had to negotiate viable access options. Instead of the access road extending from highway 42, Soit wanted Sandy Bay Road to be extended from Two Rivers. With one property owner opposing the road extension, extra land had to be purchased to complete the Sandy Bay Road project. Soit turned to the Two Rivers Elks Club for assistance in fundraising. The group quickly raised the required $500.

Putting the park under state ownership was a final challenge for Soit. The State Conservation Department and the Conservation Commission recommended the purchase of over 450 acres to Governor Goodland for state ownership. Historically the governor signed off on these purchases without much question, but Governor Goodland’s Secretary Frank Goss actively worked to convince the Governor not to sign. Originating from Sturgeon Bay and having been heavily involved with the creation of Potawatomi State Park, Goss thought Point Beach as a state property would interfere with tourism in Sturgeon Bay. The Governor signed despite his secretary’s disapproval. This signature put the 1,400-acre park under state ownership in 1944.

Although Soit admits that the creation of this park came from “some inevitable self-interest,” Soit’s efforts were ultimately in the best interest of the community. The unique environment that Point Beach holds will be preserved and will continue to draw tourists to the Two Rivers area for years to come.   

Beachgoers at Point Beach State Forest, circa 1960. (MCHS 2010.14.2)