In 1917, historian Hjalmar Holand recorded "indications of an aboriginal village site" at Sand Bay, on the shore directly opposite of Hog Island.

[5] In 2012, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) staff noted that no cultural resources survey to look for artifacts had been made on Hog Island.

[6] On August 7, 1871, while bound from Menominee, Michigan, for Chicago with a cargo of lumber, the General Winfield Scott encountered heavy seas off Spider Island and capsized without loss of life.

[7][8] Items worth salvaging were taken by residents of Washington Island, but remains from the shipwreck are visible today[9] in the shallow water about 7 feet (2.1 m) deep.

He wrote a summary:[3]The island seems to be of a hard lime stone formation with very little soil but covered with a heavy growth of fir, pine, and cedar.

The maximum altitude of Hog Island is about 10 ft. above the water and it forms a roosting and breeding place for a large number of sea fowl, chiefly gulls.

Bond's clerk position entailed locating and recommending action on all bird reservations and also preparing executive orders for the President's signature.

They gathered signatures and affidavits from Door County landowners near gull nesting areas, using federal forms provided by the United States General Land Office.

An additional purpose was to improve the human public health of the lake and shore communities where the birds would act as beneficial scavengers.

[21] It was noted that prior visitation to the three islands had been limited to a few bird enthusiasts who expected the repulsive smells and discomforts associated with nesting colonies of gulls and herons.

It was proposed that "Public access would need to be prudently limited in numbers and restricted to late summer and early fall when Lake Michigan travel is often difficult.

Though small and isolated, the quiet and solitude of these rugged, wind-swept and wave battered islands offer an excellent wilderness experience to those willing to visit them.

He justified his intentions on the basis that the islands "are extremely important nesting and resting grounds for thousands of native birds, and while seldom visited because of difficult accessibility and landing conditions, they offer a unique wilderness opportunity to the serious student of nature.

[25] Following the introduction of the bill, the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs held a hearing concerning the proposed wilderness designation, which was filmed and shown by a Green Bay television station.

[26] The synopsis of the Senate hearing noted that "Some of the tree and shrub cover of the islands has been lost due to avian life such as the great blue and black-crowned night herons."

He advised that "Such legislation will secure additional, statutory protection for these islands, which are valuable only because they have been kept wild and undisturbed, and because they remain so to this day.

[32] During the hearing, Congressman Sam Steiger challenged John S. Gottschalk, the director of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife over how the islands would be managed.

Gottschalk noted that the islands were "primarily valuable from the standpoint of nesting habitat which they provide for Colonial birds"[33] but "are virtually inaccessible because of the shallow water surrounding them.

You can go there most of the year and you wouldn't see another person except perhaps on the bridge of a Great Lakes freighter.Steiger responded,[35] Excuse me, but of course-- I am not going to belabor this, but, as a matter of fact, you are going to prohibit people from going there.

[40] On November 4, 1976, 23 members participating in the La Salle: Expedition II reenactment took off from East Side Park along Jackson Harbor on Washington Island at 5:30 am.

Their plan was to go around Washington Island and reach Gislason beach,[41] and then later on cross the Porte des Mortes passage to the Door Peninsula.

They removed their sleeping bags and sent the canoe off in a direction where they hoped it would not get crushed when they reached the shore and swam to Hog Island, having spent about ten minutes in the water.

[43] A second canoe with four crew members from Chicago, Rolling Meadows, and Streamwood was hit from the side by a large wave, causing it to begin to sink.

A Washington Island resident predicted the damaged canoe would wash ashore in a small, shallow cove no wider than 30 feet (9.1 m).

[43] An hour after the wind subsided and began shifting around to the southwest, all five canoes made it across the Porte des Mortes to the Door Peninsula.

His wife Patricia was about 100 yards (91 m) east of Hog Island when she found in the water a rotted canvas bag, a small leather pouch with leaves and five coins, a cup, a large skillet, a Dutch oven with its lid, and another pot.

[45] One concern expressed by citizens was the large amount of traffic from automobiles and boats which would be brought into the county as a result of the proposed park.

[49] The director of the Eastern States Office of the Bureau of Land Management questioned whether islands with very high wildlife values ought to be included in the park.

Sandbar willows (Salix exigua) on the gravel spit provide cover for nesting waterfowl like mallards, black ducks, and Canada geese.

In addition, without parents to provide shade the nests may be exposed to direct sunlight, which can kill chicks or eggs in a matter of minutes if the day is hot enough.