August 2026: Volunteers showed up on Stewardship Saturday 8/15/26 to restore the north shoreline of Lake Mendota at the sight known as “The Four Doors”.
The Four Doors name stems from a historical lakeside boathouse that featured FOUR prominent bay doors (the boathouse has since been razed). Anglers and boaters used the structure as a highly visible geographic marker from the water as it was known to be a legendary fishing hotspot. While Camp Wakanda operated on the 22 acres of land immediately behind this shoreline from 1918 to 1972, generations of Madison-area locals and fishermen came to know this exact stretch of water simply as “The Four Doors”. Even though the original camp and boathouse are long gone, the history, names and references live on in the local lore of Governor Nelson State Park.
The Four Doors shoreline recently restored by the Friends of Governor Nelson State Park volunteers. This lakefront area remains one of the premier spots on Lake Mendota for catching yellow perch. Anglers target the deep-water structural breaks located about a quarter-mile to a half-mile straight out from this shoreline.
THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped restore this historic shoreline!
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