Gibraltar Historical Association
GIBRALTAR TALKS
2025 GIBRALTAR TALKS
Old Town Hall.
4176 Maple Street, Fish Creek
September 8th
7:00 p.m.
Matthew Christoff will explore the origins of the phrase "I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK," a saying that many people recognize, but have you ever wondered about its origins? Join us for "A Patchwork of Needles and Leaves: An Introduction to the Music of the Upper Midwest Shanty Boy." This one-hour lecture will delve into the daily life of a shanty boy, provide a brief history of the profession, examine the role of music in lumber camps, and feature a selection of songs that shanty boys sang in the Upper Midwest.
Our speaker/vocalist, Matthew Christoff, is traveling to Fish Creek from St. Paul and was recently featured on the Wisconsin Today show on Wisconsin Public Radio. He is a classically trained baritone vocalist from Dyckesville, WI, with a Bachelor of Music from Saint Norbert College and a Master of Music from the University of Florida. His performance history is extensive, and we are grateful for this rare opportunity to have him perform in Door County.
We invite you to attend this free event, hosted by the Gibraltar Historical Association, which aims to provide educational and entertaining connections to our past. It is fitting to bring this special event to Fish Creek, as Alexander Noble was known to spend his winters in lumber camps up north.
More about Matthew
From the Great Lakes to the vast swamps, Matthew Christoff has brought his lyric baritone styling to a wide variety of audiences. Matthew was raised in a family of liturgical musicians, a tradition that carried into his undergraduate studies at Saint Norbert College and beyond. He completed his Master of Music at the University of Florida in 2016. After performing in Puccini’s La Boheme as Marcello with Opera Theatre UF, Matthew returned to the Midwest. Notably, he earned his first recording credit by participating in the first critical recording of Kevin Puts’ Silent Night with Minnesota Opera in 2018. Matthew is also passionate about vintage audio, maple syrup production, his family, and spending time in the forest.
Past Gibraltar Talks
August 26, 2024
7:00 pm.
Guest Speaker: Mark Woerfel
Life and Times of the Amelia-D: My story about the life of a boy who grew up with a father that was a commercial fisherman.
Seasonal stories related to the Amelia-D fish tug and my father, Stuart Woerfel. From fishing through the ice with gill nets, to fishing on the open water with pond nets. Learn names from the past men who were fishing out of Fish Creek in the 30’s-70’s. There is always the “sport” of fishing that my dad was involved with as well, taking customers out on the Bay to “catch” tonight’s dinner 😊Time at the end to answer all the questions that “plague your mind” about commercial fishing!
120th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Hackley
October 3, 2023
7:00pm
Tragedy hits Fish Creek: The Sinking of the Erie L. Hackley is considered the largest single sea disaster in the history of Green Bay waters.
We will tell the story and numerous accounts of the survivors and victims. Many residents are joining in to bring this tragedy to life. The unending story continues to unfold with new information and discoveries. This loss affected all of Fish Creek, Gibraltar, and neighboring communities as people mourned the loss of eleven aboard.