Sue Jarosh is a well-known personality in Door County. For 30 years, she and husband Joe busily tended the Jacksonport Craft Cottage – a popular shop on the main drag, stocked with craft supplies and handcrafted goods from all over Wisconsin. She was often asked if the shop sold children’s books, especially books about lighthouses. At that time there weren’t any, but Jarosh remembers telling herself “Someday, I’ll write that story.”
Always active in the Jacksonport Historical Society, after retiring in 2015 Jarosh quickly became a lighthouse tour guide. While assigned to Eagle Bluff Lighthouse in Peninsula State Park, she learned abundant tales of lighthouse life…and still remembered her intent to someday write a children’s book.
The plot came to her at Eagle Bluff when a visitor spotted an old mouse trap and identified it as “an iron kitty.” The description prompted her imagination and led her to write her first book, “Lighthouse Mouse.” The story ultimately combined historical photos of the rooms at Eagle Bluff Lighthouse with the tale of the lighthouse keeper’s children, who search for the lighthouse light’s missing key.
The success of that book, and the fun she had creating it, brought Jarosh to her second book, “Lighthouse Hero.” The plot features Jarosh’s abundant research on the lighthouse’s actual history. Unable to use old photos of the lighthouse keeper, the innovative Jarosh created photos of her own grandchildren, dressed in period clothing from the Ephraim Historical Foundation. Photo enhancement gave the photos a vintage look. The story also features the history of the Anderson Store and Dock, brought to life with “Then” and “Now” images.
The success of that book, and the fun she had creating it, brought Jarosh to her second book, “Lighthouse Hero.” The plot features Jarosh’s abundant research on the lighthouse’s actual history. Unable to use old photos of the lighthouse keeper, the innovative Jarosh created photos of her own grandchildren, dressed in period clothing from the Ephraim Historical Foundation. Photo enhancement gave the photos a vintage look. The story also features the history of the Anderson Store and Dock, brought to life with “Then” and “Now” images.
Her third book includes results from her Door County Advocate research, where she discovered the Larson family, who maintained Baileys Harbor’s well-known Range Light. The family’s unique skill for making pets of wild crows inspired the story “Range Light Rascal,” a tale with insight into the life of Emma Toft, locally famous for The Ridges.
Jarosh’s next book is “Madeline’s Magical Balloon,” a fast-paced tour that takes readers to 43 locations enjoyable to children and families. The productive writer already knows the topic of her fifth book, the iconic Cana Island.
Sue Jarosh’s books can be found at the farmers market in Jacksonport, and from her website: doorcountypolarbearpress.com.
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