History
The Lake Erie Shores & Islands is a vacation destination on Lake Erie in north central Ohio. It covers a land area that primarily includes all of Erie and Ottawa Counties plus outlying areas beyond those borders. Its origins can be traced to the 1700’s, when it was a part of a huge tract of land called the Western Reserve owned by the British colony of Connecticut. In 1792 the Connecticut legislature granted 500,000 acres of the Western Reserve to Connecticut landowners whose property had been burned by the British during the Revolutionary War. The granted acreage became known as the “Firelands,” and extended from northeast Ohio to the Marblehead Peninsula.
The territory west of the Marblehead Peninsula was named the Great Black Swamp. It encompassed 300,000 acres of wetlands and included swamps and marshes that provided the ideal habitat for wildlife, but created hardship for eager early travelers. Many detoured around its inky waters and thick canopy of trees, but a few hardy souls settled along the perimeter of the swamp.
Soon after the War of 1812, the Firelands territory attracted increasing numbers of enterprising and industrious pioneers from the east. Settlement came quickly, as the Black Swamp was drained. Rich clay soil surfaced and attracted settlers who dreamed of agriculture riches. Because the Ohio and Erie Canal system never reached this area, goods were hauled to port towns on the lake or along its rivers. Shipyards sprang up along the area, and Lake Erie boat traffic grew. With the arrival of the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad in 1835 and the completion of the Milan Canal in 1839, the area became a major transportation center. Shipbuilding, fishing, ice cutting and lumbering contributed largely to the area’s success and prosperity.
With its location on Lake Erie and easy accessibility from other cities, the region soon became a popular recreation destination too. Tourists arrived regularly by steamship and excursion trains from throughout Ohio, Michigan and Indiana to the Columbus Avenue dock in downtown Sandusky. Many then transferred to large ferries carrying hundreds of passengers across the bay to Cedar Point, Put-in-Bay and Kelleys Island. That tradition continues today.
