History of Presque Isle facts for kids
Presque Isle is a cool peninsula in Erie, Pennsylvania. It was formed by the waves of Lake Erie over about 11,000 years, ever since the last ice age. When it first started forming, Presque Isle was probably about 5 kilometers (3 miles) west of where it is today. The constant wind and water have slowly pushed the peninsula to its current spot. It's still moving slowly eastward!
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First People: The Erielhonans
The first people we know lived on Presque Isle were the Erielhonans. This is actually where the city of Erie, Pennsylvania gets its name! An old Erielhonan story says that the Great Spirit led them to Presque Isle. They found lots of animals to hunt, plenty of clean fresh water, and cool breezes. These breezes came "from the land of snow and ice" (which is now Canada).
The Erielhonans lived in big long houses with many families. Their villages were protected by tall wooden fences called palisades. In the warm months, they grew important crops like corn, beans, and squash. These were known as the "Three Sisters." During winter, they ate stored crops and animals they had hunted. They were also very clever and built canoes from birch bark found on the peninsula. Sadly, the Eriez (a shorter name for Erielhonan) were defeated by the Iroquois in 1654. Some survivors joined the Iroquois, mainly the Senecas.
Another Erielhonan legend tells of them going into Lake Erie to find where the sun set. The spirit of the lake sent a big storm to stop them. To protect the Eriez, their god stretched out his arm into the lake. This gave them a safe place during the storm. The god's arm stayed in the lake, protecting future generations of the tribe.
In 1980, a skeleton was found by Sue Daley. An anthropologist later confirmed it belonged to an Eriez Native American.
European Settlers Arrive
When settlers from Europe began arriving in America, Presque Isle became even more important. This was because it was a perfect spot for military bases. In 1749, the French took over the peninsula from the Iroquois. They built a fort there and named it Fort Presque Isle. This name means "almost island." Charles Boishebert and 200 men, sent by the Canadian Governor Marquis Duquesne, found the land and helped set up new French settlements.
In 1760, the British took control of the fort. But they only had it for a few years. The British started stopping the French and Native Americans from trading with each other. This made the Native Americans angry. So, they attacked many British settlements, including Fort Presque Isle, burning it down.
War of 1812
Presque Isle played a big part in the War of 1812. It helped the Americans win against the British in the Battle of Lake Erie. Oliver Hazard Perry was the commander of the American fleet. He cleverly used Presque Isle Bay as a dock and a place to build six of his nine ships. This spot kept his men safe from attackers. Any enemy would have to travel all the way around the peninsula to reach them.
The small bay near the tip of the peninsula was later named Misery Bay. This was because of the tough times the men faced there after returning from battle, during the winters of 1812–1814. Many men got smallpox and had to be kept away from others in that area. A lot of the sick men died and were buried in a pond now called Grave Yard Pond.
In 1926, the Perry Monument was built. It honors Oliver Hazard Perry for his victory in the Battle of Lake Erie. The monument is a 30.8-meter (101-foot) tall stone pillar. It stands at Crystal Point on Presque Isle.
U.S. Coast Guard Station
The United States Life-Saving Service opened a station at Presque Isle in 1876. This was to help people in trouble on the water. William Clark was the keeper from 1877 until he drowned in 1891. Andrew Jansen took over until 1914.
In 1915, the Life-Saving Service joined with another group to become the United States Coast Guard. The Presque Isle station, also called the Erie life-saving station, became Coast Guard Station #236. This station is still working today. It is part of the Ninth District of the U.S. Coast Guard, which covers the Great Lakes.
Guiding Lights: Lighthouses
As Erie, PA, grew, more boats came and went from its harbor. This meant there was a need for lighthouses to guide them safely. In 1858, the Erie Harbor North Pier Light was built. This light stands at the end of the Erie Harbor Channel. It started as a wooden tower in 1830. A stronger steel structure was brought from France to replace the wooden one, which had been damaged by a ship.
In 1872, the Presque Isle Lighthouse was built. Its light first shone on July 12, 1873. It was the second lighthouse built on Lake Erie. Presque Isle Lighthouse is 22.6 meters (74 feet) tall. It has a red brick house that is now used as a park residence. You can find two lighthouses in the park. The Erie Harbor North Pier Light is on the far east side of the park, near the entrance between the lake and the bay.
Presque Isle Today
Today, Presque Isle is a popular Pennsylvania state park. It is open to everyone for many fun activities. The peninsula became a state park in 1921. Since then, a lot of money has been spent to make visiting the park even better.
Three years after becoming a park, work began on paving roads around it. Today, the road network forms a 21-kilometer (13-mile) loop around the outer edge of the peninsula. Before these roads, mostly boaters visited the park. Years later, storms damaged the roads, so they were rebuilt further from the shore.
Presque Isle is a great place for exercise. In 1984, a paved trail was built for biking, running, and inline skating. In 1992, 55 break walls were built off the shore. These walls slow down the waves, which helps stop the beaches from eroding. These break walls save the park over a million $s each year. This money would otherwise be spent on adding sand to the beaches. This project took four years and cost over $23 million.
In the summer of 2005, the Tom Ridge Environmental Center opened. People can visit it to learn about the special environment and wildlife of Presque Isle. The center cost $31 million to build.
This relatively small piece of land has changed a lot over time. The city of Erie, PA, might not even exist if it weren't for Presque Isle. Also, Presque Isle brings in about four million visitors every year. This is a huge part of Erie's tourism and economy. There are many facts about this peninsula, but some mysteries about the place still remain.
