Turtle Island (Lake Erie) facts for kids
 Turtle Island
Location in Michigan
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Lake Erie |
| Coordinates | 41°45′09″N 83°23′28″W / 41.75250°N 83.39111°W |
| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Administration | |
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United States
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| States | Michigan / Ohio |
| Counties | Monroe County, Michigan / Lucas County, Ohio |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
Turtle Island is a tiny island, about the size of one and a half football fields, located in Lake Erie in the United States. It's a special place because it's split right down the middle between two states: Michigan and Ohio. Even though no one lives there, it has a unique history.
The island is about five miles (8.0 km) northeast of the Maumee River's mouth in Maumee Bay. Today, you can find old, abandoned buildings and the remains of the Turtle Island Light. This lighthouse was built way back in 1866. Most of the island is in Ohio, specifically in Jerusalem Township in Lucas County, Ohio. A smaller part belongs to Michigan, in Erie Township.
Contents
The History of Turtle Island
Early Days and Names
The Miami tribe were the first to live on this small island before the 1800s. They mainly used the island to collect seagull eggs. The island was named after a famous Miami chief called Mishikinakwa. He lived from about 1747 to 1812. Little Turtle was a very important Native American leader during the American Revolution in the Northwest Territory. He later became well-known among Americans for seeking peace.
Around 1794, the British had a small fort on the island. They used it to defend the mouth of the Maumee River, but they soon left it. There are different stories about who controlled the island back then. Some local tales say Native Americans controlled it as a military fort. Others claim the British held it until the War of 1812.
Official records of Turtle Island's history begin in 1827. That year, the island was sold at a government auction in nearby Monroe, Michigan. People once thought Turtle Island wasn't a real island. They believed it was just an old part of the Little Cedar Point Peninsula. The island was bought but then sold back to the United States four years later.
The Lighthouse and Its Abandonment
A new lighthouse, the Toledo Harbor Light, was finished in 1904. This meant ships could use deeper waters, so the Turtle Island lighthouse was no longer needed. The Turtle Island Light was officially shut down on May 15, 1904. Government workers took out the lighthouse parts but left the buildings.
The island was sold again in December 1904 for $1,650. It was bought by A. H. Merrill. For the next 30 years, the island was left empty and damaged by vandals. Most of the original buildings were stripped of everything valuable. In the late 1920s, the Toledo Blade newspaper wrote about the island. It said, "Vandals have wrecked the house, stealing everything that could be salvaged from the structure except the grim, bare walls."
In 1933, A. H. Merrill gave the island to George Merrill. He leased it to the Associated Yacht Club of Toledo (AYC). They planned to build docks and use the island for fun activities. However, the AYC ran out of money during the Great Depression. They had to stop their plans for Turtle Island. The AYC tried to get money from Ohio to fix up the island. But the state decided it would cost too much. The island was too small and far away to be useful to the public. The AYC left the island in 1937. The island continued to fall apart. The lighthouse keeper's building was torn down. Strong winds and waves during the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak caused even more damage.
The Border Mystery
The land around the mouth of the Maumee River was once part of the Michigan Territory. This was because the first borders for the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 drew a straight line from the southern tip of Lake Michigan. When Ohio became a state in 1803, its northern border did not include this important area. This area was later given to the Michigan Territory in 1805.
Turtle Island was part of the Michigan Territory. So, when the first Turtle Island Light was built in 1831, it was in Michigan. When Toledo was founded in 1833, it was also part of Michigan. The Port of Toledo operated the lighthouse. But Ohio disagreed with Michigan owning this area. This led to a big fight called the Toledo War. It was a border dispute between Michigan Territory and Ohio over the area known as the Toledo Strip.
In late 1836, President Andrew Jackson stepped in. He sided with Ohio and gave the Toledo Strip to Ohio. In return, Michigan received the Upper Peninsula when it became a state on January 26, 1837.
The Toledo Strip and the city of Toledo became part of Ohio. But Turtle Island stayed part of the Michigan Territory. The Port of Toledo still ran the lighthouse. However, the island was still claimed as Michigan territory within Monroe County. No one argued about who controlled the island. Its political status was forgotten after the lighthouse closed in 1904.
The border between Ohio and Michigan stayed the same from 1837 until 1973. That's when Turtle Island's status was finally sorted out. The Supreme Court of the United States got involved. On February 22, 1973, Michigan and Ohio reached an agreement. The state lines were redrawn one last time. The new line cut exactly through the middle of the island's 190-foot (58 m) sea wall at a 45-degree angle. The ruins of the lighthouse itself ended up in the Ohio half. The island was divided between Monroe County in Michigan and Lucas County in Ohio. This was mostly a political act. The island had been abandoned and falling apart for 70 years. The Michigan half became part of Erie Township. The city of Toledo took full control of the Ohio half.
What's Happening on Turtle Island Now?
Turtle Island is still privately owned. Only parts of old buildings remain standing. In February 2002, the island's owner tried to build three new buildings. They said they wanted to rent them out for summer vacations. But officials in Monroe County ordered them to stop. The owner had not gotten building permits for the Michigan side of the island.
The order was ignored, but the buildings were never fully finished. Large ice packs mostly destroyed them during the winter of 2009. Erie Township, which is in charge of the Michigan half, has planned to remove the destroyed buildings. They also want to clean up the remaining mess. But this hasn't happened yet because it would cost too much money. The township keeps discussing what to do with the island.
The only thing left of the 1866 Turtle Island Light is the tower. The top of the tower blew off during a windstorm on Palm Sunday in 1965. This showed the iron spikes that once held the lantern. People have tried to fix the lighthouse, but they haven't succeeded. Parts of the concrete wall that protected the lighthouse have also worn away. This makes the island even more exposed. Lighthouse Digest lists the decaying Turtle Island Light as "critically endangered." It's on their Doomsday List of lighthouses that are threatened. Even though the island is far away, it is closed to the public. However, it's hard to stop people from visiting.
Images for kids
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Construction of new structures on the island was halted by a court order.
