History of Individual Islanders

 

History and Pictures of Nearby  Islands  1894 Visiting Catawba Island on a Wheel an old bicycle with a huge front wheel. Added Dec. 5, 2020. 1903 Catawba Island Fruit Packing . Added Dec. 5, 2020. Lighthouses and Islands Tour Book by Malcolm McNeil of PCHS alumni and with his permission. Added Nov. 4, 2020. A great 1944 story about Milt Hersberger and the island airline. Added May 21, 2020. link added on this page 2/10/2017 A History of Green Island Originally published in 2006. Last updated in April, 2020. link added on this page 2/10/2017 1853: A Ship Frozen in the Ice off East Sister and the Kelleys Island Man Who Went to Help Published 1902 added 9/8/2019 Hotel Victory Menus Big PDF with 42 high-res menus and menu covers from the Hotel Victory on Put-in-Bay between 1899-1905 added 8/12/2019 1894 - Bee Culture Musings on Catawba and Middle Bass Two cute stories from the 1894 "Gleanings of Bee Culture" journal. added 3/5/2019 1948 - South Bass Island and Islanders The South Bass classic history by Thomas and Marina Langlois, 138pp. added 1/29/2019 1873 - The Register Guidebook to the Islands of Lake Erie The very first tourist guide to the islands. Predecessor to the 1888 guidebook below. added 12/13/2018 How Many Islands Are There in Lake Erie? Newly updated version of the 2005 document. Tells when Catawba stopped being an island. added 08/23/2018 Sugar Island History A timeline from newspaper articles and a few other sources. added 08/20/2018 1968 The Put-in-Bay Story a great public domain history by Ruth Dickerman Moizuk, found on several public archive sites. added 07/26/2018 1871 Put-in-Bay Story from Harper's New Monthly Magazine added 02/05/2018 1873 Wine Islands of Lake Erie Story from Harper's New Monthly Magazine added 02/05/2018 Caves in the Lake Erie Islands A 1953 Report from the Ohio Journal of Science added 10/19/2017 1879 Ballast Island and the Steamer Golden Eagle. ON A CAKE OF ICE: The Terrible Predicament a Sinking Boat Left Its Passengers In added 8/20/2017 The American Missionaries, Jan., 1913 A Congregational Minister Walks the Length of Middle Bass to Get to a Dangerous Rowboat to North Bass in 1912 from 1913, added 2/10/2017 1888 Guidebook to Middle Bass, Put-in-Bay and Kelleys Island Nichols' Guide to the Islands from 1888, added 2/10/2017 Illustrated Port Clinton and Environs "Illustrated Port Clinton & Environs, Embracing Port Clinton, Catawba Island and Put-in-Bay" from 1898, added 2/1/2016 Three Visits to Perry's Cave in 1818-1819 added 2/1/2016 Lt. Robert E. Lee Kills Pelee Island Lighthouse Keeper in 1835 added 9/12/2015 The Up and Up Club Historic Photo Gallery - rare 1916-1922 pictures of North Bass Island, Put-in-Bay, Rattlesnake Island, Johnson's Island and more. added 11/6/2008 Gallery of Historic Postcards Historical Nautical Maps of Lake Erie. Over 100 maps. Just type "Lake Erie" (without the quotes) into the keyword field and click "Submit Search". Letter to Middle Island from 1887, with some Pelee News Middle Island's Hidden Treasures North Bass Wedding in 1919 - Pictures of the wedding of Chester Allen and Helen Cullen on September 6, 1919. added 12/12/05 North Bass Island - Postcards to North Bass, 1909-1910 Appleton's Journal, 1873 (large GIF images; loads slowly; will soon be converted to text) Ballast Island - A Story of Lake Erie - Page 1 Ballast Island - A Story of Lake Erie - Page 2 Ballast Island - A Story of Lake Erie - Page 3 Ballast Island - A Story of Lake Erie - Page 4 Ballast Island - A Story of Lake Erie - Page 5 Ballast Island - A Story of Lake Erie - Page 6 Ballast Island - A Story of Lake Erie - Page 7 Images - From Lake Erie Islands: Put-In-Bay, Gibraltar, Middle Bass, Kelley's Etc., 1886 Ballast Island - Composite Picture showing Camp, Club Cottage and George Gardner's Villa   Rattlesnake/Green - Composite with Green Lighthouse, and Rattlesnake View from the Water   Lake Erie Islands Map Showing All the expected Islands, plus Gull Island  Other Historical Maps of the Lake Erie Islands 1835 Map 1872 Map From Sketches and Stories of the Lake Erie Islands, Souvenir Edition, 1898 Beautiful Ballast   "Uncle Jimmy" - The Ballast Island Hermit  Experiences of an Old Doctor - About His First Visit to Isle St. George (North Bass) An Eventful Night - Thrilling Story of the Burning of Green Island Lighthouse in '64   From Sketches and Stories of the Lake Erie Islands, Perry Centennial Edition, 1913 Isle St. George and Its Attractions (with Adventures of an Island Doctor) "Call It Square" - True Story of Rattlesnake Island   A Bunch of Emeralds - Anecdotes About the Minor Lake Erie Islands  Catawba Island, the Great Peach Growing Center of Ohio (text-only version)   Larger, 1MB PDF version with numerous pictures  The Peach Growing Industry of Catawba Island Ballast Island and Lost Ballast Island Postcards 1898-1910 Ballast Island - Barnett's Cove and Bluff   Ballast Island Beach - B&W  Ballast Island Beach - Color Ballast Island Outhouse   Ballast Island Shore with View of Lost Ballast Island - View 1 Ballast Island Shore with View of Lost Ballast Island - View 2  Ballast Island Shoreline from the Water   Gardner's Log Cabin and Longworth Canoe Club   Gardner's Point   Lost Ballast Island ~ 1905 Images - Old Postcards and Photos Buckeye Island ~ 1922 Catawba Island Main Dock Over Time Gibraltar - Rocky Pass ~ 1906 Green Island - First Lighthouse ~1854 - Small Image in Story Green Island - Second Lighthouse ~ 1913-1930 Hen Island - Quinnebog Club ~ 1898 Middle Island (Canada) Lighthouse ~ 1900  Mouse Island ~ 1913   Put-in-Bay Fox's Dock ~ 1904 - with Middle Bass in the Background  Put-in-Bay Peach Point ~ 1908 Rare Panoramic Image  Larger Image   Rattlesnake Island ~1966  postcard Rattlesnake Island - 1966 small image - magazine (back cover) Full-size original image (8.5x11, 800kb) Rattlesnake Island ~ 1968  Rattlesnake Island Accident 1906 - Steamer Aground   Sugar Island ~ 1908  West Sister Island Lighthouse ~ 1859  West Sister Island Lighthouse - New Miscellaneous Isle St. George Viticultural Area Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - 1982 - with some interesting history  Growing Up on Isle St. George in the 1890s  New Green Island History and 2005 Pictures (PDF, 1.4MB). This PDF contains 20 images, including 2 historic images and 9 new photos that have never been published before. a/o 3/9/06

 

Lake Erie and Great Lakes History Sites History of Lake Erie - CSU site History of Lake Erie - ODNR Info History of the Great Lakes site, with great Lake Erie history Lake Erie Pre-History: Geology and Morphology of the Erie-Huron Lake Plain

 

Museums and Archives Lake Erie Islands Historical Society - Put-in-Bay (great Lake Erie Islands displays; great Lake Erie Islands archives) Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center - Fremont (no island displays, but other displays; great island archives) Bowling Green State Univ. Center for Archival Collections - Bowling Green (no displays; great island archives) Robert J. Dodge Collection - Middle Bass and South Bass Information Henry Freyensee Collection - Middle Bass and South Bass Information Historical Records Survey - Middle Bass and South Bass Information Milton Hersberger Collection - mostly Island Air Service Information Lonz Winery Collection - Middle Bass Island Information Middle Bass Club Collection - Middle Bass Island Information Middle Bass School District Records - 1900-1962 Miller Family Papers - Catawba Island information Ohio Historic Preservation Office - Middle Bass and South Bass National Register Files Municipal Archives Inventories for Northwest Ohio - Middle Bass and South Bass Information Louis Emil Schraidt Collection - Put-in-Bay/South Bass Information Maritime Museum of Sandusky - (no island displays, but other displays; archive contents unknown) The Great Lakes Historical Society Inland Seas Maritime Museum - Vermilion (no island displays, but other displays; archive contents unknown)