TheLake Erie Islands are a chain of archipelagicislands inLake Erie. They includeKelleys Island, Erie Island,[1]Pelee Island, theBass Islands, and several others. The majority of these islands are under the sovereignty of theState of Ohio in theUnited States. Pelee Island is the only major inhabited island within the province ofOntario, while the smallerMiddle Island is the southmost point of land inCanada.
Most of the larger islands are popular tourist attractions, served bycar ferries running from the mainland and between some islands. Some smallairports and numerous privatemarinas offer other ways for visitors to reach the islands. Combined with nearbySandusky andPort Clinton, Ohio, the islands are part of the collective area known regionally as "Vacationland".[2]
The Lake Erie Islands are geologically part of theSilurianColumbus Limestone. When thePleistocene ice sheets carved out the basin of modern-day Lake Erie, these hard rocks proved more resistant to erosion than theshales in the east, and as a result, Lake Erie's western end is much shallower than the basins in the east, so that the islands remain above water.Quarrying operations on Kelleys Island revealedglacial grooves in the bedrock, which would in time be regarded as some of the best direct evidence of the Pleistocene ice sheets available anywhere. The glacial grooves are now protected as part ofKelleys Island State Park.[3][4]
Most of the islands are supported financially viatourism.Grape growing andwineries were once the mainstay of the economy. Kelleys Island is heavily forested and woods have replaced vineyards there almost entirely. South Bass Island is more developed and still has a fewvineyards. Pelee Island is the only major island where vineyards remain common.Limestonequarrying still occurs on Kelleys Island, and also there are a fewhobby farms. South Bass, Middle Bass, North Bass, and Kelleys Islands all have active state parks part of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources with North Bass Island State Park being the largest at 593 acres and 90% of North Bass Island (also known as Isle St. George).[5]
Most of the islands are headed by a small group of year-round residents. However, eager vacationers often raise the populations dramatically during the summer months, most notable onSouth Bass Island, which is the most tourist-friendly of the islands despite its small size. The islands vary by year-round population of approximately 500 on South Bass Island, 100 for Kelleys Island, 40 at Middle Bass Island and 12 on North Bass Island.
Kelleys Island, Middle Bass, North Bass and South Bass (Put-in-Bay) have active school districts with North Bass Local School District being the last operating one-room schoolhouse in Ohio.[6] Of the islands with year-round residents, only North Bass has no ferry service. Put-in-Bay Township Port Authority operates public airports for Middle, North and South Bass Islands.[7] Kelleys Island and Pelee Island operate paved, public runways and Rattlesnake Island maintains a private grass landing strip.
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