Turtle Island is a island in the western portion of Lake Erie in the United States. The island is divided between the U.S. states of Michigan and Ohio. Turtle Island is located about northeast of the mouth of the Maumee River in Maumee Bay. Today, the island houses several abandoned structures and the ruins of Turtle Island Light, a lighthouse dating back to 1866. According to the Census Bureau, most of the island physically lies in Jerusalem Township in Lucas County, Ohio with the smaller Michigan portion being part of Erie Township in Monroe County, Michigan. It was sold in 1995, and there was a failed housing project in the early 2000s, and it was sold again in 2022 to private ownership.

The island has been eroded by Lake Erie. The lighthouse has been damaged by winter storms and it is one of the most endangered lighthouses in the nation. The island was once over 6 acres in the 19th century, but is now less than an acre. It is the only sand and gravel island in the whole lake, and is more vulnerable. There are periodic efforts to try to rebuild the island, save the lighthouse, and make a park area. Nicknamed Little Turtle, he later became popular among the American people after dissenting from his native tribe in the pursuit of peace negotiations with the Americans.

The British operated a small fort on the island around 1794 in defense of the mouth of the Maumee River, but the fort was soon abandoned. There are conflicting accounts as to who maintained control of the island during this time. Local folklore alludes to the belief that the Indians controlled the island and used it as a military fort, while others claim the British held control of it until losing it during the War of 1812. Official accounts of the history of Turtle Island date back to 1827, when the island itself was sold at a federal government auction in nearby Monroe, Michigan. The island was bought but sold back to the United States four years later.

Border dispute

thumb|left|The rough location of the Michigan-Ohio boundary running through Turtle Island. The gray circle is the sea wall that was built on the island prior to 1945 to "hold" the island together and wound up being the reference for where the state line was set.

The small strip of land surrounding the mouth of the Maumee River was under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Territory, because the borders originally drawn up for the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 set a territorial boundary as a straight line from the southernmost edge of Lake Michigan. When Ohio became the first in the Northwest Territory to gain statehood in 1803, the state's northern border did not include this important area, which was later given to the Michigan Territory when it was formally organized in 1805. Turtle Island fell under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Territory, and when the first Turtle Island Light was constructed in 1831, it was within the boundaries of the territory. When Toledo was founded in 1833, it was part of the Michigan Territory, and the Port of Toledo operated the lighthouse. Because Ohio disputed Michigan's ownership over this area, it led to the heated Toledo War, a border dispute between the Michigan Territory and the state of Ohio for the area known as the Toledo Strip. In late 1836, President Andrew Jackson intervened on behalf of Ohio and gave the Toledo Strip to Ohio in exchange for Michigan getting a portion of the Upper Peninsula when it became a state soon after on January 26, 1837.

The Toledo Strip and the city of Toledo became part of Ohio, but Turtle Island remained part of the Michigan Territory. The lighthouse was still operated by the Port of Toledo, but the island was still claimed and charted as Michigan territory within Monroe County. Control of the island was not disputed by either state, and the political status of the island was forgotten after the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1904. The state boundary of Ohio and Michigan remained unchanged from 1837 until 1973 when the status of Turtle Island was finally recognized and resolved long after tensions over the Toledo War had ended. The Supreme Court of the United States intervened, and on February 22, 1973, an agreement was reached between the two states. The state lines were redrawn for the last time to cut exactly through the center of the tiny island's diameter sea wall at a 45° angle, while the ruins of the lighthouse itself were included in the Ohio half.

21st century

thumb|right|225px|Construction of new structures on the island was halted by a court order.

The island remains privately owned, and Turtle Island only has remnants of structures still standing. The decree was ignored, but the structures were never completely finished before they were mostly destroyed by large ice packs during the winter of 2009. Erie Township, which has jurisdiction over the Michigan half of Turtle Island, planned to remove the now-destroyed structures from the island and clean up the remaining debris. As of 2008, this had not taken place yet, because the cost of doing so would be too expensive. Eventually, the structures were burned down.

alt=Interior of old lighthouse on Turtle Island|thumb|Interior of old lighthouse on Turtle Island

On the island are the remains of the 1866 Turtle Island Light; the tower still stands but the top was blown off during a windstorm on Palm Sunday in 1965, exposing the iron spikes that once held the lantern in place. Continued efforts at restoring the lighthouse have been unsuccessful. Portions of the concrete wall constructed to originally protect the lighthouse have also eroded away, further exposing the island. Lighthouse Digest lists the decaying Turtle Island Light as critically endangered on its Doomsday List of threatened lighthouses. Even though the island is remote, it is currently closed to the public, although it is impossible for this to be enforced.

As of 2019, the island was still owned by the same person, who had plans to try to restore the lighthouse and occasionally visited the island to clean up debris.

See also

  • Lost Peninsula (A nearby peninsula also split between Ohio and Michigan)

References

  • The history of Turtle Island Lighthouse - Monroe News (Has picture of lighthouse before it decayed)