Turtle Island (Lake Erie)

Turtle Island
Turtle Island is located in Michigan
Turtle Island
Turtle Island
·
Turtle Island (Lake Erie) is located in Ohio
Turtle Island (Lake Erie)
Geography
LocationLake Erie
Coordinates41°45′09″N 83°23′28″W / 41.75250°N 83.39111°W / 41.75250; -83.39111
Area1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
Administration
United States
StatesMichigan / Ohio
CountiesMonroe County, Michigan / Lucas County, Ohio
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited

Turtle Island is a 1.5-acre (0.61 ha) 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 five miles (8.0 km) 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 2022 in private ownership.

The island has been eroded by Lake Erie, and the lighthouse damaged by winter storms and it is one of the most endangered lighthouses in the nation.[1] The island was once over 6 acres in the 19th century, but is now less than an acre.[2] It is the only sand and gravel island in the whole lake, and is more vulnerable, and there is periodic efforts to try to rebuild the island and save the lighthouse and make a park area.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Historic Lake Erie lighthouse in danger from years of neglect". The Blade. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  2. ^ "Turtle Island lighthouse: Ohio's million-dollar lighthouse".