Sally Sue Witten

Port Clinton, the Peninsula and the Bass Islands Sally Sue Witten

Nestled between Toledo and Cleveland near the Sandusky Bay is a quiet lake region, a haven for vacationers and permanent residents alike. Claiming 107 miles of Lake Erie's coastline, Eastern Ottawa County, Ohio, is home to several coastal communities, including the small city of Port Clinton, the placid land masses of the Bass Islands, and the Marblehead Peninsula, home to a popular lighthouse. The author's window into this area, however, never overlooks the labor required to create and sustain its resort attractions. We meet the train conductors, teachers, mail carriers, ice harvesters, and community leaders who helped put Ottawa County on the map. We are offered many glimpses of boats on local waterways, some delivering fish, others ferrying passengers to the island, and still others in advance of their service during war time. And we are delivered a rare view of the many buildings that sadly failed to survive the area's catastrophic fires. This book is a living testimony to the rich and varied history of Ohio's Lake Erie communities. Resort oasis to some, manufacturing center to others, Ottawa County's texture and detail are brought vividly to life in this absorbing Images of America volume.