Sandusky Bay is a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also ha ...

in northern

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, formed at the mouth of the

Sandusky River The Sandusky River ( wyn, saandusti; sjw, Potakihiipi ) is a tributary to Lake Erie in north-central Ohio in the United States. It is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Ma ...

. It was identified as ''Lac Sandouské'' on a 1718 French map, with early variations recorded that suggest the name was derived from Native American languages. The Thomas A. Edison Memorial Bridge was constructed across it in the 20th century to connect highways in Erie and Ottawa counties.

History

The bay was known to historic and ancient indigenous peoples, including the Iroquoian-speaking Wyandot who dominated this area (they were called the Huron people by French explorers and colonists). Located in territory claimed by early French explorers, the bay was identified on a 1718 map by Guillaume Delisle as ''Lac Sandouské'' (later anglicized as Lake Sandusky). The Indians of the area, primarily Wyandot (Huron) were said to refer to what is known as the Sandusky River and the bay, as well as the general area, as ''saundustee'', meaning "water" or ''andusti'', "cold water". In his 1734 history of

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

, Charlevoix transliterated the word as "Chinouski". Sandusky Bay is identified as "Lac (Lake) Sandouské" on a 1718 map by Guillaume DeLisle. The name "L.(Lac) Sandoski" appears on a 1733 map. Sandusky Bay was also called ''Lac Otsandaské'', in another French transliteration of the Wyandot. The Wyandot occupied areas along the river at the Upper and Lower falls. In 1745 Chief Nicolas of the Wyandot allowed the English to establish a trading post on the north shore of the bay, which they called

Fort Sandusky Fort Sandusky refers to at least three separate military forts that were built by French and English forces at three different sites in the area of Sandusky Bay and the Sandusky River in northern Ohio. They were the French Fort Sandoske (built 1749 ...

and the French knew as ''Fort Sandoské''. This was the first fort built by Europeans in Ohio Country. The bay has also been referred to as Lake Junandat (derived from a 1754 French fort) and Lake Otsandoské (also related to the Wyandot term for the lake). Lake Sandusky, Sandoski Bay, Sandusky Bay, and Sandusky Lake are also recorded. French engineer Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry passed through this area in 1754, commanding forces to reinforce

Fort Detroit Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or Fort Detroit (1701–1796) was a fort established on the north bank of the Detroit River by the French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and the Italian Alphonse de Tonty in 1701. In the 18th century, Fre ...

at the outbreak of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

. He found the ruins of the earlier fort on the north shore of what he referred to as ''Lac Otsandoské''. He had the French Fort Junandat built in 1754 diagonally across from the former Ft. Sandusky.

Geography

Sandusky Bay is one of the principal bodies of water in northern Ohio. It is situated between Erie,

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

, and Sandusky counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

and is part of

. According to Francis Leroy Landacre, it is a "shallow, almost land-locked harbor averaging about twelve feet in depth, some fourteen or fifteen miles in length, with a width of something like two miles." It contains numerous marshes and serves as an entry point for several streams. Sandusky Bay runs from Muddy Creek Bay to

Cedar Point Cedar Point is a amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Opened in 1870, it is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the U.S. behind Lake Compounce. Cedar Point is owned and ope ...

, which separates Sandusky Bay from Lake Erie. The

drains into the bay at its westernmost point. The Thomas A. Edison Memorial Bridge carries

Route 2 The following highways are numbered 2. For roads numbered A2, see list of A2 roads. For roads numbered B2, see list of B2 roads. For roads numbered M2, see list of M2 roads. For roads numbered N2, see list of N2 roads. International * AH2, As ...

and Route 269 across Sandusky Bay at its eastern end. This is the only direct highway link between Ottawa and Erie counties. Sandusky Bay can be viewed from

Marblehead Lighthouse Marblehead Lighthouse in Marblehead, Ohio, United States, is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the American side of the Great Lakes. It has guided sailors safely along the rocky shores of Marblehead Peninsula since 1822, and is a ...

at Marblehead Lighthouse State Park. The Sandusky Bay Water Trail was dedicated on June 2, 2007 to provide recreational opportunities along Sandusky Bay. The water of Sandusky Bay is shallow and rarely clear. According to author Tom Cross, "Sandusky Bay is known for great early spring crappie fishing."

Current events

On June 14, 2012, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency opened Sandusky Bay Station. Samples of water from Sandusky Bay gathered on July 30 and 31, 2012 showed that invasive Asian carp may have reached Lake Erie. If so, they may adversely affect Lake Erie's $1 billion fishing industry and $10 billion tourism industry.

Wars and rebellions

Queen Anne's War Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. In E ...

(Old French War). Colonel

John Bradstreet Major General John Bradstreet, born Jean-Baptiste Bradstreet (21 December 1714 – 25 September 1774) was a British Army officer during King George's War, the French and Indian War, and Pontiac's War. He was born in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia ...

sailed sixty long boats into Sandusky Bay and encamped on September 20, 1704. *

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

. United States General

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

had troops drag boats across what was known as the de Lery portage from Sandusky Bay to Lake Erie in order to engage British warships in the lake. *

Upper Canada Rebellion The Upper Canada Rebellion was an insurrection against the oligarchic government of the British colony of Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) in December 1837. While public grievances had existed for years, it was the rebellion in Lower Canada (p ...

. Canadian rebels planned to travel across frozen Lake Erie in the winter from Sandusky Bay to Pelee Island. They were harried by regular British military forces and found that residents had abandoned the island.

Gallery

References