Man Made Island in Erie near Maumee Opening

They are combined disposal facilities for dredged material from the Maumee River that cannot be dumped in the open lake. The one on the western side has been there over 40 years and probably longer. Living in the Point, our houses have faced it and we've been able to watch the trees grow on it.

It was, for lack of a better term, dormant for a number of years but in the past couple of years, they've added more to one of the 'wells.' Because so much of what they dispose there is wet, it takes a while for the sediments to settle and the moisture to evaporate. After that, they can dump on it again. This is usually why there are several 'wells' or 'cells,' so they can alternate between the two.

This particular one is the home to deer, fox and, we think, coyote (people have seen the tracks) and many will hunt deer on the island. (though I don't know if that's technically legal or considered trespassing...it's been going on since I was little.) We often see deer coming from there across the ice in the winter and several times people have seen deer swimming from the island over to the Point.

Some time ago, the city of Oregon and Washington Township got into an 'agreeable' legal dispute over who actually owned the island - whether it was in the city limits of Oregon or the Township. This dispute was a joint effort on both parties to prevent, if I recall correctly, the potential expansion of the facility.

It's called Man-made Island and Grassy Island interchangably. The strip of land to its west is Cullen Park (on Summit Street) and you can walk all the way out to the end of the peninsula to see the 'small boat channel' which many boaters use for access between the river and the Maumee Bay.

The other one is a similar structure, though I don't know as much about it. I'm not aware of any controversy and have no idea if creatures inhabit it like they do Grassy Island. Grassy Island is the older of the two.

A while back, the second, larger one was targeted for a test of Habitat Restoration Units. The concept was to build a small structure just off the shore and allow the area between the structure and the island to be 'restored' to a natural habitat. These have seen much success in other regions and it was thought that they would be able to provide additional habitat areas while the disposal facility was still in use. I don't know if they were ever constructed.

According to this

http://www.tmacog.org/Transportation/Map_Gallery_images/Transportation/Port%20Facilities%202011.pdf

the Corps of Engineers has 'ownership' of Grassy Island and the other one is 'owned' by the Corps and the Port Authority.

This document

http://www.lre.usace.army.mil/ETSPubs/HFS/CDFs/Toledo%20Combined.pdf

provides more details about the size and capacity and has the dates of construction.

wow thank you very much Maggie :)

Thanks Maggie

I have often wondered about the actual history behind the islands especially the one called "grassy island". My interest is not historical but due to personal tragedy. The combination of the breakwater extending from Cullen park and the close proximity of the man made island have created a perfect drowning machine. Many years ago a beautiful 18 year old girl drowned while swimming there just off the breakwater. She was a close personal friend of mine. Since then there have been other incidents including a father and son a few years ago. I was there when they pulled my friend's body from the water three days after she drowned. Unfortunately many people continue to go in the water in that area after walking out on the breakwater trail. I have tried for years to get the city to post a warning sign even offering to pay the cost out of my own pocket but they refused to even answer my inquires. To me that area is cursed land.

Wydowmaker...I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm aware of the drownings and remember watching all the rescue vehicles a couple of years ago when the father and son were lost. I considered mentioning that as part of the history, but thought it might be insensitive.

You are right about how dangerous that area is. Most people don't realize how much it drops off there - or how strong the current can be, especially with heavy winds or after a lot of rain. It doesn't make sense that a simple sign couldn't be posted - it's much more needed than warnings about jumping off of bridges like the ones they post here in the Point.

Maggie--

I was really concerned about bringing up this subject here because of the families. But it's the first time I have ever seen the history of the islands brought out in such detail. I always thought they were much older. I remember old folks in my north Toledo neighborhood talking about an amusement park that used to sit where Cullen park is now. I thought that they might have been there since those times. The last time I was home in Toledo was about 3yrs ago. I drove out to Cullen park and it was a wet,cold rainy day. I don't know why but I walked out through the mud to the end of the breakwater and was blown away to find several teenage kids playing in the water off of the end of the structure. When I warned them of the danger of what they were doing they just laughed at me and went about their business. I used to fish there as a kid but even then the place gave me the willies and still does.

Wydowmaker - kids always believe they'll live forever.

There was an amusement park out here, though it was before me. My grandparents talked about it often and there are some great photos in a couple of books about the history of the Point that show the park and the street car that brought people out here. It used to be a bunch of summer cottages - in fact, our first home was a cottage that, over time and additions, ended up being a permanent house. The Point also has a rich history of booze running during Prohibition, not to mention that they used to load dynamite from a local dock here during the war. When the water is really low, you can still some of the posts from what will forever be called Dynamite Dock.

Here's a link to a TT discussion about Ken Dixon - a long-time resident of the Point - and the book he wrote about the history. I think he might have done more than one book by now.
http://www.toledotalk.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl/11/2780

It's good reading.

I believe Ken Dixon was my math teacher at Bowsher. One of the best teachers I ever had. His house was awesome. I will need to find the book and read it. Hope it is available.

Maggie--

Thanks for the link. So much interesting history. I lived in Toledo my entire life and have always been a history buff but I am always surprised when I find out how little I actually know about my own home town.

Loved Dixon's "Nothing Personal Just Business, Prohibition and Murder on Toledo's Mean Streets" and its connections to Point Place.

My great uncle was the police photographer and key witness in the Kennedy murder case.