Middle Bass Island is an island of the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
OhioOhio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...
, located in
Lake ErieLake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the thirteenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
. A small town,
Middle BassMiddle Bass is an unincorporated community in Put-in-Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. It is the only town on Middle Bass Island in Lake Erie. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 43446.- References :...
, lies on the island. The 805-acre (3.258 km²) island is shaped like the
Big DipperUrsa Major is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. Its name means the Great Bear in Latin. It is dominated by the widely recognized asterism known as the Big Dipper or Plough, which is a useful pointer toward north, and which has mythological significance...
and is one of three
Bass IslandsThe Bass Islands are three American islands in the western half of Lake Erie. They are north of Sandusky, Ohio and south of Pelee Island, Ontario. South Bass Island is the largest of the islands, followed closely by North Bass Island and Middle Bass Island . They are located in Ottawa County in...
located at the center of a group of 23 smaller islands.
Some of its more famous neighbors are
South Bass IslandSouth Bass Island is a small island in western Lake Erie, and a part of Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. It is the southernmost of the three Bass Islands and located 12 miles from the south shore of Lake Erie. It is the third largest island in the Lake Erie Islands...
, with the town of
Put-in-BayPut-in-Bay is a village located on South Bass Island in Put-in-Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. Many believe that the name originates from some early maps of South Bass Island that showed the harbor being named Pudding Bay, probably because it was shaped like a pudding sack. The...
, Kelleys Island, and Pelee Island. The island has a year-round population of 95 residents (
2000 censusThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
).
Middle Bass Island is an island of the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
OhioOhio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...
, located in
Lake ErieLake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the thirteenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
. A small town,
Middle BassMiddle Bass is an unincorporated community in Put-in-Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. It is the only town on Middle Bass Island in Lake Erie. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 43446.- References :...
, lies on the island. The 805-acre (3.258 km²) island is shaped like the
Big DipperUrsa Major is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. Its name means the Great Bear in Latin. It is dominated by the widely recognized asterism known as the Big Dipper or Plough, which is a useful pointer toward north, and which has mythological significance...
and is one of three
Bass IslandsThe Bass Islands are three American islands in the western half of Lake Erie. They are north of Sandusky, Ohio and south of Pelee Island, Ontario. South Bass Island is the largest of the islands, followed closely by North Bass Island and Middle Bass Island . They are located in Ottawa County in...
located at the center of a group of 23 smaller islands.
Some of its more famous neighbors are
South Bass IslandSouth Bass Island is a small island in western Lake Erie, and a part of Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. It is the southernmost of the three Bass Islands and located 12 miles from the south shore of Lake Erie. It is the third largest island in the Lake Erie Islands...
, with the town of
Put-in-BayPut-in-Bay is a village located on South Bass Island in Put-in-Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. Many believe that the name originates from some early maps of South Bass Island that showed the harbor being named Pudding Bay, probably because it was shaped like a pudding sack. The...
, Kelleys Island, and Pelee Island. The island has a year-round population of 95 residents (
2000 censusThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
). Seasonal population surges to near 1,500 residents during the summer.
History
The island was landed upon by French explorer, Robert La Salle, in 1679. The abundance of wildflowers on the island impressed La Salle and his crew so much that they appropriately named it
Isle des Fleures, the Floral Island. It would retain this name for the next 200 years until it was acquired by a German count in 1856. With the aid of immigrant German workers, the island was used for growing grapes. This proved to be a very successful undertaking.
By 1875, Middle Bass Island's Golden Eagle Winery was reputed to be the largest wine producer in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Lonz family acquired the business in 1884 and owned and operated it until the death of George Lonz in 1968. Lonz Winery has often been compared with the wineries of the German Rhineland. The old castle-like structure has been visited by countless dignitaries including five American Presidents. The winery is now part of a corporation bearing the Lonz name. Since 1979, the wines have been made by Italian enologist Claudio Salvador.
On July 1, 2000 tragedy struck the Lonz Winery when a terrace collapsed leaving one dead and dozens injured.
Lonz Winery was purchased by the state of Ohio with the intention of one day establishing a state park.
External links