Editing Lake Erie (section)

===Tourism===

====Diving for shipwrecks====
Lake Erie is a favorite for divers since there are many shipwrecks, perhaps 1,400 to 8,000 according to one estimate,<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> of which about 270 are confirmed shipwreck locations.<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> Research into shipwrecks has been organized by the Peachman Lake Erie Shipwreck Research Center, located on the grounds of the Great Lakes Historical Society.<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> Most wrecks are undiscovered but believed to be well preserved and at most {{convert|200|ft|m}} below the water surface.<ref name="twsX15a">{{cite news |author=Nass |first=Shannon M. |date=October 3, 2010 |title=Lake Erie shipwrecks, well-preserved by fresh water, are favorites among divers |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10276/1091928-140.stm |access-date=January 24, 2011 |archive-date=November 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124080448/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10276/1091928-140.stm |url-status=dead }}</ref> One report suggests there are more wrecks per square mile than any other [[Fresh water|freshwater]] location, including wrecks from Indigenous watercraft. There are efforts to identify shipwreck sites and survey the lake floor to map the location of underwater sites, possibly for further study or exploration.<ref name=twsX28a/> While the lake is relatively warmer than the other Great Lakes, there is a thermocline, meaning that as a diver descends, the water temperature drops about {{convert|30|F-change|abbr=out}}, requiring a [[wetsuit]].<ref name=twsX15a/> One estimate is that Lake Erie has a quarter of all 8,000 estimated shipwrecks in the Great Lakes.<ref name=twsX15a/> They are preserved because the water is cold and salt-free.<ref name=twsX15a/> Divers have a policy of not removing or touching anything at the wreck.<ref name=twsX15a/> The cold conditions make diving difficult, requiring divers with skill and experience.<ref name=twsX15a/> One charter firm from western New York State takes about 1,500 divers to Lake Erie shipwrecks in a typical season from April through October.<ref name=twsX15a/>

{{blockquote|Among the diving community, they are considered world class, offering opportunities to visit an underwater museum that most people will never see.|reporter Shannon M. Nass of the ''[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]'', 2010<ref name=twsX15a/>}}

[[File:Steamship General Anthony Wayne.jpg|thumb|right|The paddle steamer ''Anthony Wayne'' sank in 1850 and was located in 2006 about {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} north of Vermilion, Ohio.]]

In 1991, the 19th-century [[paddle steamer]] ''Atlantic'' was discovered.<ref name=twsX23/> It had sunk in 1852 after a collision with the steamship ''Ogdensburg'', {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} west of [[Long Point, Ontario]], and survivors from ''Atlantic'' were saved by the crew of ''Ogdensburg''.<ref name=twsX23/><ref name=twsJanY315>{{cite news
 |title        = The Catastrophe on Lake Erie
 |newspaper    = The New York Times
 |date         = August 23, 1852
 |url          = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F7061FFE3955147B93C1AB1783D85F468584F9
 |access-date  = January 25, 2010
 |archive-date = November 11, 2012
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20121111024121/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F7061FFE3955147B93C1AB1783D85F468584F9
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> One account suggests 130 people drowned<ref name=twsX23/> while another suggests about 20 drowned.<ref name=twsJanY315/> There was speculation that the sunken vessel had been a gambling ship, and therefore there might have been money aboard, but most historians were skeptical.<ref name=twsX23>{{cite news
 |title        = Lake Erie Journal; A Dive to Solve a Treasure Mystery
 |newspaper    = The New York Times
 |date         = June 28, 1991
 |url          = https://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/28/us/lake-erie-journal-a-dive-to-solve-a-treasure-mystery.html
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = May 24, 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130524211804/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/28/us/lake-erie-journal-a-dive-to-solve-a-treasure-mystery.html
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

In 1998, the wreckage of ''Adventure'' became the first shipwreck registered as an "underwater archaeological site"; when it was discovered that ''Adventure''{{'}}s propeller had been removed and given to a junkyard. The propeller was reclaimed days before being converted to scrap metal and brought back to the dive site.<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> In 2003, divers discovered the steamer ''Canobie'' near Presque Isle, which had sunk in 1921.<ref name="twsX28a">{{cite news |author=Spice |first=Byron |date=June 16, 2003 |title=Archaeologists surveying Lake Erie floor for shipwrecks |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/healthscience/20030616underwater0616p2.asp |access-date=January 24, 2011 |archive-date=November 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124074313/http://www.post-gazette.com/healthscience/20030616underwater0616p2.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other wrecks include the fish tub ''Neal H. Dow'' (1910), the "steamer-cum-barge" ''Elderado'' (1880),<ref name="twsX28a" /> ''W. R. Hanna'',<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> ''Dundee'' which sank north of Cleveland in 1900,<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> ''F. H. Prince'',<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> and ''The Craftsman''.<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> In 2007, the wreck of the steamship named after [[Anthony Wayne|"Mad" Anthony Wayne]] was found near [[Vermilion, Ohio]], in {{convert|50|ft|m}} of water; the vessel sank in 1850 after its boilers exploded, and 38 people died.<ref name="twsZ37" /> The wreck belongs to the state of Ohio, and salvaging it is illegal, but divers can visit.<ref name="twsZ37">{{cite news
 |agency       = Associated Press
 |title        = 1850 shipwreck found in Lake Erie
 |newspaper    = The Star
 |date         = June 21, 2007
 |url          = https://www.thestar.com/article/227944
 |access-date  = January 26, 2011
 |archive-date = October 23, 2012
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20121023100213/http://www.thestar.com/article/227944
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> In addition, there are wrecks of smaller vessels, with occasional drownings of fishermen.<ref name="twsX214">{{cite news
 |author       = Art Barnum
 |title        = Lake Erie Search Ends For Missing Fisherman
 |newspaper    = Chicago Tribune
 |date         = April 19, 1994
 |url          = https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/04/19/lake-erie-search-ends-for-missing-fisherman/
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = December 4, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20111204134642/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-04-19/news/9404190247_1_lake-erie-toledo-and-cleveland-capsized
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

====Public parks====
[[File:PresqueIsleStatePark.JPG|thumb|right|[[Presque Isle State Park]] in Pennsylvania is a [[peninsula]] in Lake Erie]]

There are numerous public parks around the lake. In western Pennsylvania, a [[Roderick Wildlife Reserve|wildlife reserve]] was established in 1991 in Springfield Township for hiking, fishing, cross-country skiing and walking along the beach.<ref name="twsX17">{{Cite news |first=Anya |last=Sostek |date=December 25, 2010 |title=Western Pa. Conservancy secures 113 acres along Lake Erie |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10359/1113491-454.stm |access-date=January 24, 2011 |archive-date=January 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105025227/http://post-gazette.com/pg/10359/1113491-454.stm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In Ontario, Long Point is a peninsula on the northwest shore near Port Rowan that extends {{convert|20|mi|km}} into Lake Erie which is a stopover for birds migrating as well as turtles; [[Long Point Provincial Park]] is located there and has been designated as a [[Man and the Biosphere Programme|UNESCO Biosphere reserve]].<ref name=twsX18/> In Ontario's Sand Hill Park, east of [[Port Burwell, Ontario|Port Burwell]], there is a {{convert|450|ft|m|adj=on}} high dune which people climb for picturesque views of the lake.<ref name="twsZ35b">{{Cite news |first=Rebecca |last=Field Jager|date=April 9, 2010 |title=Central Canada charms: On the Erie shores, a very eerie sight |work=National Post |url=https://nationalpost.com/m/story.html?id=2783949&s=Life&p=2 |access-date=January 26, 2011}}{{dead link|date=December 2012}}</ref> In southern Michigan, [[Sterling State Park]] has campgrounds, {{convert|1300|acre|ha}} for hiking, biking, fishing, boating, with a sand beach for sunbathing, swimming, and picnicking.<ref name="twsZ13">{{Cite news |first=Lee |last=Grayson |date=January 26, 2011 |title=Campgrounds in Southern Michigan |work=USA Today: Travel |url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/campgrounds-southern-michigan-4805.html |access-date=January 26, 2011 |archive-date=November 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125064732/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/campgrounds-southern-michigan-4805.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Biking====
In 1997, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reporter Donna Marchetti took a bike tour around the Lake Erie perimeter, traveling {{convert|40|mi}} per day and staying at [[bed and breakfast]]s.<ref name="twsX18">{{cite news |author=Marchetti |first=Donna |date=June 29, 1997 |title=Circling Lake Erie by Bike |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/29/travel/circling-lake-erie-by-bike.html |access-date=January 24, 2011 |archive-date=July 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715064544/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/29/travel/circling-lake-erie-by-bike.html |url-status=live }}</ref> She biked through the cities of Cleveland, Erie, Windsor, Detroit and Toledo as well as resort towns, vineyards, and cornfields.<ref name=twsX18/> The trip highlights were the "small port towns and rural farmlands of southern Ontario".<ref name=twsX18/> There are few bike repair shops in Ontario on the route.<ref name=twsX18/>

====Islands====
[[File:Alvar4.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Alvar]] habitat on [[Kelleys Island, Ohio|Kelleys Island]]. [[South Bass Island]] visible in distance.]]

Lake Erie islands tend to be in the westernmost part of the lake and have different characters. Some of them include:
*Kelleys Island has activities such as beach lounging, hiking, biking, and viewing the deep [[Glacial striation|glacial grooves]] in the [[bedrock]] [[limestone]].<ref name=twsX21a/>
*Pelee Island is reached by ferry from Leamington, Ontario, or by plane or ferry in [[Sandusky, Ohio]], and is the largest of the Lake Erie islands.<ref name=twsX18/> The island has a unique ecosystem with plants rarely found in Canada such as wild hyacinth, yellow horse gentian, and prickly pear cactus.<ref name=twsX18/> There are two endangered snakes including the blue racer and the Lake Erie water snake. Songbirds migrate there in spring, and monarch butterflies stop over during the fall.<ref name=twsX18/>
*[[South Bass Island]] has the island-village of [[Put-in-Bay, Ohio]].<ref name=twsX21a>{{cite news
 |author       = Josh Noel
 |title        = A tale of 2 Lake Erie islands
 |newspaper    = Chicago Tribune
 |date         = August 30, 2009
 |url          = https://www.chicagotribune.com/2009/08/30/a-tale-of-2-islands/
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = December 4, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20111204135349/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-08-30/travel/0908270279_1_lake-erie-kelleys-island-south-bass-island
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> It has been described as a party island with scenic rocky cliffs with a year-round population in the hundreds that grows during summer.<ref name=twsX21a/>

====Water sports====
Kayaking has become more popular along the lake, particularly in places such as Put-in-Bay, Ohio.<ref name="twsX43d" /> There are extensive views with steep cliffs with exotic wildlife and extensive shoreline.<ref name="twsX43d"/> Long-distance swimmers have swum across the lake to set records; for example, a 15-year-old amputee swam the {{convert|12|mi|km|adj=on}} stretch across the lake in 2001.<ref name=twsX311>{{cite news
 |agency       = Tribune news services
 |title        = Disabled athlete swims 12 miles across Lake Erie
 |newspaper    = Chicago Tribune
 |date         = September 9, 2001
 |url          = https://www.chicagotribune.com/2001/09/09/disabled-athlete-swims-12-miles-across-lake-erie/
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = December 4, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20111204130511/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-09-09/news/0109090206_1_lake-erie-swim-miles
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> In 2008, 14-year-old Jade Scognamillo swam from New York's Sturgeon Point to Ontario's [[Crystal Beach, Ontario|Crystal Beach]] and completed the 11.9-mile (19.2-km) swim in five hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds, and became the youngest swimmer to make the crossing.<ref name=twsZ33>{{cite news
 |author       = Sunny Freeman
 |title        = Girl, 14, smashes week-old record for Lake Erie swim
 |newspaper    = The Star
 |date         = July 13, 2008
 |url          = https://www.thestar.com/article/459375
 |access-date  = January 26, 2011
 |archive-date = May 16, 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100516040321/http://www.thestar.com/article/459375
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> It is illegal for swimmers younger than 14 to attempt such a crossing.<ref name=twsZ33/> In Port Dover, Ontario, swimmers do high-dives at the annual "Polar Bear Swim" on the beach.<ref name=twsZ23>{{cite news
 |author       = Dave Chidley
 |title        = In Pictures: Revellers from coast to coast greet the New Year with a traditional cold-water swim
 |newspaper    = The Globe and Mail
 |date         = January 2, 2011
 |url          = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/revellers-from-coast-to-coast-greet-the-new-year-with-a-traditional-cold-water-swim/article1855470/
 |access-date  = January 26, 2011
 |archive-date = January 9, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110109150804/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/revellers-from-coast-to-coast-greet-the-new-year-with-a-traditional-cold-water-swim/article1855470/
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> Currents can pose a problem, and there have been occasional incidents of drownings.<ref name=twsZ25>{{cite news
 |title        = Remains of Calgary rescuer recovered from Lake Erie: Woman, 53, missing since Monday
 |publisher    = CBC News
 |date         = August 25, 2010
 |url          = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/remains-of-calgary-rescuer-recovered-from-lake-erie-1.956463
 |access-date  = January 26, 2011
 |archive-date = August 28, 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100828084832/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/windsor/story/2010/08/25/windsor-pelee-recovery-missing-calgary.html
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref><ref name=twsZ43>{{cite news
 |author       = Teri Pecoskie
 |title        = Burlington man drowns in Lake Erie
 |newspaper    = The Star
 |date         = August 19, 2010
 |url          = https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/850325--burlington-man-drowns-in-lake-erie
 |access-date  = January 26, 2011
 |archive-date = August 24, 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100824055308/http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/850325--burlington-man-drowns-in-lake-erie
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

====Lighthouses====
[[File:HPIM8229.JPG|thumb|upright|Lighthouse on [[Mohawk Island]], Ontario]]
[[File:Cleveland West Pierhead Lighthouse.jpg|thumb|The West Pierhead Lighthouse in [[Cleveland]], Ohio]]
The lake is dotted by distinct lighthouses. A lighthouse off the coast of Cleveland, beset with cold lake winter spray, has an unusual artistic icy shape, although sometimes ice prevents the light from being seen by maritime vessels.<ref name=twsX25>{{cite web
 |author       = Dean Praetorius
 |title        = Frozen Lighthouse: Nature's Artwork On Lake Erie (VIDEO)
 |website      = Huffington Post
 |date         = December 16, 2010
 |url          = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/16/frozen-lighthouse_n_797750.html
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = December 20, 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20101220100408/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/16/frozen-lighthouse_n_797750.html
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

====Folklore====
There have been unconfirmed reports of persons spotting a creature akin to the [[Loch Ness Monster]], beginning in the 19th century and sometimes called "[[Bessie (lake monster)|Bessie]]" or "South Bay Bessie".<ref name="twsX27a">{{cite news
 |agency       = Associated Press
 |title        = Legend of Lake Erie Monster Rises Again
 |newspaper    = Los Angeles Times
 |date         = September 30, 1990
 |url          = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-09-30-mn-2507-story.html
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = July 15, 2012
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120715045922/http://articles.latimes.com/1990-09-30/news/mn-2507_1_lake-erie
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref><ref name="twsX33a">{{cite news
 |author       = Bob Batz Jr.
 |title        = The Lake Erie Monster is coming!
 |newspaper    = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 |date         = June 3, 2010
 |url          = http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10154/1062551-389.stm
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = July 5, 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100705141109/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10154/1062551-389.stm
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> There were reports in 1990 of people seeing a "large creature moving in the water about {{convert|1000|ft|m}} from their boat" described as black in color, about {{convert|35|ft|m}} long, with a snakelike head, and moving as fast as a boat.<ref name="twsX27a" /> Five other people reported seeing something similar on three separate occasions, but there is no scientific evidence of such a creature.<ref name="twsX27a" /> There is a [[Great Lakes Brewing Company#Beers|''Lake Erie Monster'']] beer and a [[Cleveland Monsters]] hockey team.<ref name="twsX33a" />

There have been sporadic reports of people in Cleveland being able to see the Canadian shoreline as if it were immediately offshore, even though Canada is {{convert|50|mi|km}} from Cleveland. It has been speculated that this is a weather-related phenomenon, working on similar principles as a [[Looming and similar refraction phenomena#Looming|mirage]].<ref>{{cite web |last=((Associated Press)) |date=July 31, 2006 |title=Erie Mirage May Be Real |url=http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/07/31/erie_pla.html?category=travel&guid=20060731110030 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015120744/http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/07/31/erie_pla.html?category=travel&guid=20060731110030 |archive-date=October 15, 2012 |publisher=Discovery.com |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>