Sturgeon Point

Sturgeon Point is a landmass that extends into Lake Erie. It was on this five-acre point that the resort of Geneva-on-the-Lake got its start on July 5,1869. Cullen Spencer and a friend, Edward Pratt, noticed a trend in the township following the Civil War — people from Cleveland were coming out by train to camp, fish, and swim. They leased five acres at Sturgeon Point and established there a “Pleasure Grounds” where folks could pay to picnic, camp, and enjoy Lake Erie. The grounds became very popular, and the investors added amenities in the coming years. A merry-go-round was one of the first attractions they added. Sturgeon Point is named after the lake sturgeon that would congregate at this point at certain times of the year. These were large fish that grew to 200 pounds or more. They were considered a nuisance by most fishermen; their only value was as fertilizer. But in the latter half of the 19th century, people began eating them and their eggs. They developed quite an appetite for the fish, and by the early 20th century, the fishery was depleted.

Another fish species once common in Lake Erie but now lost is the Blue Pike, also known as the Blue Walleye. It once accounted for 50 percent of the commercial fishery catch in Lake Erie; the last time a specimen was found and confirmed as the subspecies was in 1983.