History Of Magee Marsh

History Of Magee Marsh. . , Magee Marsh is more than 2,000 acres of pristine wetlands that once was part of a 300,000 acre coastal wetland that rimmed the western shores of Lake Erie., 1600s | Etienne Brule and his French voyagers landed on a tributary just east of Magee Marsh on November 1, 1612 (All Saints Day). In honor of the day, Brule named the stream Toussaint Creek., 1700s | For much of this century, French settlers lived here in bark huts hunting and trapping. They cleared very little land., 1800s | German immigrants arrived to the region and began clearing and draining the marsh for agriculture., Early 1900s | By this time, most of 300,000 acre coastal wetland on the shores of Lake Erie had been drained. In 1903, John Magee purchased 2,700 acres in this area intending to drain it for farming., 1920s | Attempts to drain this area was unsuccessful. The Magee family decided to manage the marsh for duck hunting and muskrat trapping., Mid-1900s | About 30,000 acres of marshland remains along Lake Erie, from Toledo to Sandusky, due to private duck hunting clubs preserving it. This area was known throughout the Midwest as a premier waterfowling area., 1951 | The Division of Wildlife purchased 2,000 acres from the Magee Marsh Hunt Club. Magee Marsh Wildlife Area was established using funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program., 1960s to present day | The Division continues to provide quality, controlled waterfowl hunts on the area. In the 1980s, biologists at Magee Marsh coordinated a bald eagle restoration project that allowed for the recovery of this species. Today, Magee Marsh is known as a top birding destination for spring warbler migration., For more information on controlled waterfowl opportunities and birding, visit wildohio.gov.