Benton Township near Oak Harbor in Ottawa County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Magee Marsh Wildlife Area

A Feature of the Great Black Swamp

Photographed by Thomas Cluckey II, November 18, 2011

1. Magee Marsh Wildlife Area Marker

Inscription. A dense swamp forest roughly the size of the state of Connecticut once stretched across this region of Ohio and Indiana. A remnant of ancient Lake Maumee, this dense, soggy flatland supported abundant waterflow and wildlife, but blocked travel and settlement and remained largely uninhabited until it was cleared and drained for agriculture between 1860 and 1885. This marsh and other scatter remnants are all that remain of the Great Black Swamp. Managed for a variety of wetland wildlife. Magee is one of the premier bird watching sites in North America with more than 300 species.

Erected 2003 by The Ohio Bicentennial Commission, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, The International Paper Company Foundation, The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 12-62.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Parks & Recreational Areas. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1860.

Location. 41° 36.694′ N, 83° 11.308′ W. Marker is near Oak Harbor, Ohio, in Ottawa County. It is in Benton Township. It can be reached from Park Road 1 0.8 miles north of Ohio Route 2, on the right when

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

traveling west. Entrance road leaves the north side of West State Route 2 past Black Swamp Bird Observatory Nature Center .5 mile left into Magee Marsh Visitor Center (previously Sportsman's Migratory Bird Center) parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 13229 West State Route 2, Oak Harbor OH 43449, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Lake Erie Shore

and in the Toledo Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: History Of Magee Marsh (here, next to this marker); Sport Fish & Wildlife Restoration (a few steps from this marker); Purple Martins (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ward's Canal (approx. 4.1 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 4.4 miles away); Carroll Township Hall (approx. 4½ miles away); Howard Marsh (approx. 4½ miles away); The Changing Faces of Howard Marsh (approx. 4½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oak Harbor.

Magee Marsh Wildlife Area Marker in front of Sportsmen's Migratory Bird Center image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Thomas Cluckey II, November 18, 2011

2. Magee Marsh Wildlife Area Marker in front of Sportsmen's Migratory Bird Center

Magee Marsh from Hawkwatch Observation Tower image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Thomas Cluckey II, November 18, 2011

3. Magee Marsh from Hawkwatch Observation Tower

Post with missing marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Grant & Mary Ann Fish, August 2, 2024

4. Post with missing marker

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 30, 2026

5. Magee Marsh Wildlife Area Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 19, 2011, by Thomas Cluckey II of Oregon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 995 times since then and 50 times this year. Last updated on May 31, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 19, 2011, by Thomas Cluckey II of Oregon, Ohio. 4. submitted on August 2, 2025, by Grant & Mary Ann Fish of Galloway, Ohio. 5. submitted on May 31, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.