'The Key West of the North’
Small Bass Island is known as “the Key West of the North,” said Leanne Italie in the Associated Press, a laid-back spot where boaters from around the region come to congregate. The island is one of about 20 on the Ohio side of Lake Erie, nine of which are under Canadian jurisdiction. Put-in-Bay, the main village, provides access to the other islands by ferry or small plane. Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry defeated a British flotilla in the harbor during the War of 1812, and afterward sent off his much-quoted dispatch: “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, a 352-foot-high Greek Doric column, now marks the lasting peace between the U.S. and Canada. A popular pastime is to hire a golf cart and tour the island’s limestone cliffs and caverns. The smaller Middle Bass Island, known as the “Island of Flowers,” is home to a wildlife area and the Lonz Winery, which opened during the Civil War.
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