April 29, 2023
A Day in Toledo
I went up to Toledo for a ice hockey training camp for my son. While there I decided to visit a lighthouse that I had missed during my Lake Erie tour in 2017.
The objective was to see the Manhattan Range Lights.
I started the day at the Great Lakes Maritime Museum where I parked the car and went in and got a stamp for my lighthouse passport. As I was short on time I didn't tour the museum but found out later the lens for the Green Island is displayed inside.
Green Island is just west of Bass Island which I visited in 2017. A lighthouse here was first exhibited in 1855, but caught fire New Year’s Day, 1864. A new lighthouse was lit on July 1, 1865.
In 1926 the light was automated and then in 1939 a new steel tower was built to replace the old lighthouse.
In 1961, the State of Ohio took over the island which became a wildlife refuge.
In April 1974, two fisherman while on the island started a fire that got out of control and once again the lighthouse of Green Island was burnt down.
Before leaving I took some photos of the ships around the Maritime Museum.
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My ride took me along the Maumee River Riverside Trail a short distance before crossing the Maumee River on The Craig Bridge and headed north west on the Craig Bridge trail that weaves under the I280 freeway.
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Heading north, I picked up another trail alongside Summit Street eventually reaching a faux lighthouse and this was my turnaround point.
From there I headed south along the trail and Summit Street, then dropped down closer to the river on Water Street before picking up the waterfront trail.
Once clear of downtown I was on Broadway Street heading towards the zoo where I thought I would find the Manhattan Range Lighthouse.
As I reached the zoo area I started to look for the lighthouse but failed to find it, so backtracked back into downtown.
I crossed the Maumee River back to the east side on the Martin Luther King Memorial Bridge and took a series of trails back to my starting point.
I found out later that both lighthouse were on South Summit Street and I had cycled quite close to them. I will make a point to go back next time I am in the area to get photos.
Manhattan Range Lighthouses - History:
In 1868, three pairs of range lights known as Maumee Range lights were used to mark the channel leading to the mouth of the Maumee River. In 1884, three additional ranges went into service.
First exhibited in April of 1895, two wooden towers were built for the Manhattan Range. At that time the 1868 Maumee Range lights were discontinued.
On May 25, 1918 two steel towers, the front tower forty one feet tall, and the rear tower eighty three feet tall, were lit using the lighting equipment from the older wooden lighthouses.
In the late 1980s, the Coast Guard had Hansen Industries remove both towers and they were placed in their parking lot on South Summit Street. The front tower was then moved to Broadway Street next to a restaurant. in 2023 the Front Tower was moved back to Hansen Industries on South Summit Street.
Update September 7, 2023:
On my way home from our tour around lower Lake Michigan.
I was determined to find these lights and get a photo so we stopped off in Toledo and drove to the South Summit site.
Here I found both lighthouse and took photos below.
Today's ride: 19 miles (31 km)
Total: 19 miles (31 km)
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