West Sister Island

West Sister Island is a small island in Lake Erie, Ohio, featuring a stone lighthouse tower and extensive marshland vegetation. The site serves as a protected breeding and resting ground for large numbers of migratory and nesting bird species.

The island was fitted with a lighthouse in the 1870s to guide ships safely through Lake Erie's challenging waters. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated it as a national wildlife refuge to protect migratory bird populations.

The lighthouse once served as a home where keepers maintained the navigational light and watched over the lake. Today visitors sense the isolation these workers experienced while performing their critical role on the water.

The island is not open to the general public and requires special permits to visit. Anyone interested in accessing the site must contact wildlife management authorities to arrange permission.

The lighthouse was equipped with a large bell that keepers rang during thick fog to warn passing ships. This acoustic safety method was used before modern navigation equipment became standard on vessels.