Port Clinton

Port Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Ottawa County, Ohio, United States, about 44 miles east of Toledo. The population was 6,056 at the 2010 census. The city has been nicknamed the "Walleye Capital of the World."The city is known for its annual Walleye Drop, commemorating the new year as well as its fishing and boating industries, the annual National Rifle Matches at neighboring Camp Perry, and its proximity to a variety of vacation destinations (such as the Lake Erie islands, the Cedar Point amusement park and a number of local wineries). Port Clinton's transient dockage on the Portage River is a safe harbor for Lake Erie boaters. The nearby lake waters are rich with perch, walleye, and many other fish.Port Clinton is part of the area that is referred to regionally as Vacationland (with includes nearby Sandusky and the Lake Erie Islands) due to the large number of tourists that flock to the area in the summer months.HistoryResidents established the community in 1828 on the shores of Lake Erie. They named the town after DeWitt Clinton, a governor of New York who was instrumental in creating the Erie Canal. Port Clinton grew slowly. In 1846, only sixty homes existed in the community. Although the town had an excellent harbor, little shipping occurred. The town remained relatively small throughout the nineteenth century, with a population of 1,600 in 1880 and 2,049 residents in 1890. By 1886, Port Clinton contained three newspaper offices, four churches, and one bank. Several manufacturing businesses existed in the town, with the largest being A. Couche & Company, a sawmill that employed ten workers. Most businesses provided services or products to farmers in the surrounding countryside.