The Whiskey Island Story

When the city of Cleveland was founded, there existed a small triangle shaped ridge of land near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River that was surrounded by swamp and became the home of early Irish settlers. The original owner, Lorenzo Carter, had built a whiskey still on the pennisula and the area had aquired the name  "Whiskey Island". The Irish settlers, who worked as iron ore dock workers and canal diggers, soon boasted of having 13 saloons within the one mile long and one third of mile wide strip of land.   Whiskey island was a crowded area of slum housing. It had 22 streets crowded into its borders. Crime was wide-spread and violence everpresent. Railroad tracks marked its northern end and the area was often swept with mosquito borne malaria. Company stores often cheated  the irish workers with little legal recourse.   Because so many of the men living in this "Irish part of town" earned their living by working on the Iron ore docks they came to be known as the "Iron Ore Terriers" or  "The Dog People". The lads of the 69th Pa in Cleveland have adopted the name "Whisky Island Dog People" in memory of the traditions of the early Irish settlers.

Ohio Contact

Name:

Dennis Smith  / Dave Strichko

Email:

Dmenace769@aol.com      bidelectric@alltel.net