The seascape from the bluffs is essentially unchanged from the 1700's. Presque Isle Peninsula forms a lush green background and protects the bay from Lake Erie, which is visible on the horizon. Early sailors declared Erie's protected natural harbor the "Jewel of the Great Lakes". The protected bay was responsible for Erie's genesis as a maritime town with the building of the Naval fleet for the War of 1812. Later, it encouraged local boat building, commercial fishing and ice harvesting industries while it served as a magnet for Great Lakes and international shipping. The decision to make Presque Isle a state park in the 1920's assured the pristine state of the bay for generations to come.