PUT IN BAY, Ohio — The rich lore of Lake Erie contains a very colorful chapter on the extensive history of waterfowl hunting in the Sandusky Bay and along the lake’s shoreline.

Ducks and geese by the hundreds of thousands would pour into the lush marshes and wetlands along the lake. This abundance of game attracted both market hunters, who would harvest waterfowl as their primary source of income, and some of the wealthiest people in the country who formed very exclusive hunting clubs in the region.

These hunters used many creative and lifelike decoys and powerful firearms. Many decades ago, most of these vintage decoys were lost, destroyed, or even used to heat hunting cabins, and the few that remain are highly-prized pieces of American folk art.

The Lake Erie Islands Historical Society at Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island has assembled a collection of these antiquities, some of which date back to the mid-1800s, along with photos, paintings, and other waterfowl hunting items. The “Classic Decoys of Western Lake Erie” exhibition features this bygone era when the skies above the lake would fill with ducks.

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“We believe this show provides an interesting look at duck hunting in this area, and how important it was at one point in history,” said Dan Savage, the director of LEIHS who assembled the collection. “There is some history here that people might not be aware of.”

The show has more than 125 decoys on display and includes a photo of a black duck decoy in use at Winous Point Shooting Club around 1860, the earliest known picture of a duck decoy in American history. The early decoys carried the trademark style of their artist, but many were branded or stamped with the name of the hunter who owned the decoys, not the name of the artist who crafted the piece.

“We wanted to make the collection as broad and comprehensive as possible and show the different artistic styles from Sandusky to Monroe, and we were able to borrow not just examples of these old decoys but some of the best examples that exist,” Mr. Savage said. The show includes a 40-pound cast iron sink box decoy that was placed on the flat edges of a boat that floated level with the surface of the water.

“Every one of those decoys has a story behind it,” said Bob Lund of the Maumee Bay Carvers group. “This part of the history of the area is important, and there is so much to learn and discover about it.”

A redhead duck in the show is branded for its owner, President Rutherford B. Hayes, who was a member of the Demars Point Hunting & Fishing Club. Mr. Savage said that during the region’s waterfowl hunting heyday, there were 31 private hunting clubs between Toledo and Sandusky, and some were engaged in protecting the wetlands habitat.

“These guys were talking about preserving green space back in the 1800s,” said Mr. Savage, who is not a hunter but sees the decoys as folk art as much as hunting implements. “That’s part of the story — the members of these clubs felt you could have both green space and have hunting.”

The exhibition also contains items from the “market hunting” era along the lake, when 6-gauge, 4-gauge, and even 2-gauge shotguns were used to take multiple birds with one shot. Market hunters took advantage of abundant waterfowl, little or no hunting regulations, and the premium price they could receive for fresh duck meat and earned their primary income from hunting ducks.

Mr. Savage said he found a case where a market hunter with a 4-gauge shotgun took down 125 canvasback ducks with one shot. About a century ago, waterfowl hunting began to be restricted to certain seasons and hours, and reduced bag limits were put in place, effectively ending market hunting.

Contact Blade outdoors editor Matt Markey at: mmarkey@theblade.com or 419-724-6068.

First Published June 26, 2016, 4:00 a.m.