Most people think of Lake Erie, the shallowest and second smallest of the Great Lakes, as a sun-drenched, nearly tropical retreat. But it is so much more; mysterious, unpredictable, and known by mariners for its sudden violent weather and dangerous shoals, Lake Erie has been the stage for some of the most dramatic events ever to occur on the North American continent. From the earliest explorations of First Nations and French adventurers to the brazen rumrunners of the Prohibition era and beyond,...