Thousand Islands

An 1898 touring map of the Thousand Islands
Sunset over one of the smallest of the Thousand Islands, which supports one tree and two shrubs.

The Thousand Islands constitute an archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddles the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about 50 miles (80 km) downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario, the U.S. islands in the state of New York. Canada is home to the majority of islands with just over two-thirds in Ontario.[1]

The 1,864 islands range in size from over 40 square miles (100 km2) to smaller islands occupied by a single residence, or uninhabited outcroppings of rocks that are only home to migratory waterfowl. To count as one of the Thousand Islands, emergent land within the river channel must have at least one square foot (0.093 m2) of land above water level year-round, and support at least two living trees.[2][3]

Geography

Aerial view of Boldt Castle and some of the Thousand Islands.

Large freighters frequently ply the Saint Lawrence Seaway, but the area has so many shoals and rocks that foreign vessels must use maritime pilots to help them travel through the hazardous waterway.[4] Under the Canadian span, a vessel just less than 25 feet (7.6 m) offshore can find itself in over 200 feet (61 m) of water. Similarly, rocks and shoals less than two feet (61 cm) underwater can be found in the center of channels 90 feet (27 m) deep.

Because of the great number of rocks and shoals just above or below the water's surface, it is unwise to travel the waters at night, unless one stays in the main channels and has charts, a chart plotter, or knows the area well. The water is so clear in some areas that a rocky bottom can be observed in 80 feet (24 m) of water. Before the advent of the zebra mussel, visibility of only 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 4.6 m) was usual, slightly decreasing as the years passed. Water clarity improved markedly in the mid-1990s with the arrival of zebra mussels, which feed on algae. The area has several shipwrecks, and although most of them are over 100 feet (30 m) underwater, some are a mere 15 feet (4.6 m) down and can be seen from the surface.

Geologically, the islands are located where a branch of the Canadian Shield runs south across the river to join with the Adirondacks.

Around twenty of these islands form the Thousand Islands National Park, the oldest of Canada's national parks east of the Rockies. The park hosts campgrounds, inland walking trails, annual family events, as well as a national heritage building.[5] Thirty New York state parks are also located in the Thousand Islands region, including Wellesley Island State Park and Robert Moses State Park.[6]

The Thousand Islands-Frontenac Arch region was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2002.

Powerhouse, Heart Island (Boldt Castle)

The Thousand Islands Bridge connects New York State and Ontario by traversing Wellesley Island at the northernmost point of Interstate 81 in Jefferson County and meets Highway 137, which leads to Highway 401. The Thousand Islands Parkway provides a scenic view of many of the islands.

The Thousand Islands Bridge.

The largest island in the group, Wolfe Island, is located entirely in Ontario. Adjacent to Wolfe but part of New York is Carleton Island, the site of a ruined fort, Fort Haldimand, built in 1779 by the British during the American Revolutionary War. The island was captured by three American soldiers during the War of 1812 and remains part of the United States today.

Culture

The Thousand Islands is a corridor for nature lovers, and both Ontario and New York have government-regulated parks along the waterfront. The waterfront is served by New York State Routes 12 and 37 and by the Thousand Islands Parkway in Ontario. Ontario also has the Waterfront Trail alongside the Parkway for cyclists who wish to see the area in an alternative way.

The Thousand Islands gave their name to the popular Thousand Island dressing around the turn of the 20th century. Local accounts state that the dressing originated when Sophie LaLonde, of Clayton, New York served the dressing at dinners for guests of her husband, a popular fishing guide. As a result of one of these dinners, she gave the recipe to Clayton hotel owner Ella Bertrand and New York City stage actress May Irwin.[7] Irwin shared it with hotel magnate George C. Boldt.

History

There is evidence on native people inhabiting the Thousand Islands area 7,000 years ago. The tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy camped and hunted in the Thousand Island area between 700 B.C. and 1600 A.D. Their name for the islands was Manitouana or the "Garden of the Great Spirit".[1]

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many distinguished visitors made the region widely known as a summer resort. Several grand hotels provided luxurious accommodations while steamboats offered extensive tours among the islands. Wealthy and middle-class summer residents built summer homes. Some masonry "castles" remain as international landmarks. The most famous extant examples are "The Towers" on Dark Island, now called Singer Castle, and the long-neglected Boldt Castle on Heart Island, much of which has been completed over the recent decades in accord with Mr. Boldt's original plans – hitherto, it had been left unfinished for over 75 years upon the untimely death of his wife. The original plans were updated to incorporate numerous current technological conveniences.


                              O boating on the rivers,

The voyage down the St. Lawrence, the superb scenery, the steamers,
     The ships sailing, the Thousand Islands, the occasional timber-raft
               and the raftsmen with long-reaching sweep-oars,
     The little huts on the rafts, and the stream of smoke when they cook
                              supper at evening.

     — Walt Whitman, A Song of Joys, 1855.

During the half century (1874–1912) of the resort's greatest prominence, most wealthy vacationers came from New York City, joined by prominent families from Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and other cities of the United States and Canada. The region retains a historically important collection of vacation homes from this time. The Thousand Islands have long been a center for recreational boating. Large steam yachts, many designed by Nathanael Herreshoff required distinctive yacht houses. The region was known also for innovative power boating during this period.

Three local yacht clubs hosted the Gold Cup Races of the American Power Boat Association for nine consecutive years. The Antique Boat Museum of Clayton retains one of the world's major collections of recreational freshwater boats.

The region was also a part of the War of 1812 between the British Empire and the United States. Many sites from the war can be found, such as Fort Wellington in Prescott, Ontario and the garrison on Chimney Island, Mallorytown, Ontario. Museums about the war can be found on both the Canadian and American side of the river.

Popular boating, fishing and vacationing locations

Thousand Island House, ca. 1900
Singer Castle.

Aviation and airports

Passenger air service to the Thousand Islands region is available in both Ontario and New York. Watertown International Airport (ART) in Watertown, New York has daily service on American Airlines connecting through Philadelphia (PHL). Norman Rogers Airport (YGK) in Kingston, Ontario offers daily service on Air Canada connecting through Toronto Pearson. Both airports also offer private aviation services.

Other private aviation airports

Maxson Airfield (FAA LID: 89NY) is a privately owned, private-use general aviation airport located two nautical miles (4 km) south of the central business district of Alexandria Bay, a village in Jefferson County, New York. It once had commercial service provided by Mohawk Airlines. At that time, the airport bore the IATA airport code AXB. Maxson is available to the public by Maxson Airfield, LLC.

Brockville-Thousand Islands Regional Tackaberry Airport (IATA: XBR, TC LID: CNL3), also known as Brockville Municipal Airport, is a registered aerodrome located in Elizabethtown-Kitley Township, 4.8 nautical miles (8.9 km; 5.5 mi) northwest of the city of Brockville, Ontario, Canada.

Notable islands

Thousand Island dressing

According to The Oxford Companion of Food and Drink, the name for Thousand Island dressing "presumably comes from the Thousand Islands between the United States and Canada in the St. Lawrence River."[17] However, several different versions of the dressing's origin exist.[18] One common story describes how a fishing guide's wife, Sophia LaLonde, made the condiment as part of her husband George's shore dinner.[18] Often in this version, actress May Irwin requested the recipe after enjoying it.[19] Irwin in turn gave it to another Thousand Islands summer resident, George Boldt, who built Boldt Castle between 1900 and 1904. Boldt, as proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, instructed the hotel's maître d'hôtel, Oscar Tschirky, to put the dressing on the menu in 1894.[7][18]

Sociologists attempting to determine the true origin of Thousand Island dressing found that several conflicting origin stories exist, and that they vary between the various islands and villages of the Thousand Islands region. None appear to have any strong written evidence to support their specific claims.[18]

Gallery

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thousand Islands.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Thousand Islands.
  1. 1 2 "History of the Thousand Islands".
  2. ↑ Andrea Sachs (September 3, 2010). "Tales of a Thousand Islands". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  3. ↑ Bartelma, Katy (2005). Let's Go 2005 USA: With Coverage of Canada. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 270. ISBN 0312335571. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Business And Industry - Pilotage Authorities". Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Thousand Islands National Park of Canada - Natural Wonders & Cultural Treasures". Parks Canada. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Thousand Islands Region - NYS Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation". NYSparks.com. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Thousand Island Dressing, Enjoyed around the world and... "Made in Clayton!"". Thousand Islands Inn. Archived from the original on June 27, 2007. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  8. ↑ Clarke, Jay (July 17, 1983). "Retreat to the river on the St. Lawrence islands". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I09. Retrieved October 3, 2007.
  9. ↑ "Shortest International Bridge". Twelve Mile Circle. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  10. ↑ Chan, Elise D. (2007). Jefferson County. Arcadia Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-7385-3547-0.
  11. ↑ "The Venice of America". The Hindu Business Line. March 13, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2007.
  12. ↑ "ONTERM GeoNames Index: Zachary Islands — Zigzag Island". Government of Ontario. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2007.
  13. ↑ "Natural Resources Canada - Place Names - Zavikon Island". Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Natural Events Almanac - New York". The Nature Conservancy. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  15. ↑ "National Natural Landmark - Ironsides Island". National Park Service. June 28, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Wellesley Island State Park - NYS Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation". nysparks.com. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  17. ↑ Smith, Andrew F., ed. (2007). The Oxford Companion of Food and Drink. Oxford University Press US. p. 514. ISBN 978-0-19-530796-2. OCLC 71833329.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Stiles, Kaelyn; Altıok, Özlem; Bell, Michael M. (March 28, 2010). "The ghosts of taste: food and the cultural politics of authenticity" (PDF). Agriculture and Human Values 28 (2): 225–236. doi:10.1007/s10460-010-9265-y. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  19. ↑ McNeese, Tim (2005). The St. Lawrence River. Infobase Publishing. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-7910-8245-4. OCLC 56591404.

Coordinates: 44°20′N 76°00′W / 44.333°N 76.000°W / 44.333; -76.000

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