History

Dog Tales from Days of Yore

As I troll through the newspaper archives I see that dogs and the River has been a tradition for over a hundred years.

Volume 14, Issue 11, November 2019
Lynn E. McElfresh

Patriot Chronicles: The Sad and Strange Story of John Berry

Locally, John Berry was known as an “ardent Patriot,” and he was regarded as a strong supporter of Republican causes.

Volume 14, Issue 11, November 2019
John C. Carter

About Mary Island...

Have you ever wondered about Mary Island and the canal that separates it from Wellesley Island?

Volume 14, Issue 11, November 2019
Linda Twichell

Stephen Shay - The Wood Shepherd

Stephen Shay, a talented craftsman turns out wooden folk-art pieces under the name, “The Wood Shepherd,” in homage to his past career as a Christian clergyman.

Volume 14, Issue 10, October 2019
Tom King

Ghost Stories

Islanders at the turn of the century didn’t wait until Halloween to enjoy ghosts. Ghost parties and ghost dances were popular...

Volume 14, Issue 10, October 2019
Lynn E. McElfresh

Regretting a Rut in the Water

I have heard that the only difference between a rut and a grave is their dimensions. This may be overstating things a bit, but we definitely fell ...

Volume 14, Issue 10, October 2019
Donald Middleton

Out of a Flood: The Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary

The Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary is an oddity of history, its nine thousand hectares of field, wetland, and uplands established on land reclaimed through unique circumstances.

Volume 14, Issue 9, September 2019
Craig Irwin Stevenson

The Work of Minna Anthony Common: Rock Ridges Trail

Minna Anthony Common spent nearly all of here summers surrounded by its beauty as the foundation for her life's work.

Volume 14, Issue 9, September 2019
Becky Ferrigno

And Then There Was Light

Before August 1st, 1929, Grenell Island was dark at night. Imagine a world lit by lamplight.

Volume 14, Issue 8, August 2019
Lynn E. McElfresh

Spectacle Shoal and Red Horse Rock Lighthouses

Spectacle Shoal and Red Horse Rock were among nine lighthouses established in 1856 when the government decided that lighting the Canadian Thousand Islands was a priority.

Volume 14, Issue 7, July 2019
Mary Alice Snetsinger

Tom Comstock; from Wells Island to History’s Pages

Recounting the memoirs of Thomas Comstock, known as Tom, a well-known oarsman from Alexandria Bay.

Volume 14, Issue 6, June 2019
Linda Twichell

'59 Forward: An Essay on the St. Lawrence Seaway After 60 Years.

The St Lawrence, in its transformation from River to “Seaway”, took on a tone of indifference, of corporate and bureaucratic efficiency, with decisions made at a distance and on a scale far...

Volume 14, Issue 6, June 2019
Craig Irwin Stevenson

The Captain's TI Park Lot 214

According to the abstract of title pertaining to our lots, Lot 214, where our cottage is sited, was leased by Capt. Brown from the Thousand Island Camp Meeting Association on June 26, 1909.

Volume 14, Issue 6, June 2019
Raymond Kowalski

The Cliff House Mystery

From the very beginning, Cliff House was a mystery. The Cliff House became a curiosity. Islanders from far and near flocked to the deserted hotel to wander through the furnished rooms.

Volume 14, Issue 5, May 2019
Lynn E. McElfresh

Maggie Wheeler, the Seaway Valley Queen of Crime

"Being good at planning murders is not what you dream of becoming one day as a child,” Maggie said. “I guess it was the Nancy Drew effect,..

Volume 14, Issue 5, May 2019
Brian Johnson

Gliding Back in Time

What better way to start a day on the island than with a row in a St. Lawrence River Skiff?

Volume 14, Issue 4, April 2019
Lynn E. McElfresh

Sinking of the Harvey J. Kendall, another Augustus Hinckley Story

HARVEY J. KENDALL was a rather odd-looking boat and was nearing the end of her days when she was acquired

Volume 14, Issue 4, April 2019
Richard Palmer

Island of Strong Women

It goes something like this. Back in the mid-18th century, two Irish girls were given the choice to either marry or become nuns.

Volume 14, Issue 3, March 2019
Lynn E. McElfresh