Who Answers the Call of the St. Lawrence River?

A river is a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake or other such stream. The start of a river is called the Source while the end is called the Mouth or Delta. Rivers flow in channels, the bottom of the river is called the riverbed, and the sides of the channels are called banks.

Rivers have myriad uses: transportation, irrigation, habitats, power, drinking water, fishing and recreation. People live by them and on them. Businesses rely on them. Livelihoods are sustained by them. One can find movies, books, photographs, poems and songs about them, People get married on them.

Statistics

Among the longest rivers in the United States, the St. Lawrence ranks number 26 out of 38. The longest river is the Missouri followed closely by the Mississippi. The St. Lawrence is one of three rivers, the other two being the Milk River and the Red River of the North, that start in the US and cross and sometimes form the border between the US and Canada. While the St. Lawrence meanders through New York, Ontario and Quebec, the mighty Mississippi travels through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Then there is the Canadian River, 936 miles long, that can be found in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma.

In Canada, among the nine longest rivers, the St. Lawrence ranks third. It is the primary drainage outflow of the Great Lakes Basin and as such has the second highest discharge, after the Mississippi, of any river in North America. This River served as one of the main routes for exploration of North America and is home to nine different species of whales. The Yukon is the second longest river, while in the US, it is the third winding through British Columbia, Yukon Territory and Alaska. The Yukon and the Columbia Rivers start in Canada and cross into the US.

While the St. Lawrence doesn’t achieve any of the highest rankings, it does come in an incredible first with those who continue to travel, many long distances, to spend time year after year yoked together in their common love of the River and the Thousand Islands region.

Who is this community, and from where do they come?

There are those who live in the area year-round, but a majority do not.

In Canada, visitors and summer residents come from Alberta –  

Jack & Jackie from Alberta: “We are world class travelers having visited many of the countries in five of the seven continents. Every year we manage to include a visit to friends on their island in the St. Lawrence River. Fishing and sleeping being two favorite forms of recreation can’t be beat there. Listening to the trains’ whistle, the rustle of the leaves and the lap of the waves while sleeping in a hammock brings us back every year.”

Or in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Newfoundland –

Bill from Newfoundland: One of my earliest memories is my grandfather waking me at dawn to catch the sunrise as we launched his river skiff. Bringing back a passle of perch and bass for breakfast always brought a smile from my mother and a slap on the back from Dad. We would gather to watch the sunset and occasionally the Northern Lights. I learned so much about the River from my grandfather, most of which I have tried to pass on to my children. Truly, a unique spot.”),

And of course Ontario and Quebec –

In the US people travel from Arizona, California, Colorado –

Anne in Colorado: “There is something about the River that brings us back every year to hear the wind in the trees, the waves on the shore, and to be with our community who share a common experience passed down from generation to generation. It is a legacy of love for those who return to be with those who have passed and envision the future for those who are yet to come.”

Or from Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri –

Beverly in Missouri: For more than half a century I happily start making lists which fills me with unbridled anticipation of our annual road trip of 1200 miles to an unimaginably gorgeous destination, the St. Lawrence River-the Thousand Islands but known simply as “The Island “to me, my family and close friends. My family’s rudimentary century plus fishing camp, warts and all, rests on a granite promontory with a 300 degree view, with Canadian sunsets guaranteed with loon accompaniment. The air, River, breeze, are the same as what lulled me to sleep in my childhood and so we pack patiently and drive ever more carefully. Every year”

And then there is New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma –

Nancy in Oklahoma: “For our family, the lure is the beauty of the Thousand Islands, family memories and friendships. In 1964 my husband’s family bought a cottage. It was there that my husband proposed to me and we brought our son there when he was three weeks old, and now our young grandchildren love “the cottage”. We treasure our River friendships. We drive 1500 miles each way every year for the privilege of living in the Thousand Islands from May to October.”

Or how about Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington DC, West Virginia and Wisconsin. There well may be others. What is it that draws people back year after year?

The answer: they are all members of the same community.

Do other rivers command this same kind of loyalty? There are those who go back ten generations of life on the River while newcomers claim five or six generations. Every year new families join and sadly, some die. We have lawyers, scholars, fishermen, doctors, teachers, painters, nurses, writers, photographers, builders, tradesmen, technicians, handy men and those not so. People of all walks of life.

There are mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, cousins and second cousins. There are friends and neighbors and the strangers you wave to as you pass by in your water conveyance of choice.

The sounds of the River are among us all whether it be the calling of the geese, the zip of a fly cast, the scolding of the squirrels, the shrieks of laughter from the children as they cannonball into the River, the slap of the beaver’s tail, the chugging of the barges, the roar of the cigarette boats, the haunting call of the loon, the horn of the tour boat, the big trucks on the bridge, the wind rustling through the trees, the waves rolling and tossing, the gulls screeching, the whistle of the train, the murmur of voices on the dock. We all listen to the same things, what we hear is the voice of the community and what binds us all is the River, the St. Lawrence River calling us home!

By Allison Burchell-Robinson

Allison Burchell-Robinson's great grandfather built a cottage on Wyoming Island in 1910, and five generations have followed. She spent her childhood summers in the River, on the River or by the River. Eventually, she and her husband moved to an island in Ivy Lea Group. She is happy to return every summer to enjoy, relax and rejuvenate in an area her son referred to as the most beautiful place in the world. Many will recognize Allison for her many years of service to the Thousand Islands Association TIA serving as President then Secretary/Treasurer, and until recently, editor of TIA's "River Talk".

Posted in: Volume 19, Issue 11, November 2024, Essay, Photographs