Thousand Islands

13. Just Room Enough Island is the smallest inhabited island in the archipelago On the border of the two North American powers, Canada and the United States, lies an amazing archipelago called the Thousand Islands. Despite its poetic name, the archipelago actually comprises 1,864 islands of various sizes. This natural phenomenon is located along the St. Lawrence River, where it originates from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. The archipelago extends about 80 kilometers downstream from the city of Kingston, Ontario, dividing its territory between Canada and the United States. Imagine: hundreds of small and large islands scattered across the river like emeralds on blue velvet. Some are the size of a soccer field, others are so small that they contain only one house and a small garden. Together they create a unique landscape that has fascinated travelers and inspired artists, writers and photographers for centuries. The Thousand Islands is more than just a geographical landmark. It is a place where history and nature, tradition and modernity, two states and many human destinies intertwine. Traveling through this archipelago is an opportunity to touch the unique ecosystem, to see luxurious castles and modest fishermen’s huts, to learn fascinating stories and legends, to hear the splash of waves and the cries of seagulls over the water surface. The islands range in size from large, with an area of more than 100 square kilometers, to tiny, barely exceeding one square foot (0.093 square meters). The largest island in the archipelago, Wolfe Island, has an area of about 124 square kilometers and a permanent population of about 1,400. It is 29 kilometers long and 9 kilometers wide. Geologically, most of the islands in the archipelago were formed where a branch of the Canadian Shield, known as the Frontenac Arch region, runs south across the river and joins the Adirondack Mountains. This area was recognized by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve in 2002. The hydrology of the archipelago presents an interesting mix of different depths. In some places, a vessel less than 8 meters from shore can find itself over 60 meters deep. Conversely, rocks and shoals less than 60 centimeters below the water surface can be found in the middle of relatively deep areas. Because of the large number of rocks and shoals just above or below the water surface, navigation outside of marked channels at night can be hazardous. The first humans came to the region about 7,000 years ago. Between 700 B.C. and 1600 A.D., the archipelago was one of the staging grounds of North American Indians from the Iroquois and Ojibwa tribes, who called these islands Manitouan or “Garden of the Great Spirit.” Six Iroquoian tribes, the Onondaga, Seneca, Cayuga, Iroquois, Tuscarrora, and Oneida, formed a confederacy here. Europeans learned of these places thanks to French explorer Jacques Cartier, who discovered the St. Lawrence River on August 10, 1535. Early explorers used the river as a highway leading deep into Canada and the United States. The first reliable maps of the region were made in 1687 by Jean Debet, who named the archipelago Les Milles îles , which means “The Thousand Islands” in French. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the archipelago witnessed many military actions. The St. Lawrence River served as an important transportation artery during the French-English War of 1754-1759, the U.S. War of Independence and the Anglo-American War of 1812. The region is dotted with forts and fortifications reminiscent of a turbulent past. European settlement of the islands began in 1783 with the arrival of Loyalists who moved from the United States after the American War of Independence to remain loyal to the British crown. The Loyalists were soon joined by Europeans, mostly English, Scots, Irish, and Germans. In 1816, British hydrographer Captain William Fitzwilliam Owen completed a survey of the islands, naming more than 1,800 of them. He created 8 island groups, amon