Chantry Island (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
, south of the mouth of the Saugeen River
Saugeen River
The Saugeen River is located in southern Ontario, Canada, flowing generally north-west about 160 km before exiting into Lake Huron. The river is navigable for some distance, and was once an important barge route...
and approximately a mile off the shores of the town of Southampton, Ontario
Southampton, Ontario
Southampton is a community of approximately 3083 people on the shores of Lake Huron in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada, located at the mouth of the Saugeen River....
. The island is one the Canadian Wildlife Service
Canadian Wildlife Service
The Canadian Wildlife Service or CWS is a branch of the Department of the Environment, also known as Environment Canada, a department of the Government of Canada....
's migratory bird sanctuaries, designated in 1957, and home to gulls and great blue herons, as well as being an important migratory stop for birds traveling to northern nesting sites.
It is the location of one of the six Imperial Towers
Imperial Towers
The Imperial Towers were six of the earliest lighthouses built on Lake Huron by the Canadian government. The designation Imperial is not certain, but historians speculate that because the towers were public construction built under United Kingdom authority, the name would assure funding from the...
, early lighthouses built by the Canadian government. The Chantry Light was built in 1858 and is still in use today. Tours to the lighthouse have been a popular addition to the local tourist attractions.
Both island and lighthouse are standard inclusions in paintings and photographs of the sunsets off Southampton’s beaches.