St. Lawrence Islands National Park
Encyclopedia
St. Lawrence Islands National Park (established 1904) is located in the Thousand Islands
Region of the Saint Lawrence River
. The islands are actually the worn-down tops of ancient mountains. This region, the Frontenac Axis, connects the Canadian Shield
from Algonquin Park in Ontario
to the Adirondack Mountains
in New York
.
The park consists of 21 islands plus many smaller islets, 2 mainland properties and a visitor centre at Mallorytown, Ontario on the mainland. This is Canada
's third smallest national park with a total area of 24.4 km².
Much of the park is only accessible by boat. There are picnic facilities and limited camping facilities on several islands. Trail systems can be found on the mainland along the Thousand Islands Parkway
at Jones Creek and Landon Bay.
The Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve, in which the park is located, is known as being one of the highest areas of biodiversity in Canada.
By the early 17th century, the Iroquois
people had put up large summer encampments on the riverbanks from which they fished the rich waters. Around this time they began to be visited by French explorers, fur traders, and missionaries following the St Lawrence river to seek their fortune in the new world. Following the American Revolution
at the end of the 18th century, European settlers began moving into the area and the traditional fishing encampments were displaced. A few Iroquois still returned to fish, but by the 1860s fish stocks were greatly depleted.
During the war of 1812
, the St Lawrence Islands National Park area was visited by both British and American warships. The preserved hull of a British Gunboat was sunk nearby and, raised in 1967, it now resides at the park. Martello towers
were built in the area to defend the British from American invasion. Inside the park, Cedar Island, a small island visible from downtown Kingston, Ontario
, is the site of a Martello tower named Cathcart Tower
.
Thousand Islands
The Thousand Islands is the name of an archipelago of islands that straddle the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario, the...
Region of the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
. The islands are actually the worn-down tops of ancient mountains. This region, the Frontenac Axis, connects the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
from Algonquin Park in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
to the Adirondack Mountains
Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
The park consists of 21 islands plus many smaller islets, 2 mainland properties and a visitor centre at Mallorytown, Ontario on the mainland. This is Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's third smallest national park with a total area of 24.4 km².
Much of the park is only accessible by boat. There are picnic facilities and limited camping facilities on several islands. Trail systems can be found on the mainland along the Thousand Islands Parkway
Thousand Islands Parkway
The Thousand Islands Parkway is a parkway in the Canadian province of Ontario, which extends easterly from an interchange with Highway 401 in Gananoque for approximately to the community of Butternut Bay, in Elizabethtown-Kitley, west of Brockville....
at Jones Creek and Landon Bay.
The Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve, in which the park is located, is known as being one of the highest areas of biodiversity in Canada.
History
The first inhabitants of the park were Aboriginals who began fishing and hunting in the area around the end of the last glacial period approximately 10,000 years ago. Many artifacts have been found in the park, including a 2500 year old pot that was found by a diver in 1979. Pictographs are still visible on some shoreline cliffs despite damage due to acid rain and vandals.By the early 17th century, the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
people had put up large summer encampments on the riverbanks from which they fished the rich waters. Around this time they began to be visited by French explorers, fur traders, and missionaries following the St Lawrence river to seek their fortune in the new world. Following the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
at the end of the 18th century, European settlers began moving into the area and the traditional fishing encampments were displaced. A few Iroquois still returned to fish, but by the 1860s fish stocks were greatly depleted.
During the war of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, the St Lawrence Islands National Park area was visited by both British and American warships. The preserved hull of a British Gunboat was sunk nearby and, raised in 1967, it now resides at the park. Martello towers
Martello tower
Martello towers are small defensive forts built in several countries of the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards....
were built in the area to defend the British from American invasion. Inside the park, Cedar Island, a small island visible from downtown Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, is the site of a Martello tower named Cathcart Tower
Cathcart Tower
Cathcart Tower is a Martello tower located on Cedar Island in the St. Lawrence River, off the eastern shore of Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It is one of four such towers built in the 1840s to protect Kingston's harbour and the entrance to the Rideau Canal...
.
See also
- National Parks of Canada
- List of National Parks of Canada
- List of Ontario parks