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In December, we received Dan Denney’s "Through the Ice - a Tale of Survival". Not only does he explain how dangerous it can be to drive on river and/or lake ice, he gives us techniques for survival which he had to learn the hard way! January's issue also presents history, photographs and more...

Our house is built on a rock in a river. So begins "Of Time and an Island", a love letter to the Thousand Islands penne...

HILL ISLAND - Bud Andress grabs his binoculars and hops on the Jet-Ski at the dock of his St. Lawrence River home to go ...

It was a really good hit, I grabbed the rod, set the hook and checked the drag. Dan was right next to me and I said, ‘Here...

Frank Eames would be called an “amateur historian” which is why his role is not well recognized.

Getting to Grindstone - First glitch, the boys had thrown locking hitches on the dock lines. NEVER a locking hitch after November 1!

After Johnston and a small band of men destroyed the Peel, the Thousand Islands became ground zero for a costly bi-national manhunt.

We finished last. We’d learned about starting, spinnakers that the Lightnings could deploy downwind, and how to get around the course without fouling.

Carolyn Pratt spent summers as a young girl with her family on Mudlunta Island just a pebble's toss away from Kitsymenie...

I probably have a dozen things with the word Grenell on them: t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, rain jackets, canvas bags and...

For nearly 82 years, Hal ‘Moose’ McCarney, the ‘godfather’ whose persona often resembled a human dynamo, had his feet planted firmly on his playing turf...

From the moment the anchor emerged dripping from the waters of the St. Lawrence River, the twelfth grade students of Tho...

Some good things start with death. When my father's Uncle Luther died in October 1952, Big Bob was glum. "You’d’ve like...

"Garden Island grew from merely a dot in the wilderness to be the home of hundreds - it made a bit of history all its ow...

It was Sunday morning, October 16, 2011. My good friend and fellow "Canadian Empress" colleague, Ratch Burnill Wallace had suddenly passed away. He was 66...

From the day the Grenell Island Community House was dedicated in 1934, the southwest corner room was designated as a lib...

The warm spring sun reflected brilliantly off the freshly varnished woodwork as Jack Preston guided his brand new blue a...

Most of us go on holiday with our trusty cameras ready to capture our memories, but Robert Hedden travels with a sketch ...

The trek to the post office to retrieve the mail is a daily ritual on Grenell. It’s rarely a straight shot there and bac...

It ended up being a love story of sorts. When one of my coworkers mentioned that her sister-in-law’s family was responsi...

Frank Cole, long time resident of Murray Isle, was a friend to many and a father who loved to share his memories with his family. This story is just one of many...

Six blindfolded men and women board a boat in the middle of the St. Lawrence River and are taken to a century-old castle...

Mix well: Seven months and $400,000. Add one motel owner, a lawyer and partner with a small boat company. Strain and pre...

“Sure is,” he said. “That was a hard crash. When I woke up in the ambulance and saw that white ceiling and the light, I thought ...

Augusta Cecconi-Bates is known as a composer of operas and operettas. Her most recent operettas were not only written in the Thousand Islands, but were inspired by characters

The 1000 Islands is a playground for a multitude of summer water-based activities. Swimming, rowing, kayaking, wake-boar...

It is not often that we hear that legislators and/or government officials in the United States and Canada are “doing som...

They say every man is an island. Farhad Vladi says every man can own an island. Vladi, as he is known in international ...

Jack Norris became ‘chief engineer’ of the Gananoque Boat Line after spending a lifetime at sea. Standing head and shoul...

Varick Chittenden founded the non-profit organization, TAUNY (Traditional Arts in Upstate New York), 25 years ago. Altho...

During the early to mid-1900’s, Alexandria Bay’s boat building and repair business included several machine shops. My fa...

Dr. Douglas J. Pippin, Star Carter,  and I are standing on the embankment at Fort Haldimand, a British Fort built o...

Dave Whitford provides an article titled: "Tinkering" and a tribute to the late Riggs Smith whose contributions to the River community will be long remembered.

Louise Gaylor Cooke deserves special recognition for her dedication in preserving the history of Point Vivian.  We ...

“Most people only dream of living to the age of 100,” she begins. “Our Gramp planned on it...

Island life is all about boats, so why did it take Grenell Island Improvement Association 91 years to come up with the i...

It was love at first sight. They were married July 28th, 1908 on the Magedoma,

In the 1980s, while working at St. Lawrence Islands National Park, I became involved with the writing of the history of ...

June 1904 marked the beginning of the Gold Cup Races, considered power boat racing’s ultimate contest in North America a...

Andrew Keech, and his young family, settled on a farm near Clayton, New York, around 1830, thus continuing more than 150...

I am in search of Mary “Molly” Brant, Mohawk woman of the American Revolution. Her journey once took her to Fort Haldima...

Enterprising, accomplished, and a passionate champion for the Thousand Islands, Leonard Stratford is literally on top of...

If you ask Elliott Hillback how to begin collecting cars he answers with a question: Do you want to drive the car or sho...

How many of us wish we could live, work and play golf in the Thousand Islands? James (Jim) Hungerford, who left the Rive...

“Saints, Sinners & Sailors of the Gilded Age”, by Rexford M. Ennis and Archeophone Records presents "The High Priestess of Jollity & The Southern Singer."

I started looking for sources of Hutchinson history to see if there might be enough material available to actually create a modest exhibit...

Cangarda, the century-old luxury yacht that once sailed the St. Lawrence River  as Senator George T. Fulford's Mage...

SHIP! It’s a game we started when my husband retired nine years ago. It’s nothing original. We actually got the idea fro...

A few weeks ago, Sue-Ryn Burns called the TILT office asking permission to release a Great Horned Owl at the Crooked Cre...

For almost 150 years, the photos of Alexander Carson McIntyre, or A.C. as he was known, have been telling the story of the early history of the 1000 Islands as it became a tourist destination.

It was just before 5:30 am on June 11th when Captain Charles Dyon of the Windsolite heard the warning whistles amidst th...

Heather Chitty found a special way to honor the memory of her late father, this Father’s Day,

George C. Boldt, who famously built a castle for his beloved bride on Heart Island in what would become the most tragic ...

“You know,” he began, “I’ve worked on all three ‘Wolfe Islanders’.

Imagine if there was no gas station near your home, no mechanic to fix your car, or, when at home, no place to park your...

I then knew, well before anyone else my age, that life’s basic needs were food, clothing, shelter and a boat...

The man is getting worse, the weather is getting worse, the clock is running, the fireboat is unable to do much assistance...

Artist and writer Michael Ringer, gave me the opportunity to peek inside his new book… Ringer’s Mountains & Valleys Northern New York...

In the spring of 2000 my husband, Doug Girvin, and I moved to the Islands.  By summer we’d become 1000 Islands boat...

I met many interesting people around the park but one particular gentleman stands out in my mind. Joe Pullaw was an old river rat, probably sixty years my senior...

Last year at this time I introduced Kim Lunman’s “Thousand Islands Ink” publishing company and her glossy magazine Islan...

The portal to our magical island world starts in Fishers Landing at Chalks Marina. I think my heartbeat doubles as soon...

"The House that Jack Built", a 161-page illustrated catalogue that examines Sherman Pratt’s remarkable and little known residence on Niagara Island...

A visit to Clayton NY on a beautiful day in April gave me the opportunity to take a photograph of the newly appointed ex...

Sporting a weathered Commodore's cap to Sugar Island's opening encampment ceremonies complete with traditional bugle pla...

The ice is thawing and the birds are starting to migrate back to islands. However, birds aren’t the only ones making the...

"There's something pretty special going on here" says Scott MacCrimmon surveying the crowded room. It’s early January in...

Dennis McCarthy inspects one of the frames of the "Iroquoise" in 80 feet of water off Niagara Shoal.

It's one of the most familiar landmarks off the shores of Clayton, visible from the quaint village's waterfront patios a...

Our river chose many of us. Once chosen, we are life-long islanders, regardless of where we may be. Paul Malo The w...

What a thrill it was when a package arrived recently from a man I had never met, Bill Schroeder. The envelope contained ...

100 Years Ago:  “The familiar sound of a put-put from the vicinity of Washington Island caused people to look at on...

Dan Denney’s winter experience Through the Ice - A Tale of Survival, published in January 2011, caused quite a stir....

Pullman Island stands for everything that was grand about the Thousand Islands during its gilded era a century ago and a...

Thousand Islands Life thanks author Dan Denney for sharing this harrowing experience with our readers.  No matter h...

Very few of the boaters who stop by Van’s Motor Marine in Alexandria Bay have any idea that they are docking at one of t...

The history of the Thousand Islands is littered with the tales of fishing and the big one that got away. Samuel Sondheim...

Some islands have names with stories that are just meant to be told. This little known Thousand Island off the shores of...

A ship passes across the frigid, icy waters of Lake Ontario on a late November morning. Sea fog rises off the ripples of...

Usually, ships pass with their running lights and very little else showing.

Who knows the correct answer? If you are a “subscriber” to TI Life, then from November to April, Canadian photographer ...

Julius Mendel Breitenbach or as he was known in 1928 “Santa Claus of the Thousand Islands,” was born in December 1890.&#...

It's a crisp October afternoon in Rockport and the sky and River are postcard perfect blue. The sun is shining brightly ...

One of the best known and longest operating boat building businesses on the St. Lawrence River is Hutchinson Boat Works, Inc.

We usually close up, leave the island and head south after Columbus Day. This year we left early as our son Rob got marr...

You could always tell the river kids who were living the really good life from the ones who were not. It had nothing to do with family fortunes

Tom Massey’s was a fisherman, tour boat captain and tug boat skipper, but one of his most important attributes was being...

Paper work. Mounds and mounds of paper work pile high on a desk in an office over the summer months – a common sight for...

I learned to fish here in the Thousand Islands the year before we were married. My husband, Gary, grew up fishing. It wa...

Looking up the history of Hill Island's Lot #7 we discovered monsters and murderers...

Tuesday 3 May 1898 the First National Bank of Carthage did not open its doors for business. Why had the directors posted...

Marilyn Lee stepped out of the classic wooden boat Teal and onto the shores of Fairyland Island for the first time in 47...

“The real drama came when a boat ferrying a dozen of our weddings guests, including my wife Nina, began to take on water over the transom...

Edwin A. Link could fix most any machine, but all he really wanted to do, was fly...

When I met Anthony (Tony) Mollica at a recent gathering, I told him that I...

This story begins in the winter of 2009. My wife Amanda, and I had started...

Baguettes, berets, French pastries, Canada's flag flying while “O’Canada” is being belted out from a singer on a main st...

Louis Richards wrote, "It is a chapter in the story ...

As our neighbor says, “Cottage life isn’t for sissies.” He says it with a smile though and we all know what it means.

  On the night of Tuesday, May 29, 1838 between 12 and 1 o’clock one of the inmates of the ladies cabin on the S...

A new book by Rex Ennis...

Ian Coristine has constantly told his friends, that "raising the bar" in the Thousand Islands is our Number One task and...

Beijing,China-Vancouver,BC-Chicago & Brockville-Clayton These are just a few of the stops on The Great Lake Swimmers’ 2010 Tour.

One of the most luxurious steam yachts of the Thousand Islands was a floating fixture on the St. Lawrence River during t...

As the first decade of the new millennium has passed, this writer has met many people in our community who ask “what doe...

Clayton's Fred Schmitt has accepted the Board of Trustees’ offer to succeed John MacLean as Executive Director of the Antique Boat Museum.

Non-island friends are always curious about how we get things to the island. There’s only one answer…by boat.

Kim Lunman publishes the premiere issue of an annual magazine on the Thousand Islands.

Henry R. Heath was one of the visionary builders of the Gilded Age. However, Heath was not always destined ...

“Number please?” “Hello... Hello Mabel?” the female voice on the other end of the line was near panic. “Can you get Doctor Regan?

Music has been part of island life on Grenell since Uncle Otis had a heavy square grand piano pulled across the ice back...

One can’t discuss boat builders in the Thousand Islands without talking about Joseph Leyare.

In 1867 the Marquess of Queensbury brought structure to the sport of prize fighting. These rules instituted the three mi...

The Darlingside store is located on the St. Lawrence  River, east of the Thousand Island Bridge, on the Canadian sh...

"...My parents remembered Alexandria Bay when it was only a “wooding station: where boats landed for fuel.

Listen to the audio version as read by Jan Eliot  Some islands tell a story. Grindstone Island tells many of them....

Part XII and final chapter of Kristen Pinkney's research

“It is amazing how there are so many Taylor drawings which have been printed and reprinted over the past century – yet so little is known about the man. “

It isn't easy When I first thought of over-wintering, I thought of all the free time to do just as I pleased. Perhaps a ...

Well today is the fourth of July. I have had a delightful day.

Pilots, by the very nature of their profession, become experts of the waters in their district. They are the logical adv...

The capitalists, the builders of our country, made the Thousand Islands their playground in what we call today the “Gold...

Seasons of change can be felt in many ways. Summer heat and rain changes to cool fall days with blowing leaves and the b...

As snow falls over the River against a backdrop of a chalk white sky, I can't help but think of summer in the Thousand I...

Captain Leath Davis can trace his Wolfe Island roots to the pioneer Hitchcock family who obtained a charter to start a ferry service to Kingston from Wolfe Island.

Last night we had a delightful serenade. I wonder who it was. He passed the Island five times singing...

It is so beautiful here now nice and pleasant just like

Tasmania seems like a distant land but for John Carter, Tasmania is a treasure trunk waiting to be opened...

Storybook bridges. Broomstick Castle. An historic boathouse and an idyllic summer retreat called The Folly. This is Fair...

The Pullmans were the first of the islanders to arrive by private railroad car -a sumptuous conveyance, as might be expected of the railroad car builder.

Saw Pansy this am. Took a walk and talked over the affair last night. Did not have our hats on.

For 66 years the legendary “Muskie” Jake Huntley led guests of The Gananoque Inn and Spa on their quest for the illusive muskellunge.

In 1984 there were three famous men best known for fighting evil spirits which had taken New York City by storm. They to...

In November 1901, Richard Standish Williamson acquired an island in the St. Lawrence River.  Standish, born in 1877...

He wants me to think of him at twelve o’clock and

Jerry Huck is at the wheel of his Boston Whaler heading west out of his native Rockport on the St. Lawrence River toward...

As with surgery, I will never know all there is to know about boating. Moving from being a recreational boater to a mariner is similar.

It was a cold and rainy day on June 1st – but the invitation to meet Mike Franklin, Patricia Tague and Rhea Jenkner and ...

Great Lake Swimmers Back in River Tony Dekker, the lead musician of the Great Lake Swimmers, rests his hand on the helm...

Dudley Danielson is a man who has done just about everything in life, working as a (talented) professional photographer...

Great Lake Swimmers are coming June 6th! Celebrating the Maritime Discovery Center of the Thousand Islands. Eighteen m...

April's TI Life listed Watch Island on the "Properties" page where we post important properties of the region that are f...

  I was once spotted by innocent onlookers who crowned me to be the "crazy guy in a little boat with a big flag," i...

The Peacock Yacht House succumbed to a fire in early 1990’s leaving only the

"Mr. Grey is a beautiful dancer. It is like a dream dancing with him. I wish I knew him better." May Dewey, January 21, ...

Spending the month of August every summer of my youth at my Grandmother's cottage in Thousand Island Park was a child's ...

It started out innocently enough with a cookbook. Then came the song sheets

The first time we saw the Inn was in spring, on a day bursting with the promise of a fresh season. The grass was almost ...

In January the River took its leave, pulled a thick white blanket over itself, and rested. Freed from the turmoil of thr...

Comfort Island is for sale. . .  When Paul Malo created Thousand Islands Life in 2006, he created a Properties page...

Growing up in the Thousand Islands the old homes and

Patricia and Robert Mondore received good news this

It can be said every island has its magic. But not every island has its own magician. Honey Bee Island is the summer ho...

Are the remains of Geronimo in the Thousand Islands? The legendary Apache Chief died

"Well the Pullmans have all left & we are here all alone in our glory.

  Some sleep in queen-sized beds on luxury yachts, some sleep under the Thousand Islands sky in a sleeping bag, but...

PRESCOTT: The Canadian Empress is about to set sail from the Fort Town to its next port of call - Brockville - with passengers from all over North America

In listening to the Inauguration, I was struck by our new President's call for individual responsibility. As I thought a...

Have you seen the terns circling over their nests on the Eagle Wing Shoals? When was the last time you walked the Macshe...

"Ella & I did nothing much today. Edgewood has closed & everything is on the decline. I received a letter from L...

Kim Lunman wrote about John Keats in our January issue (Of Time and an Author) and we all appreciate the Trilogy written...

This is the first day of a new month. We all have been hanging around ...

When I was 10 years old, my mother sat me down at her parent’s porch table and showed me her grandmother’s notes written...

In November we received a note from Marnie Ross, a member of the Canadian Thousand Islands Watershed Land Trust, “Would ...

Each month I seek links to the Islands which highlight the area's history and activities, to emphasize why the Islands s...

So you think you're a dedicated Thousand Islander? Dr. Dick Withington (also known as Doc) is enjoying his fourth consec...

GRENADIER ISLAND: June Hodge was born in a houseboat on the St. Lawrence River.

Our story begins

It is almost Christmas and I am about to buy several boxes of candy to give as presents. Of course I know all about See’...

Kristen Pinkney We are pleased to present Part I of a series to publish a diary, researched and transcribed by Kristen ...

"Brockville’s Waterfront" first appeared in the Brockville Recorder and Times on August 30, 2008 and subsequently was pu...

CLAYTON, NY The salad dressing that put this place on the map might have a slight geography Challenge.

  ROCKPORT - A Toronto band is using the Thousand Islands as a backdrop for its fourth album, recording in some of...

Throughout the winter, I will provide a number of links to demonstrate how our region of the mighty St. Lawrence River s...

DARK ISLAND N.Y. It's hard to know what to pack when you're going to spend the night in the Royal Suite of a castle as ...

DARK ISLAND N.Y.: Scott Garris gets to be king for a night almost every night of the year at Singer Castle. The 46-year...

  "Malo's gifts were, as his students, many. But his legacy lives on in his lessons about this special place he so ...

  A special thank you to Judy Wellman, Paul Malo's dear wife and special partner in life. Judy found this articl...

  The Thousand Islands' fine friend, Hal McCarney died on September 16th in Kingston General Hospital. He was 81. ...

A compliment, for sure by Susan W. Smith One day a few weeks ago, I met Ian Coristine and Mike Franklin to discuss the ...

A memorial service will be held Saturday Oct. 11 at Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse University for Paul Malo, architect, pr...

More than a Salad Dressing… Years ago, I met a young medical student and I was telling her about my favourite vacation r...

The August issue of Thousand Island Life Magazine was dedicated to the memory of Paul Malo.     The magazine ...

The Thousand Islands has lost one its most influential voices. Paul Malo, architect, author and advocate for this magi...

The River community lost a very special member of our community a few weeks ago.  On July 22nd, author and beloved...

As this issue of Thousand Islands Life appears, the Preservation League of New York State honors Trude Brown Fitelson at...

Thayendanegea’s father, a prominent warrior, died

“It is as clear in my mind as this morning's newspaper headline: I had just turned ten and for my birthday that year, Ap...

Overlooked by history was the designer of many river landmarks--overlooked because he did not practice independently but...

Before we had hotels, we had inns. Before we had inns, we had taverns. The earliest accommodations for visitors on the r...

Most of us ask what a place offers us;  fewer of us ask what we can offer the place.  Thousand Islands Life co...

  Competing against nearly 7,500 entries, Ian Coristine's latest publication received a Premier Print Award.  ...

For several years Rex (Rexford M.) Ennis of Grindstone Island has been compiling research for a biography of Charles Goo...

One of the leading international publishers, Rizzoli, currently is