People
Do you want wind turbines near your island home? Do you worry about water levels? This article provides some thoughts. We also introduce new contributors and share photographs of those places you like the most! It is our largest issue to date.
by: Susan W. Smith
As we launch there are still thousands in NJ, CT, NY, and NYC, suffering from the loss of family, power, homes, and livelihoods - we extend our heartfelt thoughts..... Everyone deserves a “last hit of Summer” so thanks to Great Lake Swimmers give us a new music video… Watch it now!
by: Susan W. Smith
When I learned that Ian Coristine was writing a new book I got excited. As perhaps one of his most devoted fans (his contributions to Thousand Islands Life are immeasurable), I decided...
by: Susan W. Smith
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...
by: Susan W. Smith
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...
by: Kim Lunman
HILL ISLAND - Bud Andress grabs his binoculars and hops on the Jet-Ski at the dock of his St. Lawrence River home to go ...
by: Kim Lunman
“It began as a spark of an idea that grew from conversations about the wonderful ‘Island’ stories...
by: Brian Johnson
It all sounded too good to be true.
When Dawn and Kevin Rast heard about a program where Fort Drum families were invite...
by: Missy L. Rosenberry
This is how - we - Heidi and Konrad Linckh, came to buy Hill Island's Skydeck Observation Tower.
There is d...
by: Konrad Linckh
The decade of the 1920s is well remembered as a time of rapid growth in the American economy and the development of pers...
by: Anthony Mollica Jr.
"Enough of that! Now for the really thrilling news... I soloed on Sunday, April 29! Yip, I SOLOed!
by: Brian Johnson
During the summer of 1912, Ralph Britton of Gananoque, Canada’s foremost canoe expert, had won every sailing race of the...
by: Karen Wand
My father, Keith Taylor loved to talk about the early TIA days. He was one of the original boaters who attended the Augu...
by: John Taylor
“...the burning of the Sir Robert Peel Steamer, by a band of masked villains – [was] outdoing the worst deeds of the worst ...
by: John Carter
The memories most dear to me are the times I spent with my Grandfather. He was so proud to show-off his first born grandson to the River captain community in the 'Burg...
by: Philip Jellie
Since 2004 my family and I have been visiting our secret garden cottage retreat, on the shores of the Thousand Islands R...
by: Michelle Caron
Island residents face their toughest winter in years. The ferry Wolfe Islander operates on an erratic schedule because o...
by: Brian Johnson
It’s estimated that around 5 million people in Canada and 20 million people in the United States are of Scottish decent....
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
For the first time since the Thousand Islands Playhouse was formed in 1982, a new Artistic Director has taken the reins....
by: Debbie Bennett
The historic and picturesque lakeside city of Kingston, Ontario will become the focus of the Antique and Classic Boat un...
by: John Peach
Early in September, 1927 a steam-powered barge appeared on the water off Snowshoe Point near Henderson Harbor in eastern...
by: Timothy W. Lake
When people hear the word ‘volunteer’ a lot of things may come to mind. For me, volunteering as a way to give back to my...
by: Nicole Gokey
My boots tap on the faux-wood floor as I walk into Leeds County Books in downtown Brockville. The brightness and warmth ...
by: April Scott-Clarke
My father-in-law used to joke that the most expensive piece of artwork he owned was the wooden blue heron that sat on th...
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
My thanks go to Brian Winter, the archivist for the Whitby Ontario Library for sharing this 1927 Toronto Daily Star arti...
by: Karen Killian
It's a new song about our favorite spot in the World. The 1000 Islands. It's written by a local performer called JPShaggy
by: "Johnny Truesdell's ABay.com"
In the early 1900s, long deck launches became the boats of choice among well-to-do summer residents on the lakes and riv...
by: Anthony Mollica Jr.
My grandfather, Thomas Mitchell (1913-1990), told me many stories about life on the river during the winter months. Many...
by: Tom French
One of the little known historic sites on the Canadian mainland is the area around Sheriff’s and Lindsay’s Points west o...
by: Alan Lindsay
Readers of Thousand Islands Life well know how the St. Lawrence River inspires artists, poets, writers . . .
by: Kara Lynn Dunn
The date was February 1838. Action in the Upper Canadian rebellion had abated on Navy Island on the Niagara River and ha...
by: John Carter
The Serious Part of Childhood on the River and Elsewhere …Milestones
When we think of our progress down the river...
by: Hunter Grimes
His name has become quite familiar in the Thousand Islands in recent years even though he hasn't been there in almost a ...
by: Patty Mondore
In mid-September 2011, I visited the Thousand Islands briefly from my home in East Virginia to gather material for an ar...
by: Dave Whitford
In December I won an auction on eBay – a pewter “Trophy Cup”. Once again...
by: Karen Killian
The day that she and partner David Belding bought their first two pigs is the day Dani Baker thinks her mother rolled ov...
by: Melinda Stubbee
Just imagine yourself being one of the Seaway River Pilots stationed in Cape Vincent and you are scheduled for duty to g...
by: Martin Zonnenberg
For those of you who wish you were back on the River – be envious. On Thursday, December 13, I had the chance to g...
by: Susan W. Smith
Who? George Rockwell? Never heard of him! No, it doesn’t surprise me as he flew under my radar for a while.
Let me star...
by: Robert L. Matthews
It's the towering tree that you first notice about this little island west of Brockville. It almost resembles a palm tre...
by: Kim Lunman
“There’s just gott’a be a better way to earn a living than this!”
Grant ‘Lindy’ Lucy, machine operator at Parmenter &am...
by: Brian Johnson
Anne and Charles Phillips honeymooned in the Thousand Islands in 1929. Before they left, the bride of a Methodist ...
by: Kim Lunman
“I don’t like your stupid old river!” blurted a little boy to his parents making the nighttime crossing by boat from a dance hall in Clayton, N.Y.,
by: Heather Chitty
After I developed my passion for photography I resisted for years taking pictures while in the Islands.
by: Chris Murray
Surfing the internet one day, I landed on a 1000-Island tourist attraction and found myself staring into the picture of ...
by: M.A. Noble
It was September 21, 1812 - 200 years ago, the first shots on the St. Lawrence River frontier rang out in Gananoque.
...
by: Paul Scott
Bob, raised in Endicott NY often tent camped at Wellesley Island State Park. I am from small town Nebraska. Today we div...
by: Jill and Bob White
The Great Lake Swimmers literally swam and dove into the St. Lawrence, spending a hot summer day here in August filming ...
by: Kim Lunman
Lovely, home-built and all-aluminum the Thousand Islander queens it over Gananoque’s seaway.
Alcan News, No. 6, 1972
W...
by: Brian Johnson
No I’m not talking about making a new dive site by sinking a ship with a rocket. I am talking about a lost shipwreck tha...
by: Kathi McCarthy
Now that my first summer as Coordinator of Education & Outreach at the Thousand Islands Land Trust (TILT) is winding...
by: Corinne Mockler
“No story of a small privately-owned firm such as Mitchell & Wilson Ltd. can be...
by: Susan W. Smith
The history of every legendary figure includes tall tales, deliberate embellishments, and apocrypha. Bill Johnston, the ...
by: Shaun J. McLaughlin
Temagami Island
I am in Chippewa Bay 10 miles below Alexandria Bay. Seven miles wide here and blows like hell ev...
by: Kim Lunman
2012 marks the 175th anniversary of the 1837/38 Upper Canadian Rebellions. This is a chapter in that story which has a F...
by: John Carter
Dave and Mary Roberts signed a lease to open their privately owned public aquarium...
by: Kristen Taylor
It has been a roller-coaster since I first saw Kim Lunmen’s June 2011 article Fulford Yacht's Historical Homecomin...
by: Charles Maclean Cochand
I’ve always held a fascination with history, especially along the river. Whether it was the wreck of the Riverside near the rift...
by: Tom French
Grenellians have an intense attachment to the old launch "That’s Her". For me, the stories make her seem larger...
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
It stood out like a beacon, which in fact it was.
For seven days, Rob Morrisette had seen nothing but water, sunrise to...
by: Brian Johnson
The 3-ring, leather, binder is the best “read” I have had in many years. Neither a novel or a piece of non-fiction it is...
by: Susan W. Smith
Editor’s Note: On May 30, Michael Folsom published this message on his website Ship Watcher Blog. Michael is...
by: Michael Folsom
During my first week on the island, July, 1975, I went to the Grenell Island Store/Post Office to mail postcards home to...
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
Where did it all begin? I wasn’t old enough to hold a guitar, but my Uncle Tom both played professionally and gave lessons...
by: Peg Dolan
Z – At Zavikon Island, zealous children zig-zag around zebra mussels while Zipper zooms by.
by: Susan W. Smith
Though her journey to year-round Thousand Islands life was more of a self-described “gradual wading in” than “plunge,” my friend Elizabeth “Liz” Price-Kellogg
by: Kristen Taylor
A kitchen party in the 1950s, rural Canada. A small, tightly-knit, stable, island community in the mouth of the St Lawre...
by: Joan Russell
"I immediately saw the potential..."
by: Kristen Taylor
Ian Coristine is a modest man. While he aptly describes One in a Thousand as a collaborative effort, he doesn’t explain ...
by: Donna Walsh Inglehart
How it all began…
Caroline and I have all of Ian Coristine’s books. We hadn't met Ian but I was always envious when his...
by: Doug McLellan
Author's Note: I first met Mary Hewitt in the summer of 2010 and interviewed her several times near Rockport at her ma...
by: Kim Lunman
“You got guts, Vicki, I like your spirit. Keep it up!” Canadian hockey icon Don Cherry
“You got spunk... I hate spunk!”...
by: Brian Johnson
My husband, Jon, and I moved from the Washington, DC area to Clayton in fall 2010 after a few years of dreaming of year-round River living.
by: Kristen Taylor
I live a long way from the Thousand Islands but my quest to discover who designed my home in Worcester, Massachusetts le...
by: Dolores R. Buckley
Every year, on the second Saturday in August, the members of a criminal cohort make their way by ferry to peaceful, buco...
by: Vicki Delany
I found my own way to view the river and the ships when I discovered the various webcams on www.Abay.com.
by: Tara Hutson
This doctor doesn't just make house calls. Dr. Dick Withington, known around this stretch of the River simply as 'Doc,' ...
by: Kim Lunman
"Show Girl" is the name of a pristine vintage launch that was built in the shop of the Hutchinson Brothers Boat Works in 1921
by: Anthony Mollica Jr.
The 1876 St. Lawrence River Chart No 6, drawn by the US Army Corps of Engineers, listed a wreck off Washington Island in...
by: Dennis McCarthy
Orders were received for the Dunn Motor Works vehicle from as far away as India and China.
by: John Peach
There is, probably, no steam yacht on the St. Lawrence River that brought more delight to passengers, or spectators, tha...
by: Dick Sherwood
In 1838, William "Pirate Bill" Johnston served as admiral in the rebel forces that repeatedly attacked Upper Canada, and...
by: Shaun J. McLaughlin
One hundred years ago, 14 April 1912 the RMS Titanic sank in the icy waters of the North Atlantic, 1,514 perished. Consi...
by: Rex Ennis
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...
by: Rich Clarke
Frank Eames would be called an “amateur historian” which is why his role is not well recognized.
by: Susan W. Smith
Getting to Grindstone - First glitch, the boys had thrown locking hitches on the dock lines. NEVER a locking hitch after November 1!
by: Richard L. Withington
After Johnston and a small band of men destroyed the Peel, the Thousand Islands became ground zero for a costly bi-national manhunt.
by: Shaun J. McLaughlin
We finished last. We’d learned about starting, spinnakers that the Lightnings could deploy downwind, and how to get around the course without fouling.
by: Dave Whitford
Carolyn Pratt spent summers as a young girl with her family on Mudlunta Island just a pebble's toss away from Kitsymenie...
by: Kim Lunman
I probably have a dozen things with the word Grenell on them: t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, rain jackets, canvas bags and...
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
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...
by: Brian Johnson
From the moment the anchor emerged dripping from the waters of the St. Lawrence River, the twelfth grade students of Tho...
by: Hayley Jones and Laura Kelly
Some good things start with death. When my father's Uncle Luther died in October 1952, Big Bob was glum.
"You’d’ve like...
by: Dave Whitford
"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...
by: Kim Lunman
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...
by: Brian Johnson
From the day the Grenell Island Community House was dedicated in 1934, the southwest corner room was designated as a lib...
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
The warm spring sun reflected brilliantly off the freshly varnished woodwork as Jack Preston guided his brand new blue a...
by: Tom King
Most of us go on holiday with our trusty cameras ready to capture our memories, but Robert Hedden travels with a sketch ...
by: Susan W. Smith
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...
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
It ended up being a love story of sorts. When one of my coworkers mentioned that her sister-in-law’s family was responsi...
by: Patty Mondore
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...
by: Rachel Cole
Six blindfolded men and women board a boat in the middle of the St. Lawrence River and are taken to a century-old castle...
by: Kim Lunman
Mix well: Seven months and $400,000. Add one motel owner, a lawyer and partner with a small boat company. Strain and pre...
by: Brian Johnson
“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 ...
by: Dave Whitford
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
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
The 1000 Islands is a playground for a multitude of summer water-based activities. Swimming, rowing, kayaking, wake-boar...
by: Tad Clark
It is not often that we hear that legislators and/or government officials in the United States and Canada are “doing som...
by: Susan W. Smith
They say every man is an island. Farhad Vladi says every man can own an island.
Vladi, as he is known in international ...
by: Kim Lunman
Jack Norris became ‘chief engineer’ of the Gananoque Boat Line after spending a lifetime at sea. Standing head and shoul...
by: Brian Johnson
Varick Chittenden founded the non-profit organization, TAUNY (Traditional Arts in Upstate New York), 25 years ago. Altho...
by: Ted Mascott
During the early to mid-1900’s, Alexandria Bay’s boat building and repair business included several machine shops. My fa...
by: John Peach
Dr. Douglas J. Pippin, Star Carter, and I are standing on the embankment at Fort Haldimand, a British Fort built o...
by: Susan Smith & Douglas Pippin
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.
by: Dave Whitford
Louise Gaylor Cooke deserves special recognition for her dedication in preserving the history of Point Vivian. We ...
by: Richard W. Randall
“Most people only dream of living to the age of 100,” she begins. “Our Gramp planned on it...
by: Brian Johnson
Island life is all about boats, so why did it take Grenell Island Improvement Association 91 years to come up with the i...
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
It was love at first sight. They were married July 28th, 1908 on the Magedoma,
by: Charles Maclean Cochand
In the 1980s, while working at St. Lawrence Islands National Park, I became involved with the writing of the history of ...
by: Kathleen Burtch
June 1904 marked the beginning of the Gold Cup Races, considered power boat racing’s ultimate contest in North America a...
by: Robert L. Matthews
Andrew Keech, and his young family, settled on a farm near Clayton, New York, around 1830, thus continuing more than 150...
by: M. Bruce McAdam
I am in search of Mary “Molly” Brant, Mohawk woman of the American Revolution. Her journey once took her to Fort Haldima...
by: Judith F. Pearson
Enterprising, accomplished, and a passionate champion for the Thousand Islands, Leonard Stratford is literally on top of...
by: Michelle Caron
If you ask Elliott Hillback how to begin collecting cars he answers with a question: Do you want to drive the car or sho...
by: Susan W. Smith
How many of us wish we could live, work and play golf in the Thousand Islands? James (Jim) Hungerford, who left the Rive...
by: Susan W. Smith
“Saints, Sinners & Sailors of the Gilded Age”, by Rexford M. Ennis and Archeophone Records presents "The High Priestess of Jollity & The Southern Singer."
by: Susan W. Smith
I started looking for sources of Hutchinson history to see if there might be enough material available to actually create a modest exhibit...
by: Anthony Mollica Jr.
Cangarda, the century-old luxury yacht that once sailed the St. Lawrence River as Senator George T. Fulford's Mage...
by: Kim Lunman
SHIP! It’s a game we started when my husband retired nine years ago. It’s nothing original. We actually got the idea fro...
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
A few weeks ago, Sue-Ryn Burns called the TILT office asking permission to release a Great Horned Owl at the Crooked Cre...
by: Star Carter
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.
by: Tom French
It was just before 5:30 am on June 11th when Captain Charles Dyon of the Windsolite heard the warning whistles amidst th...
by: Joel Godfrey
Heather Chitty found a special way to honor the memory of her late father, this Father’s Day,
by: Susan W. Smith
George C. Boldt, who famously built a castle for his beloved bride on Heart Island in what would become the most tragic ...
by: Kim Lunman
“You know,” he began, “I’ve worked on all three ‘Wolfe Islanders’.
by: Brian Johnson
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...
by: Susan W. Smith
I then knew, well before anyone else my age, that life’s basic needs were food, clothing, shelter and a boat...
by: Hunter Grimes
The man is getting worse, the weather is getting worse, the clock is running, the fireboat is unable to do much assistance...
by: Richard L. Withington
Artist and writer Michael Ringer, gave me the opportunity to peek inside his new book… Ringer’s Mountains & Valleys Northern New York...
by: Susan W. Smith
In the spring of 2000 my husband, Doug Girvin, and I moved to the Islands. By summer we’d become 1000 Islands boat...
by: Linda Gayle Ross
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...
by: Tom King
Last year at this time I introduced Kim Lunman’s “Thousand Islands Ink” publishing company and her glossy magazine Islan...
by: Susan W. Smith
The portal to our magical island world starts in Fishers Landing at Chalks Marina.
I think my heartbeat doubles as soon...
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
"The House that Jack Built", a 161-page illustrated catalogue that examines Sherman Pratt’s remarkable and little known residence on Niagara Island...
by: Portia Leggat
A visit to Clayton NY on a beautiful day in April gave me the opportunity to take a photograph of the newly appointed ex...
by: Susan W. Smith
Sporting a weathered Commodore's cap to Sugar Island's opening encampment ceremonies complete with traditional bugle pla...
by: Kim Lunman
The ice is thawing and the birds are starting to migrate back to islands. However, birds aren’t the only ones making the...
by: Michael Folsom
"There's something pretty special going on here" says Scott MacCrimmon surveying the crowded room. It’s early January in...
by: Linda Gayle Ross
Dennis McCarthy inspects one of the frames of the "Iroquoise" in 80 feet of water off Niagara Shoal.
by: Susan W. Smith
It's one of the most familiar landmarks off the shores of Clayton, visible from the quaint village's waterfront patios a...
by: Kim Lunman
Our river chose many of us.
Once chosen, we are life-long islanders, regardless of where we may be.
Paul Malo
The w...
by: Brian Johnson
What a thrill it was when a package arrived recently from a man I had never met, Bill Schroeder. The envelope contained ...
by: Robert L. Matthews
100 Years Ago: “The familiar sound of a put-put from the vicinity of Washington Island caused people to look at on...
by: Mark A. Wentling
Dan Denney’s winter experience Through the Ice - A Tale of Survival, published in January 2011, caused quite a stir....
by: Dan Denney
Pullman Island stands for everything that was grand about the Thousand Islands during its gilded era a century ago and a...
by: Kim Lunman
Thousand Islands Life thanks author Dan Denney for sharing this harrowing experience with our readers. No matter h...
by: Dan Denney
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...
by: John Peach
The history of the Thousand Islands is littered with the tales of fishing and the big one that got away. Samuel Sondheim...
by: Rex Ennis
Some islands have names with stories that are just meant to be told. This little known Thousand Island off the shores of...
by: Kim Lunman
A ship passes across the frigid, icy waters of Lake Ontario on a late November morning. Sea fog rises off the ripples of...
by: Michael Folsom
Usually, ships pass with their running lights and very little else showing.
by: Richard L. Withington
Who knows the correct answer?
If you are a “subscriber” to TI Life, then from November to April, Canadian photographer ...
by: Susan W. Smith
Julius Mendel Breitenbach or as he was known in 1928 “Santa Claus of the Thousand Islands,” was born in December 1890....
by: Rex Ennis
It's a crisp October afternoon in Rockport and the sky and River are postcard perfect blue. The sun is shining brightly ...
by: Kim Lunman
One of the best known and longest operating boat building businesses on the St. Lawrence River is Hutchinson Boat Works, Inc.
by: Bonnie Wilkinson Mark
We usually close up, leave the island and head south after Columbus Day. This year we left early as our son Rob got marr...
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
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
by: Hunter Grimes
Tom Massey’s was a fisherman, tour boat captain and tug boat skipper, but one of his most important attributes was being...
by: Susan W. Smith
Paper work. Mounds and mounds of paper work pile high on a desk in an office over the summer months – a common sight for...
by: Michael Folsom
I learned to fish here in the Thousand Islands the year before we were married. My husband, Gary, grew up fishing. It wa...
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
Looking up the history of Hill Island's Lot #7 we discovered monsters and murderers...
by: Susan Smith with the Heberlings
Tuesday 3 May 1898 the First National Bank of Carthage did not open its doors for business. Why had the directors posted...
by: Rex Ennis
Marilyn Lee stepped out of the classic wooden boat Teal and onto the shores of Fairyland Island for the first time in 47...
by: Kim Lunman
“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...
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
Edwin A. Link could fix most any machine, but all he really wanted to do, was fly...
by: John and Jim Taylor
When I met Anthony (Tony) Mollica at a recent gathering, I told him that I...
by: Susan W. Smith
This story begins in the winter of 2009. My wife Amanda, and I had started...
by: Joel Godfrey
Baguettes, berets, French pastries, Canada's flag flying while “O’Canada” is being belted out from a singer on a main st...
by: Kim Lunman
Louis Richards wrote, "It is a chapter in the story ...
by: Kim Lunman
As our neighbor says, “Cottage life isn’t for sissies.” He says it with a smile though and we all know what it means.
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
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...
by: Brian Johnson
A new book by Rex Ennis...
by: Susan W. Smith
Ian Coristine has constantly told his friends, that "raising the bar" in the Thousand Islands is our Number One task and...
by: Susan W. Smith
Beijing,China-Vancouver,BC-Chicago & Brockville-Clayton These are just a few of the stops on The Great Lake Swimmers’ 2010 Tour.
by: Erin McCarthy Brick
One of the most luxurious steam yachts of the Thousand Islands was a floating fixture on the St. Lawrence River during t...
by: Kim Lunman
As the first decade of the new millennium has passed, this writer has met many people in our community who ask “what doe...
by: James Rappaport
Clayton's Fred Schmitt has accepted the Board of Trustees’ offer to succeed John MacLean as Executive Director of the Antique Boat Museum.
by: Susan W. Smith
Non-island friends are always curious about how we get things to the island. There’s only one answer…by boat.
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
Kim Lunman publishes the premiere issue of an annual magazine on the Thousand Islands.
by: Susan W. Smith
Henry R. Heath was one of the visionary builders of the Gilded Age. However, Heath was not always destined ...
by: Steven D. Glazer
“Number please?” “Hello... Hello Mabel?” the female voice on the other end of the line was near panic. “Can you get Doctor Regan?
by: Brian Johnson
Music has been part of island life on Grenell since Uncle Otis had a heavy square grand piano pulled across the ice back...
by: Lynn E. McElfresh
One can’t discuss boat builders in the Thousand Islands without talking about Joseph Leyare.
by: Bonnie Wilkinson Mark
In 1867 the Marquess of Queensbury brought structure to the sport of prize fighting. These rules instituted the three mi...
by: Rex Ennis
The Darlingside store is located on the St. Lawrence River, east of the Thousand Island Bridge, on the Canadian sh...
by: Alan Lindsay
"...My parents remembered Alexandria Bay when it was only a “wooding station: where boats landed for fuel.
by: Susan W. Smith
Listen to the audio version as read by Jan Eliot
Some islands tell a story. Grindstone Island tells many of them....
by: Kim Lunman
Part XII and final chapter of Kristen Pinkney's research
by: Kristen Pinkney
“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. “
by: Susan W. Smith
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 ...
by: Richard L. Withington
Well today is the fourth of July. I have had a delightful day.
by: Kristen Pinkney
Pilots, by the very nature of their profession, become experts of the waters in their district. They are the logical adv...
by: Brian Johnson
The capitalists, the builders of our country, made the Thousand Islands their playground in what we call today the “Gold...
by: Rex Ennis
Seasons of change can be felt in many ways. Summer heat and rain changes to cool fall days with blowing leaves and the b...
by: Michael Folsom
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...
by: Kim Lunman
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.
by: Brian Johnson
Last night we had a delightful serenade. I wonder who it was. He passed the Island five times singing...
by: Kristen Pinkney
It is so beautiful here now nice and pleasant just like
by: Kristen Pinkney
Tasmania seems like a distant land but for John Carter, Tasmania is a treasure trunk waiting to be opened...
by: Susan W. Smith
Storybook bridges. Broomstick Castle. An historic boathouse and an idyllic summer retreat called The Folly. This is Fair...
by: Kim Lunman
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.
by: Paul Malo
Saw Pansy this am. Took a walk and talked over the affair last night. Did not have our hats on.
by: Kristen Pinkney
For 66 years the legendary “Muskie” Jake Huntley led guests of The Gananoque Inn and Spa on their quest for the illusive muskellunge.
by: John Keilty
In 1984 there were three famous men best known for fighting evil spirits which had taken New York City by storm. They to...
by: Michael Folsom
In November 1901, Richard Standish Williamson acquired an island in the St. Lawrence River. Standish, born in 1877...
by: Beth White
He wants me to think of him at twelve o’clock and
by: Kristen Pinkney
Jerry Huck is at the wheel of his Boston Whaler heading west out of his native Rockport on the St. Lawrence River toward...
by: Kim Lunman
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.
by: Richard L. Withington
It was a cold and rainy day on June 1st – but the invitation to meet Mike Franklin, Patricia Tague and Rhea Jenkner and ...
by: Susan W. Smith
Great Lake Swimmers Back in River
Tony Dekker, the lead musician of the Great Lake Swimmers, rests his hand on the helm...
by: Kim Lunman
Dudley Danielson is a man who has done just about everything in life, working as a (talented) professional photographer...
by: Ian Coristine
Great Lake Swimmers are coming June 6th!
Celebrating the Maritime Discovery Center of the Thousand Islands.
Eighteen m...
by: Ian Coristine
April's TI Life listed Watch Island on the "Properties" page where we post important properties of the region that are f...
by: Mike Franklin
I was once spotted by innocent onlookers who crowned me to be the "crazy guy in a little boat with a big flag," i...
by: Michael Folsom
The Peacock Yacht House succumbed to a fire in early 1990’s leaving only the
by: Rick Tague
"Mr. Grey is a beautiful dancer. It is like a dream dancing with him. I wish I knew him better." May Dewey, January 21, ...
by: Kristen Pinkney
Spending the month of August every summer of my youth at my Grandmother's cottage in Thousand Island Park was a child's ...
by: Trude Brown Fitelson
It started out innocently enough with a cookbook. Then came the song sheets
by: Kim Lunman
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 ...
by: Susanne Richter
In January the River took its leave, pulled a thick white blanket over itself, and rested. Freed from the turmoil of thr...
by: Richard L. Withington
Comfort Island is for sale. . . When Paul Malo created Thousand Islands Life in 2006, he created a Properties page...
by: Susan W. Smith
Growing up in the Thousand Islands the old homes and
by: Rick Tague
Patricia and Robert Mondore received good news this
by: Susan W. Smith
It can be said every island has its magic. But not every island has its own magician.
Honey Bee Island is the summer ho...
by: Kim Lunman
Are the remains of Geronimo in the Thousand Islands? The legendary Apache Chief died
by: Rex Ennis
"Well the Pullmans have all left & we are here all alone in our glory.
by: Kristen Pinkney
Some sleep in queen-sized beds on luxury yachts, some sleep under the Thousand Islands sky in a sleeping bag, but...
by: Michael Folsom
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
by: Kim Lunman
In listening to the Inauguration, I was struck by our new President's call for individual responsibility. As I thought a...
by: Richard L. Withington
Have you seen the terns circling over their nests on the Eagle Wing Shoals? When was the last time you walked the Macshe...
by: David Ray & Susan W. Smith
"Ella & I did nothing much today. Edgewood has closed & everything is on the decline. I received a letter from L...
by: Kristen Pinkney
Kim Lunman wrote about John Keats in our January issue (Of Time and an Author) and we all appreciate the Trilogy written...
by: Susan W. Smith
This is the first day of a new month. We all have been hanging around ...
by: Kristen Pinkney
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...
by: Mark A. Wentling
In November we received a note from Marnie Ross, a member of the Canadian Thousand Islands Watershed Land Trust, “Would ...
by: Jean King
Each month I seek links to the Islands which highlight the area's history and activities, to emphasize why the Islands s...
by: Susan W. Smith
So you think you're a dedicated Thousand Islander? Dr. Dick Withington (also known as Doc) is enjoying his fourth consec...
by: Richard L. Withington
GRENADIER ISLAND: June Hodge was born in a houseboat on the St. Lawrence River.
by: Kim Lunman
Our story begins
by: Kristen Pinkney
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’...
by: Susan W. Smith
Kristen Pinkney
We are pleased to present Part I of a series to publish a diary, researched and transcribed by Kristen ...
by: Susan W. Smith
"Brockville’s Waterfront" first appeared in the Brockville Recorder and Times on August 30, 2008 and subsequently was pu...
by: Kim Lunman
CLAYTON, NY The salad dressing that put this place on the map might have a slight geography Challenge.
by: Kim Lunman
ROCKPORT - A Toronto band is using the Thousand Islands as a backdrop for its fourth album, recording in some of...
by: Kim Lunman
Throughout the winter, I will provide a number of links to demonstrate how our region of the mighty St. Lawrence River s...
by: Susan W. Smith
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 ...
by: Kim Lunman
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...
by: Kim Lunman
"Malo's gifts were, as his students, many. But his legacy lives on in his lessons about this special place he so ...
by: Kim Lunman
A special thank you to Judy Wellman, Paul Malo's dear wife and special partner in life. Judy found this articl...
by: Paul Malo
The Thousand Islands' fine friend, Hal McCarney died on September 16th in Kingston General Hospital. He was 81. ...
by: Susan W. Smith
A compliment, for sure by Susan W. Smith
One day a few weeks ago, I met Ian Coristine and Mike Franklin to discuss the ...
by: Susan W. Smith
A memorial service will be held Saturday Oct. 11 at Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse University for Paul Malo, architect, pr...
by: Kim Lunman
More than a Salad Dressing… Years ago, I met a young medical student and I was telling her about my favourite vacation r...
by: Susan W. Smith
The August issue of Thousand Island Life Magazine was dedicated to the memory of Paul Malo. The magazine ...
by: Susan W. Smith
The Thousand Islands has lost one its most influential voices.
Paul Malo, architect, author and advocate for this magi...
by: Kim Lunman
The River community lost a very special member of our community a few weeks ago.
On July 22nd, author and beloved...
by: Patty Mondore
As this issue of Thousand Islands Life appears, the Preservation League of New York State honors Trude Brown Fitelson at...
by: Paul Malo
Thayendanegea’s father, a prominent warrior, died
by: Paul Malo
“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...
by: Paul Malo
Overlooked by history was the designer of many river landmarks--overlooked because he did not practice independently but...
by: Paul Malo
Before we had hotels, we had inns. Before we had inns, we had taverns. The earliest accommodations for visitors on the r...
by: Paul Malo
Most of us ask what a place offers us; fewer of us ask what we can offer the place. Thousand Islands Life co...
by: Paul Malo
Competing against nearly 7,500 entries, Ian Coristine's latest publication received a Premier Print Award.
...
by: Paul Malo
For several years Rex (Rexford M.) Ennis of Grindstone Island has been compiling research for a biography of Charles Goo...
by: Paul Malo
One of the leading international publishers, Rizzoli, currently is
by: Paul Malo