Round, Little Round, and Hogsback Islands. Ian Coristine / 1000 Islands Photo Art

The name is a misnomer, since the island certainly is not "round." Called "Frontenac" when the great hotel of that name made this a center of Thousand Islands life, the post office building still bears that name, although postal service, like the grand hotel, has disappeared.

Ian Coristine / 1000 Islands Photo Art

The specter of the grand Frontenac hotel still haunts Round Island, where vestiges of foundations and traces landscaping remain in the center of the island.

Frontenac Hotel, from Paul Malo's Fools' Paradise.

Fine summer homes remain around the shores of the island, however. Community tennis courts now activate what once were lawns of the hotel. The post office building on the public dock is now maintained as a small museum that recalls the island's past.

Ian Coristine / 1000 Islands Photo Art

Ian Coristine / 1000 Islands Photo Art

Island life has its challenges. Storms often make passage to and from the mainland difficult or even hazardous.

David Berger photograph.

The head of Round Island (above) is exposed to prevailing westerly winds. Ice floes, driven by gales, make maintenance of docks and boathouses difficult, as the photograph suggests. The large red building is the architecturally important Jacob Hayes house, now the home of Dr. and Mrs. Richard Withington.

Steamer New Island Wanderer at Frontenac pier, from a post card.