Perhaps this was just as well. The original plan recalls a proposal by Nevada interests a century later to create a major development in this vicinity. A gambling casino would have been the centerpiece. Fortunately the community rallied to avert this misfortune.

Boldt Castle and Yacht House from Westminster Park. Tricia Tague photograph.

A unique feature of Westminster Park is the tiny chapel that seats only about six people. Instead of a religious focus, the interior is dominated by a wood statue of an American Indian carved by the late Carmen Davino.

Tricia Tague photograph.

The Chapel was a personal project of residents Randy and Mary Hannah Arnot, donated to the community, intended not so much for religious services as for individual reflection and meditation.

Tricia Tague photograph.

Westminster Park, on Wellesley Island, is accessible by automobile and is year-round home for some residents. The small community adjoins golf courses with fine dining facilities nearby.

Tricia Tague photograph.

In the course of the twentieth century a complex of residential and recreational facilities devolped at this end of Wellesley Island, largely resulting from acquisition of part of Westminster Park by George Boldt, who created a golf course (one of two here today), a polo field, and many facilities for his elaborate estate.

Tennis Island. Ian Coristine / 1000 Islands Photo Art

Tennis Island was developed at the end of the twentieth century on the Boldt estate, utilizing the canals created when marshes were dredged to create islands.