Navy Island

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Navy Island.

Navy Island in the distance

Navy Island is a small island in the Niagara River in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is currently under the administration of the Niagara Parks Commission. It is located about 4.5 km upstream from Horseshoe Falls, and has an area of roughly 1.2 square kilometres.

[edit] History

Navy Island was settled by the Lamoka people in approximately 2000 BC and Meadowood culture peoples in 1000 BC.

During the French colonization of New France, Navy Island was known as Île de la Marina. Here the French built four ships that they used to service the Great Lakes. When New France was ceded to the British in 1763, they set up a shipyard here. In the War of 1812, they would also station a detachment on the island.

In 1837, William Lyon Mackenzie and about 200 of his supporters captured the island and proclaimed the Republic of Canada there. On January 11, 1838, the rebels were forced from the island and retreated across the river into the United States.

In 1875, the Queens Hotel was established as a popular summer resort on the island's south side. It was destroyed by fire in 1910. The federal government has leased the island to the Niagara Parks Commission since 1936.

Farms and orchards were located on the northeast, south, central, northwest and southwest ends of the island. Since abandoned, most of the farmed lands have been re-forested. There are some reminders of habitation on the south side. A pier still exists for boaters to the island. Camping is permitted on the island by permits.

Navy Island was proposed to be the new World Peace Capital and headquarters of the United Nations by an international committee in 1945 and 1946. The island was considered to be an ideal location as it lay on the boundary between two peaceful countries. An artist's rendering of the World Peace Capital (as seen in the George Seibel Niagara River Collection at the Niagara Falls Public Library in Niagara Falls, Ontario) showed the property with bridges spanning both countries (at Grand Island in the US and the Canadian mainland on the other side) [1]. It was proposed that Navy Island would be ceded to the United Nations as long as the headquarters remained, and to revert to the Canadian government should the U.N. move. The proposal was ultimately turned down in favour of the current U.N. headquarters in New York City.

A deer population did exist on the island, but they were mostly decimated by the lack of food on the island.