Canada's Southernmost Point, Middle Island in Lake Erie

Located at roughly 41.7 degrees north latitude, Middle Island is the southernmost land point in all of Canada, about 164 yards from the Lake Erie Maritime border with the US State of Ohio. 

1955 photo of the Lighthouse on Middle Island. Ronnie Beatty, courtesy Bruce Beatty

On a clear day, it, along with many of the other islands in the Lake Erie archipelago in both the US and Canada (especially Pelee Island), can be seen from the top of Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point. 


It's nearly impossible to see in the POV, I suggest go visiting it yourself! 

Middle Island's latitude means that it is slightly farther south than many parts of the US, and a majority of US States (27/50) have territory above 41.7 degrees north, including California, Nevada, and Utah, which end at the 42nd parallel. It's also slightly farther south than Downtown Chicago, and the entire State of Michigan.

While the island is uninhabited today, archaeological study of the island indicates human habituation for about 1,000 years, and contact for at least 10,000 years. 

An airstrip once operated on the island that was defunct before 1950's, which may have aided smugglers in bringing alcohol into the United States during the Prohibition Era. 

"The island gained infamy during the Prohibition Era, when it became a trans­fer point and haven for rumrunners. Until alcohol was legalized in the United States in 1933, the archipelago's links were critical to the small boats smug­gling Canadian liquor and beer to Ohio. A Prohibition gangster, Joe Roscoe, pur­chased a share of Middle Island and built the hotel that became the center for much of the rumrunning activity. The comfortable seven-bedroom "club­house" had electricity, cozy fireplaces, and large screened-in verandas afford­ing marvelous views of the lake. The basement, which had been carved from solid bedrock, held a casino, complete with gambling wheel." (Middle Bass Island)


I believe the airstrip was at where the blue dot is today. This is from our abandoned airports map.

Sadly, it doesn't appear any pictures of the hotel exist, at least in digital form.

Despite being in the middle of a Great Lake, and just over 46 acres in size, Middle Island is another reminder that there is a ton of history in even the most remote locations across the world, and enough geographical oddities that warrant discussion for quite some time.


Thanks as always for reading!

Location: Middle Island, Pelee, ON, Canada

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Underwater Water Slide: Fly Over at Durinrell TikiBad

Image
Have you ever wished to experience being transferred from one pool of liquid to another via a pipe? Had you visited the Dutch water park known as Durinrell , also known as Tikibad before 2010, you would have had the chance. Half water slide, half war crime, this was a unique water slide that was filled to the brim with water, leaving riders completely submerged throughout the journey. Image:  XtremeRidesNL Known as the Fly Over was an underwater water slide, which is exactly how it sounds, and transported riders from one pool to another using the water as propulsion. Built in 1994, riders dove underwater to access the slide, using gravity to transport them upwards via the Communicating Vessels Principle . Riders would be completely underwater for about 15-20 seconds. This is how I imagine those 15-20 seconds felt like while riding the slide. The slide was built to drain water in five seconds or less in case a rider got stuck in the slide or had a medical emergency, but the threat tha
Read more

Railroad Vocabulary: A List of Words and Phrases Used in the Industry - Updated February 2024

Image
As somebody who enjoyed watching trains, but was not an employee of the railroad industry ( at least growing up ), when I would interact with railfans and historians, there was often a lot of technical jargon that applied only to the railroad industry thrown back and forth that made it difficult for a newcomer to understand what they were talking about. For example, what is a dinky? It's actually a passenger train. This non-inclusive language seems to keep the loop closed to members of the community, and to uncouple (no pun intended) that technical jargon and help make it easier for people to communicate with people in the industry, I am creating a list of railroad vocabulary that I'm hoping will make the industry more transparent.  BNSF 2361 . Image: Matt Flores While I ultimately believe that such technical jargon has no place outside of perhaps technical communications between employees, I know quite well that I alone am not going to stop people from communicating in a non-i
Read more

The Abandoned Route 66 in McCook, IL

Image
Route 66, the iconic "Main Street of America," weaves through the heart of the United States, connecting communities and embodying the spirit of adventure. However, not all sections of this historic highway have stood the test of time. While much of the former US 66 is drivable in one way or another, especially in Illinois, there are some parts are not.  One of the first such roadblocks for would-be travelers heading from Chicago to Los Angeles via the Mother Road, now known as Joliet Road, comes just outside of Chicago in McCook, IL, where the former highway is closed between 55th St and East Ave, and has been for over two decades. (Link to the location on our Ghost Towns Map ) Image: Google Maps at 55th and Joliet Rd in McCook, IL The land that the quarry would eventually take over was part of Stinson Airport in the early days of Route 66, dating back to before 1930. ( Abandoned Airports map ). 1938 USGS Aerial Imagery The quarrying on the south side of the road would
Read more