Honey Bee Vacation Island - History

Island 101 G was first officially surveyed by Walter Beatty in 1894 and valued at $75. It was owned by the Crown (Canadian Government) until May 3, 1909 when it was sold for $100. A hand adzed log fishing and hunting cabin was built upon it and in 1975 it was estimated to be approximately 100 years old. The cabin had been previously built in Rockport and brought over to be re-assembled on the island. Visible at the end of each log are Roman numerals carved into the wood to show their proper reassembly order.

gentlemen disembark for ‘refreshments’ while the ladies waited on board

While not conclusively proven, a local historian believes that the logs might have been reclaimed from one of the British fortifications that dotted the river’s edge. This conclusion was arrived at by the fact that the logs are oversized for the structure and could have been part of a defensive outer wall of one of the forts in the area.

The Island has had its share of notoriety as when, during prohibition, it became a stop off point for tour boats who would tie off at its 20 meter dock to let the gentlemen disembark for ‘refreshments’ while the ladies waited on board. The huge tin lined hardwood ice chest that held the refreshments remained in the cabin until 2002 when the cabin was gutted and remodeled. In the 1940’s the cabin was enlarged with a kitchen and bathroom addition, a screened in porch and two bedrooms on the 2nd floor. The huge fireplace was built from the pink granite rocks found on its shores in 1927.

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