Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Lake Ontario |
Coordinates | 43°55′43″N 76°35′13″W / 43.9285°N 76.5869°W |
Administration | |
Canada | |
Province | Ontario |
Demographics | |
Population | 0 (1978) |
Yorkshire Island is a small island in the east end of Lake Ontario, off Prince Edward County.[1] It is part of a chain of islands, including Stoney Island, Galloo Island, Main Duck Island, and Swetman Island and Timber Island, the False Duck Islands.[2] It was acquired by Parks Canada, in 1977, to preserve as nature preserves.[3]
Main Duck Island is the closest island in the chain, approximately 0.25 miles (400 m) east.[4][5]
Joseph O. Doyle was shipwrecked on the Island, for 18 days, in 1858.[6]
Surrounded by shallow waters with hull-piercing shoals and enormous, boat-grinding, rocky protrusions, Main Duck Island and the nearby smaller Yorkshire Island are part of a chain of islands in eastern Lake Ontario. The Ducks, said the Syracuse Herald in 1931, 'have been the scene of many wrecks and have caused the loss of more than a score of lives.'
From the air, Main Duck Island is part of a chain of islands, stretching from Stoney and the Galloo Islands on the American side, to Main Duck and its neighbour Yorkshire Island, and closer to the County, the False Ducks, encompassing Swetman and Timber Islands. Timber Island was the last stronghold in Ontario of the majestic Bald Eagle, before it declined in the late 1940s.
Main Duck and Yorkshire Islands were acquired by Parks Canada in 1977 as nature preserves.
A quarter of a mile off its shore is a little duckling called Yorkshire Island. Farther west, and nearer Point Traverse, are the False Ducks, comprising of False Duck, Timber, the Duckling islands, and a wicked layout of duck eggs in the form of reefs and boulders.
In 1858 he decided to become a trader. He built himself a boat and traded in fruit and fish between U.S. and Canada. It was while engaged in this business that he was capsized by the carelessness of his mate and swam through heavy surf to Yorkshire Island, where he lived for eighteen days until rescued by a passing schooner.