And just like that our northern trip was almost over; only 600 km away from home. St. Joseph Island was a short detour off the main highway, and since we wanted to stretch this trip a little longer, we went ahead and crossed the bridge over.
St. Joseph is a small and quaint island; you can drive around it in about an hour. We aimed for Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site located at the farthest tip of the island, as our halfway point.
Naturally, Covid procedures were in place at the fort.
Before entering the grounds, a lady in period clothing delivers a short intro (no, those people are not us).
Entry to the grounds is through a small, but very interesting museum. There are many artifacts, dioramas, and displays that take you through the material evidence found on the grounds. Among the artifacts is this very large canoe. It’s much bigger than it seems in this photo.
The drawing below may give you a better idea of its size.
There are numerous smaller artifacts that were excavated here over the years,
and some interesting art panels. Take a look at the gorgeous fabric art!
Built in 1796, The British fort was the westernmost fort defending the British colony from an American invasion.
The ruins of the fort and many related structures are scattered across the landscape and make for a nice 1 km hike.
Along the hike, many superb interpretation plaques include information about the fort and its history.
It was hard to take in all of this information in such a short time…
but by the time we left, we felt that we had a good understanding of who lived there, and how they lived.
Around every turn there was the beautiful lake.
Delightfully, the island has a migratory birds sanctuary, and we were able to spot Sandhill Cranes wandering up and down people’s driveways.
We crossed back to the mainland, very happy that we made this unplanned detour.
Next stop is Sudbury and a couple of artistic surprises so stick around for more.
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Loved the story and the maps. I am a map freak. I never realised that Detroit in right on the US/Canada border and also so close to Toronto. Are the two cities similar or are they obviously in two different countries?
Very different! Toronto is very Canadian (whatever this means in reality), it has a new and vibrant feel, while Detroit has the old American city vibe. It has some of these grand late 19th c early 20th c feel, but also a cloud hanging over it because of the series of economic hardships it went through.
Thank you 😊
A lovely island with so much history. It must have a difficult life.
I’m sure it was hard during those early days!
These unplanned detours make for some of the best visits. Are you guys still working or have you completely cut the cord?
Indeed they are! We unretired for a short while and we are working again, but a lot less and we pick and choose our jobs. We will retire again soon! Maybe…
Hard to plan with all of the chaos this year. I’m looking forward to hearing more about your adventures.
I had the opportunity to visit Fort Joseph, there are very few traces left but the interpretation centre provides good information to better understand what remains. It takes us back to the time of the fur trade, when lakes and rivers were used as highways. Thanks for this interesting post.
The interpretation on the site is very well done and there are a lot of archaeological remains that help with interpreting the site. We really enjoyed our visit and glad you had a chance to visit there as well!
I have a strange fascination with destinations situated on country borders, with St. Joseph Island being no exception. I think it’s the concept of invisible boundaries which separate people, languages, and cultures from each other…all the same, St. Joseph Island looks like a beautiful place, with a lake so large that it almost looks like an ocean! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us. 🙂
I never really thought about this, but you are right, there is something special about these places. Also, our cell phones switch to roaming in the US :). Thanks for coming along!
Tony and Margie, I appreciate maps to go along with the stories. It gives me more of a sense as to where you are. It is great how you are still living life, albeit safely. I also find artifacts fascinating and learning about how people lived, especially in the past. Like you say “who lived there, and how they lived.” Thank you for sharing an interesting post. Erica
I also love maps and find the stories behind artifacts fascinating. That’s probably why I became an archaeologist 🙂 Thanks for coming along!