NEEBISH ISLAND

Region: Les Cheneaux Islands, Drummond Island & the St. Mary's River

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Neebish Island remains wonderfully undeveloped. People have not rushed to build cottages here, as they have on Sugar Island to the north. There is no perimeter road to offer motorists views.
The island, like much of this area, has been settled by Euro-Americans since the 1880s. Its name is a Native American word for "where the water boils," referring to the once-furious rapids along its western side. Today those rapids are greatly diminished, due to a deep channel dug in 1908 to permit freighter traffic. During World War II, the Coast Guard had a camp here. Before that there was a busy sawmill at Johnson Point. Island resident Steve Kilday operates the ferry. See eupta.net for schedules. The ferry takes cars and people from Barbeau ($11 round-trip for car and driver, $2 for passengers over 12 years old) until the ice bridge forms just upstream after the Soo Locks shut for the season on January 15. Residents come together at the community hall, but ever since the little convenience store burned down, there is no place to buy food on the island. That can be a problem when the Coast Guard comes through in late March with an icebreaker that demolishes the half-mile-long ice bridge to the mainland. Often this is done so early that ice quickly again forms, too thin to walk on but thick enough to prevent the ferry from operating, thus stranding the islanders, sometimes for two weeks, until a permanent water channel is reestablished.

The Coast Guard hurries to open the water channel because the giant freighters must carefully maneuver around Neebish Island in order to move through St. Mary's River, down to Lake Huron and up to the Soo Locks and into Lake Superior.
Visitors enjoy hunting, fishing, and birding. Neebish is known for unusual birds. A family of great grey owls, much bigger than most owls, lives here. There are also snowy owls, northern hawk owls, red- and white-winged crossbills, northern shrike, and rough-legged hawks. Birders take the trail on Rains (Little Neebish) Island. It's so close to Ontario, you can hear people gathered around their campfires.

Return to Les Cheneaux Islands, Drummond Island & the St. Mary's River

PLACES AROUND NEEBISH ISLAND TO

Eat Sleep Camp