Cockburn Island (Island Week)
Cockburn Island is a ‘ghost’ island in Ontario, which despite the apparent signs of life (there’s a small town and marina) has an official population of zero. The 1996 census listed a population of just two, but both people had left by 2001, making this the least populated incorporated municipality in Canada.
Some of these abandoned houses are supposedly still used as holiday homes, but what interests me if the makeshift airport to be found deep in the forest. It’s evidently still in use but I’ve found no mention of the airport around the internet. Most websites say that the marina is the “only way of getting on the island”, but it’s clearly not. If you asked me, an abandoned island would be the perfect place for an evil empire to keep its headquarters…
Thanks: Matt Blum & Taylor
We lived on Cockburn Island for one year - 1957 to 1958 - I remember, we had a very small cottage like home, no electricity , washroom facilities was an outhouse- my dad and brother worked in Forrestry, cutting trees, we left for Thessalon in July 1958 and then moved to Iron Bridge the following years.
My father inherited this island a few years but I didn’t know very much about it. Thank you very much for all of your information it is greatly appreciated
recently purchased 8 acres on the east end of cockburn between the hookd arm and magnetic islang. intriged with the island and wouldn’t mind linking with others about the island.
My family used to sail to Cochburn Island every summer in the mid to late 1960s and early ’70s. My dad would race from Chicago to Mackinac Island, then we would meet him and sail to Cochburn. It was wonderful. We would meet a family, who had a house there, that were from Ontario. Our fathers were good friends and we would stay for a week. The harbor and the dock were always kept up.
There was no one living there since most of the people had left during or after the war due to a lack of provisions available. There was an abandoned indian village, and the only way to bath was in an old steam bath down by the beach.
At that time there was one man who was the caretaker of the island. His name was Bill Jones and he lived in Thessalon and would take his tug boat, the Maple Leaf, over to the island to check it out and keep it up. He hand built a firetower with no power tools. It must have been 3 storied high at least. At that time the ferry was still running and the people from the island would come back for a day. Most of the time we were the only ones on the island.
The wildlife was abundant, and dad would also go back in the winter to hunt the deer. When it got so cold in the winter that the water between the island would freeze, the deer would cross over and then be stuck when the ice thawed. With the over abundance of deer, they welcomed the hunters to help keep the animal life balanced.
I’m not sure if it was for human or animal intruders, but there was even a bear trap inside the door of a home in the indian village.
That is my recollection of a wonderful time and place. I hope this helps.
There is a Cockburn Island blog called Friends of the Island on Facebook. I have a vague childhood memory of traveling to the Island on the Ferry (when it ran). Have traveled to the Island by both boat and float plane. I still haven’t traveled there by snowmobile.
Please come and share your memories of the Island at Friends of the Island.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=31936991742&ref=ts
This is the link to FRIENDS OF THE ISLAND
Cathy James a name I know well I went to high school with Rick and Cathy but it was from 1975-1979 they lived on Cockburn Island
Some pretty nasty things said about Cockburn Island. My father has lived on this island for about 30 years. He helped build the airport and bunker, which is privately owned. It is his saw mill that he set up, and built a beautiful home with. The island is a beautiful place to get away from it all. The people that have “camps” on Cockburn Island are friendly and a lot of fun. One summer on my stay there, I help stain and varnish the wood for the new ceiling in the church. My father cut and donated the wood. I could hardly keep up with the elders. The church, town hall and school are kept up. Most of the homes, or camps as they call them, are owned by people that were born on the island. Second and third generations are now visiting or buy property to build as it becomes available. There is a beautiful beach, a few dirt roads and a friendly and kind atmosphere. Unless you have visited this place, I wouldn’t be making negative comments, based on what you see on a Google aerial shot.
Laurie
Hi Laurie,
In 1891, my grandfather was listed as being born on Cockburn Island. In the early 1950, he was going to go back to visit, but unfortunately passed away. I would like to research my heritage and was wondering if you could offer encouragement or suggestions as to the availability of Roman Catholic church records on the island. Thanks, Jim
hello,
My Great Grandparents were Thomas Stanley Goodmurphyand Henrietta Goodmurphy. My parents have a camp on Cockburn Island. It is beautiful. Lots of deer and other wild life. People go hunting for deer on the island in the fall. You can get to Cockburn by air or by getting someone to give you a ride on their boat. It can be quite costly. I know most people either travel via Thessalon or by Meldrum Bay on Manitoulin. You should really make plans ahead of time. You cannot just catch a ferry. Cockburn is very charming. It has an old school house, church, graveyard. Cockburn Island is the only ghost town in Ontario to still elect a town council.
I am also a Goodmurphy decendant! My grandmother was Vera Goodmurphy. Do your parents stay at the Goodmurphy homestead?? My grandfather’s farm, where my grandparents lived when I was young, is the old Mitchell farm by the airport. I truly miss the island. I have visited a few times over the past twenty years but it is hard when you have to find a place to stay and everything. Anyways, I would love to share some memories
Hi folks. I have property on Cockburn Island which I visit every year. My family settled there around 1900 and great grandfather (and a few of his kids) are buried in the cemetary. It is a terrific, remote, beautiful place, and the people who have camps there are really great. It’s really like stepping back in time. There are no grow ops that I can think of, and we haven’t yet stumbled on a Unabomber type. Just miles of forested trails, white sand beaches, and clear Lake Huron water. And the property is stupidly inexpensive, and there is lots of it for sale, as the older generation is getting too old to maintain their camps. Harold McQuarrie in Sault Ste Marie is the walking encyclopedia of all things Cockburn Island.
fellow Islanders! Here’s another person who LOVES the beauty and magic that is Cockburn Island. I’m from the “Big 12″ hunt camp. The green house right next door to the church! Unfortunately, I haven’t been back to Cockburn for almost 5 years now, and recent circumstances have forced us to put the place up for sale.. We were good friends with Smiler(Harold) and Colleen, who sadly passed away last year… I will always cherish the memories and summers we spent on the Island, and am glad that I got to meet and know so many of you. Jack Robinson, Glen MacLeod, Rusty and Bessie, Glen and Colleen Cressman, Smiler, Lee and Lynn Chapple(RIP Lynn), Mrs. Vera Mitchell, George Houston(I think I spelled it right), Tom Pateman, and SO MANY others.
I may be far removed from Cockburn today(we live in Chatham, WAY down south-LOL), but my heart is never far from this place. I hope to return someday, even if it’s the last time I’ll have to say goodbye–possibly for good. I hope you’re all doing well, and please feel free to share your memories.
My grandmother was Vera Mitchell…. I saw that you knew her and had to write. She passed away a few years ago and sadly my direct ties with cockburn Island went with her. My aunt sold our property for the money and I will never forgive her for that. Cockburn is the most special place i know. I love it there and I will continue to visit as long as I can find places to stay. I want to share my memories with my children.
Hi HGD,
You say that property on Cockburn is inexpensive, but I’ve never found it listed for sale anywhere… And I’ve looked for a few years now. Do you have any idea where to find out what is for sale and to contact vendors?
You will never find Cockburn Island property listed on MLS. There are 3 ways to find what’s available: 1. Drive around the island and look at the for sale signs. Most are posted by owners. 2. Ask some locals. Property is definitely `available’, even if it’s not actually listed, because the owners have stopped coming to island, passed away, etc. All it takes is a phone call and a decent offer. 3. Phil Chandler is a real estate agent in Sudbury who has sold most of the listed properties over the years.
Any population under 15 is rounded to zero on the canadian census.
Also, have been on the island at least once a year for the last 20 years. Good times.
i agree with “A’ cockburn is a special place needs not to be overrun by tourists & such a connection to someone there would be the only way to see or to learn about the island. DO RE MI I live on west end of manitoulin & travel to cockburn alot all year long by boat & by ski-doo i sometimes will take extras with me if tou have a lot of people or gear in mind i can put you on touch with a tug boat that charters to cockburn as well.
I’ve been trying to learn more about this island for a few weeks now. Interestingly, this thread is probably the most information I’ve found yet.
Next summer, I’m hoping to get to Cockburn by way of motorcycle and boat, just to explore a bit.
Does anyone know what kinds of regulations there are about getting to the island from Michigan? Am I breaking the law while crossing the border without permission?
Joe K, a fair number of people visit regularly from Drummond. I would advise a call in advance to Canadian customs. There are no customs officers in the vicinity of Cockburn Island however.
There are no paved roads on the island. In fact off road bikes or ATVs are the best way to really see the island.
HGD, Thanks for the info.
An enduro bike is what I had in mind, so this could be lots of fun. Pavement is for sissies anyway… I also thought about a mountain bike, but that would certainly limit the amount of time I’d be able to stay due to not being able to carry as much.
Last night I found some info on CANPASS (Remote Area Border Crossing) which is basically a kind of waiver that you can apply for to cross the border at some remote locations (including Cockburn). It costs $30 and lasts for a year. For me that’s definitely worth being able to cross from Drummond.
Does anyone know how hard the logging operation has been on the island? I really don’t want to see a bunch of stumps when I go… I may also interested in any leads anyone has on cheap property on the island. Of course… I’ll probably want to see it for myself before I go diving into it
Joe K, The logging has not been intense. There are a few areas where the cutovers are visible, but from a siteseeing perspective, the scenery is still 98% intact. None of the picturesque areas have been affected. If anything, the logging roads and trails have made the island a lot more accessable.
hi
just thought i would put a tid bit in
my grandparents Gordon and Jean Nichols were from the Island
Jean was born there and Gordon moved there when he was 16
they raised thier children there until they moved to Thessalon Ontario
There might not be any one there now but in the summer time it is very
populated and I believe that it is in Aug of every year that my mom Barbara
went there for the big dance they had until she passed away 2 years ago
hi
does any one know where we can find this book called
Yonder our Island and does any one know who printed it
Carol,
You can sometimes find the book on various used book websites. I found a copy on Bookfinder.com about a month ago - but sorry to say that it now belongs to me! It cost me about $50 shipped (USD). Not cheap - but if it’s a record of your family’s history, I think it’s worth the dough.
The book is also held in some libraries as a genealogical reference. These copies are rarely available for checkout, but you can always make photocopies.
Best of luck!
Does anyone know the specifics of when the dance is this year? I’m not sure if I want to time my trip to include or exclude it, but it certainly sounds interesting.
We have 2 copies of the book, Yonder Our Island in our collection at the library in Bruce Mines.
They cannot be checked out but are available to view in the library.
I went to school with barbs kids bonnie wendy and carol
I was happy to see all the info about Cockburn Island on this site. I had read somewhere previously that the island was native owned and so I figured that there was probably nothing for sale, but after reading this site and doing more research it appears that the native ownership is limited only to a small part of the island. My family used to vacation at Drummond in the 70’s before it was commercialized, and I have some really fond memories of that part of the world. I do have one question for those in the know - When you look at the aerial photos of the island, there are several roads/trails, and one of those roads leads south from Tolsmaville and then after about a mile heads east to the shore of Cockburn Island directly opposite Manitoulin Island. At one point Google maps showed ferry service landing at the end of that road, and that appears to be wrong (it’s since been removed), so now I’m just wondering what that road is used for. There’s no evidence of any dock in the aerial photos, yet the road looks like it must be used enough so that it doesn’t grow over with vegetation. My guess is that it would offer snowmobile access to Manitoulin in the winter, but perhaps it has a different/other use.
Todd B, that is the power line. It connects to an underwater cable at the shore opposite Manitoulin.
This is interesting reading all the great information about Cockburn Island here. It sounds like a very unique place and I’m looking forward to spending a week there with my wife and kids this summer. We were fortunate to find a home for rent. I had never heard of Cockburn Island, but everything I have read makes it sound like a nice quiet place to relax. I can’t wait to see Tolsmaville and explore the rest of the island.
HGD
I also have been studying your island on google earth to go on a future snowmobile trip for my wife and I. My question is can you snowmobile from Drummond to Cockburn to Manitoulin Island in early Febuary via ice bridges? Like Todd B. said this is definitly the most informative site for Cockburn Island, very interesting!
Yes, on a cold year such as this past winter, the entire north channel will freeze. However the straights between Drummond, Cockburn and Manitoulin are less stable than the north channel itself. To be safe I would stay to the north. The Canadian Ice Service website is an excellent source of information for daily ice conditions.
http://ice-glaces.ec.gc.ca/
HGD
Thanks for the help. I went to the site you suggested and done some research on the ice thickness in Feb. Like you said the north channel is save but it also showed thick ice between the islands except where a stream comes out of the east side of Cockburn. Regardless I will listen to the advice of the locals over the ice chart. You are the second person to advise it was not save to cross between the island because of current. I would like to e-mail you the route I was going to use to go across Cockburn, just to get so input if it is ok with you. I am sure Garmin and Google maps make it look too easy. E-mail me at precisionexcavating@embarqmail.com so I can forward you my map.
Thanks
Anyone ever try crossing from Drummond in a sea kayak (14+ feet)? What are the currents like?