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
bio” 
Can this be a school bus?
Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth
Hmm. Looks like one to me. What other elongated yellow vehicle could it be?
Who would, in all reality, want to live in a place which sounds like an unfortunate malady.
fallenposters: A banana boat?
Ghosttowns.com has a writeup of this island here: http://www.ghosttowns.com/canada/ontario/cockburnisland.html
Hey, who told you about Project Z! … I mean … haha … of course it would be the perfect place for an evil empire.
Oh No.. You Have Discovered ME!!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO
All my project are ruined… i have to find another gosth island…
Damn Google…
I didnt put my last name because I wasn’t expecting it to happen, but this is awesome, no doubt the airport is still in use but probably as a private airfield for small Cessna’s or something. They used to have a steamer service to Blind River and Thessalon but that was discontinued and the residents moved to Blind River and Massey.
James: Haha! I didn’t think about that. But in Ontario? Really.
This would make it an excellent location for a James Bond movie, then, wouldn’t it?
hey i no of cockburn island becuz that is where my camp is and people have such the wrong impression about it everyone says there is no population but that is so not true becuz there is. Also the reason the buildings are so presurved is becuz no one touches them to wreack them we have a good understanding of what went on behind the island and how the buildings were put there. No there is not a secret evil lair there either (god). But only few people go there becuz there are no stores and not resturants nothing like that its just your camp and the food u bring in for your self. So people please get a life. Ghost island my butt.
We were saying it was a ghost island because there IS NO PERMANENT POPULATION, the island can swell up to 500 people during tourist season, but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in PERMANENT habitation there.
um yes there is a permanent population there the population is 2 all year round. i know this aswell becuz i have known them most of my life. and no it does not have 500 people in tourist season becuz we dont get tourists we get people who come that have camps there. so psht.!!
Well then tell those two people to finish their census forms… Secondly, there are B&B’s, or at least one on the island so there ARE tourists, unless you have some kind of SUPER surveillance system that tracks the people that come on and off the WHOLE island.
o shut it have u ever been on the island i dont think so cuz if u did then u and everyone else would see for themselves we have our own flag we have a town council. We have people who look after the island. so any one who doesnt no anything about the island should just keep it shut and not make stupid comments about it and so what if the cencus is wrong boo hoo i am just saying that there is peopel becuz i no and most people dont becuz they dont go to the friggen island. THERE.
I’ll take coherent comments over your poor spelling and extreneous babble. When you want to speak English, I’m here to listen.
fine. but i am speaking english turkey. and you know what my babble is nothing compared to what you people think about the island that a bunch of us know about.so if you dont know what you are talking about maybe you should just keep your trap shut. ok. because we dont like to be called ghosts. thanks.
Hey, A!
Maybe you can help me. A friend just told me that I can use his cottage on the island. Its located on the west side of the island and I will need some details. i need to know if you know anyone that has a boat so I can get across the Mississagi Strait.
My suggestion is that you inquire in the town of Meldrum Bay (on Manitoulin Island on the EAST shore of the Mississagi Strait)(its more like a hamlet) I’m sure someone would be more than happy to help you.
ALSO, I meant no offense to you personally or anyone on the island, just that the facts are what they are. I love Northern Ontario, I’m from Thunder Bay so dont get me wrong I think its awesome, I just submitted it because its a shame that it got lost in a boom that didnt really pan out.
Thanks, Taylor! I’ll look into it. Now you kids play nice in the sandbox. Noone likes digging up buried cat crap…
Do Re Mi,
Do you have something for cat crap?
lol, sure no problem.
As we can see by A’s example, Island Dwellers are somewhat queer folk.
LMAO, nicely put…
Hey!! All our family have been going to the island for years and years!!So we are wondering where Taylor Green’s and A’s Camp are? Hey maybe we all know eachother!! I shot my first deer there this year!!! Our family has been going there long enough to know what a Doose is(hahaha)!! So please let us know!!!
I believe I mentioned earlier that I don’t have a camp on Cockburn Island, but we pass through the region on the way to our camp on Lake Superior only about 5 minutes from Thunder Bay. In any case, I think the story is neat
K that makes no sence to use!! I think we are talking about two different places, cuz the Cockburn Island that we go to is on lake Huron, Gorgian Bay, North Channel. So where is this cockburn Island that you speak of? we would like to know.
Hey, um this may seem random but just to inform ppl, when u read the name of the island, its not actaully pronounced Cockburn island, its Coburn island….the ck is silent.
But any way Cockburn is like the most amazing place ever, And Island dwellers arnt queer(and neither is a), ur queer for never goin there, and for goin onto a website about an island that uve never been to before and talkin about it like uve been there ur whole life and actually know wat ur talking about. i dont know if that just seemed like a cool idea to u, but its not.
I’ll try to keep this short as possible.
I am from Michigan but of Canadian descent. Been reading up on Cockburn/Coburn Is. and would like to make email contact with someone who know the island and might answer a few questions. I would like to visit this summer, maybe rent a camp for a week or two, check it out.
I have a camp on Bois Blanc Island (straits). Its getting developed more every year. I am a hermit, running out of un-screwed-up islands.
Many years ago, I spent a lot of time on Drummond (and that place got trashed 20 yrs ago.).From the east end of Drummond, I would peer across the FD channel and try to imagine “what’s on Coburn?” Ask the Drummond folks and they say “nothing”. Which would suit me fine.
I have a 22′ boat. Plan A is to run from Cheboygan (mi) to Detour to Coburn and on to Manitoulin. Not all that far by water. A very long drive from Michigan to Manitoulin. Done it several times.
Anyway. I would very much like to make contact via email with someone familiar with Coburn Is, maybe has a place on the ilsand and can give me some insight and etc so I can plan a trip or a visit.
Thank you so much, in advance!
T Dupuis
em ml3170@power-net.net
I AM LOOKING TO RETIRE ON COCKBURN IN ABOUT 7 YEARS AN WOULD LIKE TO HEAR OF ANY PROPERTYS FOR SALE THERE I LIKE HUNTING AND FISHING I WAS RASIED ON BARRIE ISLAND I NOW LIVE IN SAULT STE MARIE ONTARIO HOME IS WERE THE HEART IS AND THAT IS WERE I WANT TO BE
I’ve had a cottage on southern Georgian Bay for a long time, but now that the yuppies have invaded, the whole character of the place has changed. So I’m looking for something more basic and remote. Does anyone know of any waterfront land for sale there?
Hey i was just wondering who part-time resident is cuz i prolly no u and its true i am not a queer folk i am just like everyone else i just go to a “ghostisland” or so they say and u say u do to. so just wondering becuz maybe i will see you over there this weekend. well have some fun
I figure that this place is Grow-Op Central!
no its not grow-op central. though there is a pretty ridiculous logging camp there right now. Whose family are you from A? my grandfather moved to thessalon when the lampreys destroyed the fishing stock, but we still own property and my brother and I stay there every summer. great break from toronto. only person i really know whose every there is Rusty, we take his boat over and stay with his family sometimes.
Do you know of any author or books about Cockburn Island
which talk about the history of the island?
There is a book about Cockburn Island it is titled “Yonder our Island”.
Hello All
Cockburn Island is a very nice place, I spent five months there this year logging and it is amazing the amount of people that are there and the amout of camps. There are 2 people that stay there year round and they have been there since the 1970’s and this year will be their last as they are getting a little older now. I here that 1 of the younger town guys may try to stay there all year round next year.
It has a lot of history. and is an amazing place to visit.
Hello, I am familiar w/ Drummond Island as I visit once every few years to do some campining in the summer. However Cockburn Island is brand new to me. If I were to take a boat from the East end of Drummond Island to the West end of Cockburn Island during the spring, summer, or fall what would be the odds of me running into another person if I was just camping and fising along the shore by myself? Is there any property owners who might take offense?
hi u all school houe one arce intrested
Sorry to cut into your convo, but I can’t stand it anymore. My Great Great Grandfather Thomas Stanley Goodmurphy settled there around 1860 and raised my Great Grandfather and he as well and my Grandfather, and My grandmother has the original papers from “Yonder Our Island” . I have never actually been there but when my GG Grandfather moved there he owned like 1000 acres. And I don’t know what ever happened to it. I was just wondering if anyone knows either him, my great grandfather ross, my grandfather kenneth, or even my father steven. All Goodmurphys by the way.
Our family lives in thessalon after my grandfather moved away from there and you can look us up in the book.
LOL, if you look, you may still find the old goodmurphy homestead (the all pine cabin). But unfortunatley they are cutting all the wood off of it so it won’t be a metropolis for long.
goodmurphy talk to gord nichols he lives in thessalon he still has a camp on cockburn island and his grandparents settled there years ago he may have heard of them and the all pine cabin
his number is in the book
goodmurphy sorry gord lives in bruse mines he parks his boat in thessalon it is a 30 foot boat he travels to cockburn from there he shouldn,t be hard to find
brouse mines
Yeah, I was just wondering if anyone knew why noone lives there anymore because I’ve heard stories from my grandfather that it was a really great place to live. Our family lives in thessalon, and bruce mines is pretty close so i’ll see.
I’m planning a bicycle trip from the upper peninsula of MI to Manitoulin Island. It looks like there is a road that runs almost to the shore near the west side of Cockburn Island. Would it be possible to travel from the east side of Drummond to the west side of Cockburn and then ride across the island to catch a boat to Meldrum Bay?
I bought 25 acres on Cockburn Island 40 years ago and have yet to see it. I made a few trips to try and get information and have viewed it from Drummond and Canada ahoreline. Could you direct me to someone who has information as to access and what’s there?