Comments on: Cockburn Island (Island Week)

By: HGD

HGD — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:13:55 +0000

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.

By: Candice Goodmurphy-Colussi

Candice Goodmurphy-Colussi — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:09:36 +0000

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.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Thu, 22 May 2008 19:38:06 +0000

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

By: ken crack

ken crack — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:26:33 +0000

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

By: Cathy

Cathy — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:09:42 +0000

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.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:01:00 +0000

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?

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:30:57 +0000

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?

By: Goodmurphy

Goodmurphy — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:26:50 +0000

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.

By: ken crack

ken crack — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:47:12 +0000

brouse mines

By: ken crack

ken crack — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:45:37 +0000

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