Cow Island (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
Cow Island is an island on Rice Lake
in Ontario
, Canada
, just west of the mouth of the Otonabee River
.
There are approximately 50 privately owned lots of land on the island. The majority of settlements on Cow are located on the north and west parts of the island, as much of the east is marsh, and cannot be easily accessed by boat.
. In 1819, the southern section was called Fothergill Point. It was the location of Charles Fothergill's hunting lodge, Castle Fothergill. It was renamed Jubilee Point in 1887, by steamboat entrepreneur Henry Calcutt, to honour the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign. The island was named for the Cow (now Cowie) family of Hiawatha
. Other places in Peterborough County have been named for members of this family, such as Jack's Lake near Apsley, named for "Handsome" Jack Cow, and Polly Cow Island below Young's Point, named for his daughter. In 1867, part of Cow Island, along with others mentioned, was purchased by Alfred Harris. It has always been a popular spot to trap muskrats. It is said that Rice Lake
muskrat
s possess the finest skins in the world. Victor Harris, a great-great grandson of Alfred Harris carries on the operation of the Rice Lake Fur Company at this location.
The early Mississauga name for Rice Lake was Pem-e-dash-cou-tay-ang or Lake of the Burning Plains. This refers to the hunting grounds on the southern shore where native peoples burned the vegetation each spring to encourage the growth of a type of grass relished by deer. The Mississaugas, according to records "by a provisional treaty signed on November 5, l8l8, and later confirmed, surrendered a large tract of land to the British Crown, including the Otonabee region." When the native settlements of the Rice Lake Indian Village (later Hiawatha) and Alderville (named for the Rev. Robert Alder, English secretary of the Wesleyan Missionary Society) were established in l829 and l837, respectively, the colonial government referred to the Rice Lake islands by number. The Mississauga's influence, however, is evident in some of the names of the islands such as Cow, Paudash and Sugar, named by and for native people. Most retain these names today.
Several of the present islands, particularly near the northern shoreline, were former marshy peninsulas. These peninsulas became flooded during the construction of the Trent Canal system starting in l838 when a dam was built at Hastings. It is said the present lake level is about six feet higher than earlier. In 1913, compensation was given by King George V to some owners for damage caused by the Trent Canal.
Around l867, according to Registry Office records, the superintendent-general of Indian Affairs, on behalf of the Crown, began to sell the Rice Lake islands. A few were retained by the Crown and reserved for the native peoples. The proceeds from some sales were to benefit the Alnwick or Alderville natives and some the Mississaugas of the Rice Lake Indian Village and Mud Lake.
There is also a Facebook fan page for Cow Island, Rice Lake: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Cow-Island-Rice-Lake-Ontario/123335760933?ref=ts
Rice Lake (Ontario)
Rice Lake is a lake located in south-eastern Ontario, in Northumberland County, south of Peterborough and the Kawartha lakes and north of Cobourg. The lake is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, which flows into the lake by the Otonabee and out via the Trent. The lake is 32 km long and...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, just west of the mouth of the Otonabee River
Otonabee River
The Otonabee River is a river that runs from Katchewanooka Lake near Lakefield, into the east side of Peterborough, Ontario , through Little Lake and down 30 km into the northwestern side of Rice Lake...
.
There are approximately 50 privately owned lots of land on the island. The majority of settlements on Cow are located on the north and west parts of the island, as much of the east is marsh, and cannot be easily accessed by boat.
History
Cow Island was once a marshy peninsulaPeninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
. In 1819, the southern section was called Fothergill Point. It was the location of Charles Fothergill's hunting lodge, Castle Fothergill. It was renamed Jubilee Point in 1887, by steamboat entrepreneur Henry Calcutt, to honour the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign. The island was named for the Cow (now Cowie) family of Hiawatha
Hiawatha
Hiawatha was a legendary Native American leader and founder of the Iroquois confederacy...
. Other places in Peterborough County have been named for members of this family, such as Jack's Lake near Apsley, named for "Handsome" Jack Cow, and Polly Cow Island below Young's Point, named for his daughter. In 1867, part of Cow Island, along with others mentioned, was purchased by Alfred Harris. It has always been a popular spot to trap muskrats. It is said that Rice Lake
Rice Lake (Ontario)
Rice Lake is a lake located in south-eastern Ontario, in Northumberland County, south of Peterborough and the Kawartha lakes and north of Cobourg. The lake is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, which flows into the lake by the Otonabee and out via the Trent. The lake is 32 km long and...
muskrat
Muskrat
The muskrat , the only species in genus Ondatra, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats...
s possess the finest skins in the world. Victor Harris, a great-great grandson of Alfred Harris carries on the operation of the Rice Lake Fur Company at this location.
The early Mississauga name for Rice Lake was Pem-e-dash-cou-tay-ang or Lake of the Burning Plains. This refers to the hunting grounds on the southern shore where native peoples burned the vegetation each spring to encourage the growth of a type of grass relished by deer. The Mississaugas, according to records "by a provisional treaty signed on November 5, l8l8, and later confirmed, surrendered a large tract of land to the British Crown, including the Otonabee region." When the native settlements of the Rice Lake Indian Village (later Hiawatha) and Alderville (named for the Rev. Robert Alder, English secretary of the Wesleyan Missionary Society) were established in l829 and l837, respectively, the colonial government referred to the Rice Lake islands by number. The Mississauga's influence, however, is evident in some of the names of the islands such as Cow, Paudash and Sugar, named by and for native people. Most retain these names today.
Several of the present islands, particularly near the northern shoreline, were former marshy peninsulas. These peninsulas became flooded during the construction of the Trent Canal system starting in l838 when a dam was built at Hastings. It is said the present lake level is about six feet higher than earlier. In 1913, compensation was given by King George V to some owners for damage caused by the Trent Canal.
Around l867, according to Registry Office records, the superintendent-general of Indian Affairs, on behalf of the Crown, began to sell the Rice Lake islands. A few were retained by the Crown and reserved for the native peoples. The proceeds from some sales were to benefit the Alnwick or Alderville natives and some the Mississaugas of the Rice Lake Indian Village and Mud Lake.
Islands of Rice Lake
Cow Island is one of several islands on Rice Lake. Other islands include: Black, Foley (Upper and Lower), Grasshopper, Grape (East and West), Harmony, Harris, Hickory, Long, Margaret, Paudaush or Paudash, Rack, Sheep, Spook or Spooke, Sugar (East and West), Tic, and White's.Web Site
Official web site for Cow Island, including portal for owners: cowisland.caThere is also a Facebook fan page for Cow Island, Rice Lake: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Cow-Island-Rice-Lake-Ontario/123335760933?ref=ts