Ile Parisienne
Encyclopedia
Ile Parisienne is a remote, undeveloped Canadian
island located in the middle of Whitefish Bay
. Its light station serves as a critical aid to navigation on a major shipping lane in Lake Superior
. The light tower was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places
in 1991. The Ile Parisienne Conservation Reserve was created in 2001 to protect the island's pristine geology, habitat, and wildlife.
of Ontario
located on the eastern end of Lake Superior in the middle of Whitefish Bay about 25 km (15.5 mi) northwest of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
. The island is 8 km (5 mi) long north to south and 1.6 km (0.994196378639691 mi) at its widest point.
The Ile Parisienne Conservation Reserve was created by the Ontario Public Lands Act of 2001 to protect Ile Parisienne. The reserve encompasses the entire pristine island except a privately owned 46 ha (113.7 acre) tract at the southeast end and the southwest end where the lighthouse is located. The reserve includes a 1.6 km (0.994196378639691 mi) marine zone extending from the shore into Whitefish Bay.
The reserve's geology comprises Pre-Cambrian age Jacobsville Sandstone
bedrock
outcrops, postglacial raised beaches of sand and cobble, vegetated sand dunes, and unique boulder lags. The reserve protects spawning areas for lake trout
and whitefish
, feeding, nesting, and breeding habitat for waterfowl
, raptors
, and migrating birds. It also protects various wetland
complexes and a super-canopy approaching old-growth status of white pine
, black spruce
, balsam fir
, and white birch
.
The reserve is managed by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. There are no resource access roads. Private and commercial use is prohibited and no land permits have been issued. Scientific research is encouraged if it is conducted by qualified individuals or institutions. Any change in the reserve's land use is subject to a "Test of Compatibility" with Crown Land Use Policy.
increased upper Great Lakes
shipping traffic and the need for navigational aids. The white tower is a well known landmark to lake traffic and pleasure craft. The tower's cast-in place concrete, hexagonal structure was built with 6 tapered exterior wall buttresses, flared ribs at the platform, a gable roofed entrance, small windows, and a prominent, 10-sided, red lantern topped with a beaver weathervane. It is considered a good example of early modern, functional design.
At least one shipwreck
and the rescue of one castaway
near the island shores is owed to the light station's location in the middle of Whitefish Bay on the major shipping lane upbound and downbound from the Soo Locks. The steamship Panther sank 26 June 1916, following a collision during fog with the James H. Hill, off Parisienne Island in Whitefish Bay, with no loss of life. When the steamship Myron
sank 23 November 1919, the Vermilion
lifesaving crew searched Lake Superior in a raging gale for survivors all the way from their station to Ile Parisienne, but found nothing. The captain of the Myron was rescued 20 hours afterward, found near death drifting on wreckage near Ile Parisienne, his clothes frozen to his body. In July 1920, three bodies washed ashore Ile Parisienne from the shipwreck John Owen that foundered off Stannard Rock
on 12 November 1919. The bodies were buried on Ile Parisienne.
Life at the Ile Parisienne Light Station was lonely and perilous. On April 18, 1922, the small Canadian buoy tender
Lambton set out to deliver the lighthouse keepers for the upcoming shipping season to Caribou Island, Michipicoten Island
, and Ile Parisienne in Lake Superior. The Lambton disappeared during a heavy northeast gale on Whitefish Bay on April 19, 1922, taking the lives of all 16 hands and 5 lighthouse keepers, including John Douglas, Ile Parisienne lighthouse keeper, and his assistant keeper, John Kay.
The Ile Parisienne light tower was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1991 as "a Recognized Federal Heritage building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values." The light station is owned by the Canadian Coast Guard
. The light is now a seasonal, automated, solar powered modern optic. The light is not open to the public because it is located in an area of very high volume shipping traffic and it is considered a critical aid to navigation. The light can be viewed by boat or plane tours.
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...
island located in the middle of Whitefish Bay
Whitefish Bay
Whitefish Bay is a large bay on the eastern end of the southern shore of Lake Superior between Michigan and Ontario. It begins in the north and west at Whitefish Point in Michigan, about 10 miles north of Paradise, Michigan and ends at the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie on the southeast...
. Its light station serves as a critical aid to navigation on a major shipping lane in Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
. The light tower was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places
Canadian Register of Historic Places
The Canadian Register of Historic Places is an online, searchable database that includes listings of historic places important to communities, cities, provinces, territories, and the nation...
in 1991. The Ile Parisienne Conservation Reserve was created in 2001 to protect the island's pristine geology, habitat, and wildlife.
Ile Parisienne Conservation Reserve
Ile Parisienne is a remote, undeveloped 911 ha (2,251.1 acre) island of the Canadian provinceProvince
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of 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....
located on the eastern end of Lake Superior in the middle of Whitefish Bay about 25 km (15.5 mi) northwest of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...
. The island is 8 km (5 mi) long north to south and 1.6 km (0.994196378639691 mi) at its widest point.
The Ile Parisienne Conservation Reserve was created by the Ontario Public Lands Act of 2001 to protect Ile Parisienne. The reserve encompasses the entire pristine island except a privately owned 46 ha (113.7 acre) tract at the southeast end and the southwest end where the lighthouse is located. The reserve includes a 1.6 km (0.994196378639691 mi) marine zone extending from the shore into Whitefish Bay.
The reserve's geology comprises Pre-Cambrian age Jacobsville Sandstone
Jacobsville Sandstone
Jacobsville Sandstone is a red sandstone common to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Commonly used as an architectural building stone, it is found in the Keweenaw Peninsula and north shore of the Upper Peninsula. Its name is due to the sandstone being quarried largely in Jacobsville, Michigan....
bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
outcrops, postglacial raised beaches of sand and cobble, vegetated sand dunes, and unique boulder lags. The reserve protects spawning areas for lake trout
Lake trout
Lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...
and whitefish
Whitefish (fisheries term)
Whitefish or white fish is a fisheries term referring to several species of demersal fish with fins, particularly cod , whiting , and haddock , but also hake , pollock , or others...
, feeding, nesting, and breeding habitat for waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
, raptors
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
, and migrating birds. It also protects various wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
complexes and a super-canopy approaching old-growth status of white pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
, black spruce
Black Spruce
Picea mariana is a species of spruce native to northern North America, from Newfoundland west to Alaska, and south to northern New York, Minnesota and central British Columbia...
, balsam fir
Balsam Fir
The balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada and the northeastern United States .-Growth:It is a small to medium-size evergreen tree typically tall, rarely to tall, with a narrow conic crown...
, and white birch
White Birch
White Birch may refer to:* Betula papyrifera* Betula pendula* Shirakabaha, Japanese literary group* The White Birch , Norwegian recording artists...
.
The reserve is managed by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. There are no resource access roads. Private and commercial use is prohibited and no land permits have been issued. Scientific research is encouraged if it is conducted by qualified individuals or institutions. Any change in the reserve's land use is subject to a "Test of Compatibility" with Crown Land Use Policy.
Ile Parisienne Light
The Ile Parisienne Light Station was established on the southern tip of the island in 1911 after construction of the Soo LocksSoo Locks
The Soo Locks are a set of parallel locks which enable ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. They are located on the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, between the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario...
increased upper Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
shipping traffic and the need for navigational aids. The white tower is a well known landmark to lake traffic and pleasure craft. The tower's cast-in place concrete, hexagonal structure was built with 6 tapered exterior wall buttresses, flared ribs at the platform, a gable roofed entrance, small windows, and a prominent, 10-sided, red lantern topped with a beaver weathervane. It is considered a good example of early modern, functional design.
At least one shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
and the rescue of one castaway
Castaway
A castaway is a person who is cast adrift or ashore. While the situation usually happens after a shipwreck, some people voluntarily stay behind on a deserted island, either to evade their captors or the world in general. Alternatively, a person or item can be cast away, meaning rejected or discarded...
near the island shores is owed to the light station's location in the middle of Whitefish Bay on the major shipping lane upbound and downbound from the Soo Locks. The steamship Panther sank 26 June 1916, following a collision during fog with the James H. Hill, off Parisienne Island in Whitefish Bay, with no loss of life. When the steamship Myron
SS Myron
The SS Myron was a wooden steamship built in 1888. She spent her 31 year career as lumber hooker towing schooner barges on the Great Lakes. She sank in 1919 in a Lake Superior November gale with the loss of all her crewmen but her captain who was found drifting on wreckage near Ile Parisienne. ...
sank 23 November 1919, the Vermilion
Vermilion Point
Vermilion Point is a remote, undeveloped shore with a rich history lying west of Whitefish Point, Michigan, on a stretch of Lake Superior’s southeast coast known as the "Graveyard of the Great Lakes" or, in the title of a book by noted Great Lakes maritime historian , ""...
lifesaving crew searched Lake Superior in a raging gale for survivors all the way from their station to Ile Parisienne, but found nothing. The captain of the Myron was rescued 20 hours afterward, found near death drifting on wreckage near Ile Parisienne, his clothes frozen to his body. In July 1920, three bodies washed ashore Ile Parisienne from the shipwreck John Owen that foundered off Stannard Rock
Stannard Rock Light
The Stannard Rock Light, completed in 1883, is a lighthouse located on a reef that was the most serious hazard to navigation on Lake Superior. The exposed crib of the Stannard Rock Light is rated as one of the top ten engineering feats in the United States. It is from the nearest land, making it...
on 12 November 1919. The bodies were buried on Ile Parisienne.
Life at the Ile Parisienne Light Station was lonely and perilous. On April 18, 1922, the small Canadian buoy tender
Buoy tender
A buoy tender is a type of vessel used to maintain and replace navigational buoys. The name is also used for someone who works on such a vessel and maintains buoys....
Lambton set out to deliver the lighthouse keepers for the upcoming shipping season to Caribou Island, Michipicoten Island
Michipicoten Island
Michipicoten Island is an island in Ontario, Canada, in the northeastern part of Lake Superior, approximately 175 km northwest of Sault Ste. Marie and 65 km southwest of Wawa, Ontario...
, and Ile Parisienne in Lake Superior. The Lambton disappeared during a heavy northeast gale on Whitefish Bay on April 19, 1922, taking the lives of all 16 hands and 5 lighthouse keepers, including John Douglas, Ile Parisienne lighthouse keeper, and his assistant keeper, John Kay.
The Ile Parisienne light tower was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1991 as "a Recognized Federal Heritage building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values." The light station is owned by the Canadian Coast Guard
Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
. The light is now a seasonal, automated, solar powered modern optic. The light is not open to the public because it is located in an area of very high volume shipping traffic and it is considered a critical aid to navigation. The light can be viewed by boat or plane tours.