Navy Island
Navy Island is a small island in the
Niagara River in the province of
Ontario,
Canada. It is currently under the administration of the
Niagara Parks Commission. It is located about 4.5 km upstream from Horseshoe Falls, and has an area of roughly 1.2 square kilometres.
Encyclopedia
Navy Island is a small island in the
Niagara River in the province of
Ontario,
Canada. It is currently under the administration of the
Niagara Parks Commission. It is located about 4.5 km upstream from Horseshoe Falls, and has an area of roughly 1.2 square kilometres.
History
Navy Island was settled by the Lamoka people in approximately 2000 BC and Meadowood culture peoples in 1000 BC.
During the French colonization of
New France, Navy Island was known as
Īle de la Marina. Here the French built four ships that they used to service the
Great Lakes. When New France was ceded to the British in 1763, they set up a
shipyard here. In the
War of 1812, they would also station a detachment on the island.
In 1837,
William Lyon Mackenzie and about 200 of his supporters captured the island and proclaimed the
Republic of Canada there. On January 11, 1838, the rebels were forced from the island and retreated across the river into the
United States.
In 1875, the Queens Hotel was established as a popular summer resort on the island. It was destroyed by fire in 1910. The federal government has leased the island to the Niagara Parks Commission since 1936.
Navy Island was proposed to be the new World Peace Capital and headquarters of the
United Nations by an international committee over 1945 and 1946. The island was considered to be an ideal location as it lay on the boundary between two peaceful countries. An artist's rendering of the World Peace Capital showed the property with bridges spanning both countries . It was proposed that Navy Island would be ceded to the
United Nations as long as the headquarters remained, and to revert to the Canadian government should the U.N. move. The proposal was ultimately turned down in favour of the current
U.N. headquarters in
New York City.
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