Unity Island is an approximately island separating the

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...

and the Black Rock Canal, located within the city limits of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. The historic island is home to two public parks and a water treatment facility. It is connected to the mainland by a two-span swing bridge. The island's original name in the

Seneca language Seneca (; in Seneca, or ) is the language of the Seneca people, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League; it is an Iroquoian language, spoken at the time of contact in the western portion of New York. While the name ''Seneca'', attested as ...

is ''Deyowenoguhdoh''. From about the time of the War of 1812 to July 2015, the island was also known by the English name, Squaw Island. In June 2015, after being petitioned by Jodi Lynn Maracle, a Mohawk resident of Buffalo, and members of the

Seneca Nation of New York The Seneca Nation of Indians is a federally recognized Seneca tribe based in western New York. They are one of three federally recognized Seneca entities in the United States, the others being the Tonawanda Band of Seneca (also in western New Y ...

, who considered the name to be racist and derogatory toward Native American women, the members of the

Buffalo Common Council The Buffalo Common Council is the legislative branch of the city of Buffalo, New York government. It is a representative assembly, with one elected member from each of nine districts: Niagara, Delaware, Masten, Ellicott, Lovejoy, Fillmore, Nort ...

voted unanimously to change the island's name to Unity Island. The new name was formally adopted by the city in October 2015, with new signs reflecting the name change were installed on the island; the

U.S. Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal govern ...

recognized the new name in May 2017.

History

Early history

The

Seneca people The Seneca () ( see, Onödowáʼga:, "Great Hill People") are a group of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their n ...

acquired Unity Island and the surrounding areas in the 1650s. They called it ''Deyowenoguhdoh'', meaning "divided island", so-called for a small marshy creek (then known as "Smuggler's Run") that once ran through the property. The name ''Squaw Island'' first appeared prior to the War of 1812; however, its origin is unknown. Not until the early 19th century did the island leave the hands of the Seneca Nation. Philip Kenjockety, one of the last of the

Neutral Nation The Neutral Confederacy (also Neutral Nation, Neutral people, or ''Attawandaron'' by neighbouring tribes) were an Iroquoian people who lived in what is now southwestern and south-central Ontario in Canada, North America. They lived throughout ...

and namesake of

Scajaquada Creek Scajaquada Creek ( ) is a stream in Erie County, New York, United States. The name is derived from Philip Kenjockety, a Native American described as the oldest resident of the region upon his death in 1808. The creek lends its name to the Scaj ...

, owned a corn field on the island at the time of his death in 1808. Kenjockety is known to have traveled the creek that once divided the island by canoe during his travels to and from Canada.

HMS ''Detroit''

On October 9, 1812, , a six-gun

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, became grounded on the island and was captured by American naval forces on the waters of Lake Erie at

Fort Erie Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one of Ni ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. Light winds and swift waters at the mouth of the Niagara River made it impossible for the Americans to escape British artillery at nearby Fort Erie. After a fierce exchange of gunfire and the exhaustion of American ammunition, the ship was left to the river's current before reaching her unplanned final destination on the island, within range of both British and American batteries. Both the British and Americans contested the grounded ''Detroit'' until her battered hulk was set afire and burned by American forces. The island remained in the hands of the Senecas until 1816, when the Nation gifted the property to Captain Jasper Parrish for his service to them as an agent and interpreter. Parrish later sold the island to local attorney Henry F. Penfield in 1823.

Current use

In later years, Unity Island came into public ownership and its northern end was used as a landfill; the area was eventually capped and turned into today's Unity Island Park. A City of Buffalo water treatment facility began operations on the island in 1938. The facility's construction slightly expanded the size of the island.

Broderick Park

An 1829 map illustrating a proposed harbor on the Niagara River, showing the locations of Bird Island and Unity Island At the southern tip of Unity Island is

Broderick Park Broderick Park is a park situated along the Niagara River in Buffalo, New York, United States. Location and recreational opportunities Broderick Park, following an elongated shape, is located on the southern tip of Unity Island between the Niag ...

, the location of the former Black Rock ferry, a major transportation link across the Niagara River between Buffalo and

Fort Erie, Ontario Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one of N ...

. The ferry operated continuously at that location between 1825 and the middle of the 20th century, when service was discontinued. The ferry's dock along the western edge of the park was used as an

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

station from at least the 1830s until the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Escaped slaves that arrived at the park would take the ferry and other boats from this location across the Niagara River to Canada, thus securing their freedom.

Bird Island

Extending from the southern tip of Unity Island is a long, narrow stone pier known as Bird Island Pier, completed in 1860. The structure once connected Unity Island to the former Bird Island, a small land formation, rocky on its southern end with fertile soil to the north. Kenjockety's father cultivated corn there. The island was noted in the personal journal of

DeWitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and naturalist. He served as a United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the seventh governor of New York. In this last capacity, he was largely res ...

, who surveyed the area prior to construction of the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

. An 1829 map of the Niagara River and proposed Black Rock Harbor illustrates the then-proposed Bird Island Pier connecting Unity Island to Bird Island. By 1880, however, Bird Island had disappeared, the rock which composed it having been used to construct the Black Rock Pier to support the Erie Canal.

References

{{authority control Geography of Buffalo, New York Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area Islands of New York (state) Islands of Erie County, New York