Kennebecasis Island (also called McCormick's Island) is a small

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

island located in the Province of

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

at the confluence of the Saint John River and

Kennebecasis River The Kennebecasis River ( ) is a tributary of the Saint John River in southern New Brunswick, Canada. The name Kennebecasis is thought to be derived from the Mi'kmaq "''Kenepekachiachk''", meaning "little long bay place." It runs for approximately ...

. Its proximity to the city of Saint John has resulted in a seasonal community of about 100

cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a Cotter (farmer), cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager ...

s, as well as a 3-hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

and tennis court being established. During the late 1990s a cottage subdivision called "Island Estates" was established on the island, which saw a new boat launch, the present golf course and numerous new cottages established. When "Island Estates" was established

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

became available in several areas of the island, with potential for future expansion. The island's perimeter contains many secluded beaches, rocky outcrops and has natural deep-water coves which provide excellent shelter for boaters needing safe harbour to lay in overnight. Originally Kennebecasis Island supported five farms: Hutchings,

Morrow Morrow is a word meaning "the next day" in literary English. It also means "morning" in archaic English Morrow may also refer to: Places in the United States and Canada United States * Morrow, Arkansas *Morrow, Georgia * Morrow, Louisiana *Morr ...

Keith Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...

and two McCormick. There was also a one-room schoolhouse, a post office, a commercial river-boat landing and a small hotel where, during the early 1900s, visitors wanting a reprieve from the heavy industrial environment in Saint John would stay on weekends. Today most of the original building stock and infrastructure is gone with the exception of McCormick House, which is the only farm remaining with its original land allotment still intact. The most famous Kennebecasis Islander was

Hugh J. McCormick Hugh J. McCormick (1854–1910) was the World Professional Speed Skating Champion from 1890 to 1891. Biography Hugh McCormick was born at McCormick House on Kennebecasis Island, New Brunswick, Canada located at the confluence of the Saint John R ...

, a professional speed skater from 1883 until 1895.New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame
In 1890 Hugh McCormick won the World Professional Speed Skating Champion title by beating reigning world champion

Axel Paulson Axel Paulsen (18 July 1855 – 9 February 1938) was a Norway, Norwegian Figure skating, figure skater and speed skater. He invented the figure skating Axel jump and held the world title in speed skating from 1882 to 1890. In 1976 he was inducted ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

in a three-race meet held at

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. Visitors travel to the island using the

Kennebecasis Island Ferry The Kennebecasis Island Ferry is a ferry crossing the Kennebecasis River in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The ferry links Summerville on the Kingston Peninsula The Kingston Peninsula is a peninsula in southern New Brunswick, Canada, loc ...

, operated by the

New Brunswick Department of Transportation The Ministry (government department), Department of Transportation is a part of the Government of New Brunswick. It is charged with the maintenance of the provincial highway network and the management of the province's automobile fleet. The depart ...

during the non-ice months from May to mid-November. The ferry departs from Summerville on the

Kingston Peninsula The Kingston Peninsula is a peninsula in southern New Brunswick, Canada, located between the Saint John River (New Brunswick), Saint John River and the Kennebecasis River in Kings County, New Brunswick, Kings County. The peninsula was the site of ...

. After November, the only way to reach it is by driving or walking across the ice. During the

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

melt, high waters often pinch the island into two separate entities near its thinnest point. Northcove

The north and east of the island is bordered by Milkish Channel, which separates the island from the Kingston Peninsula. An inlet called McCormack's Cove juts into the island's south side from Grand Bay, the meeting point of the St. John and Kennebecasis rivers. The island is a short distance (approximately one hour driving) from the city of Saint John. The island also hosts a wide range of wildlife including

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

and

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...

, as even some

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

have been spotted.

Notable people

References

{{Coord, 45, 19, 40, N, 66, 07, 50, W, region:CA-NB_type:isle_scale:50000, display=title River islands of New Brunswick Landforms of Kings County, New Brunswick Kennebecasis

Notable people

See also

References