Pelee Island is an
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
in
the Canadian province of
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
. It is located in the western half of
Lake Erie
Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...
. At , Pelee Island is the largest island in Lake Erie and the southernmost populated point in Canada. An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected by the province to commemorate the development of Pelee Island's role in Ontario's heritage. Nearby
Middle Island is the southernmost point of land in Canada.
Due to its southerly location and the moderating effect of Lake Erie, it has a slightly milder climate than inland areas.
[Wake, Winifred Cairns (1997). ''A Nature Guide to Ontario'', p. 47. University of Toronto Press. .] Its climate is one of the mildest in Canada, and the island has been used for vineyards and wine making since 1860, though local wine making died out in the early twentieth century and was restarted in the 1980s by the
Pelee Island Winery
Pelee Island Winery is a winery in Kingsville, Ontario, Canada. They have over of vineyards on Pelee Island, which is in the South Islands Sub-Appellation of the Lake Erie North Shore Appellation of Ontario along the shores of Lake Erie. https: ...
. The island is an agricultural-based community, which grows about of soybeans, about of wheat, of grapes, and a few hectares of specialty corn.
The island is connected to the Canadian mainland and the United States by ferry service. It is a part of an important flyway for migrating birds between
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, the Lake Erie islands and
Point Pelee
Point Pelee National Park (; french: Parc national de la Pointe-Pelée) is a national park in Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada where it extends into Lake Erie. The word is French for 'bald'. Point Pelee consists of a peninsula of la ...
. For many years, the island has hosted a fall pheasant hunt which attracts hunters from Canada, the United States and many other countries. The pheasant hunt brings tourist dollars to Pelee at a time of year when virtually no other activities are available, thus generating important revenue in the offseason.
History
Evidence of occupation by indigenous peoples can be dated back 10,000 years through archaeological evidence of projectiles and ceremonial objects. European settlement of the island began in 1788 when the land was leased to
Thomas McKee
Thomas McKee (c. 1770 – 20 October 1814) was a Canadian soldier and political figure.
Biography
McKee was born in the Ohio Country around 1770. He was the son of Alexander McKee (c. 1735–1799), an important official in the British Indian ...
by the
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
and
Odawa
The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ), said to mean "traders", are an Indigenous American ethnic group who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, commonly known as the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. They ha ...
tribes. William McCormick bought the island in 1823 and the McCormick family settled permanently in 1834. In addition to
subsistence agriculture
Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no su ...
, the island's lumber, stone quarries, and fishing supported inhabitants. Wine making on Pelee Island began in the 1860s.
Pelee Island features an original 1833 lighthouse that was once used to guide sailors through the rocky Pelee Passage. Lake Erie is full of shipwrecks; Pelee Passage alone contains the remains of at least 15 shipwrecks. One wreck that is particularly close to the island, ''JJ Carroll'', is just off the eastern shore of Fish Point.
Pelee was the site of a battle during the
Patriot War
The Patriot War was a conflict along the Canada–United States border in which bands of raiders attacked the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British colony of Upper Canada more than a dozen times between December 1837 and Decembe ...
. The Battle of Pelee Island took place along what is now the Michigan-Ontario border in 1838 involving small groups of men on each side of the border seeking to "liberate" Upper Canada from the British. On February 26, 1838, 300 men captured the island, and on March 3 they were repulsed and either fled the island or were captured.
Geography
Climate
Due to its southerly location and the moderating effect of Lake Erie, it has a slightly milder
climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
than inland areas.
Its climate is one of the mildest in Canada outside of
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, and the island has long been used for vineyards and wine making. It has the longest frost free season in Ontario. It lies within the
Carolinian forest The Carolinian forest refers to a life zone in eastern North America characterized primarily by the predominance of deciduous (broad-leaf) forest. The term "Carolinian", which is most commonly used in Canada, refers to the deciduous forests which ...
region. The island has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Dfa'') and falls into the USDA
Plant Hardiness Zone
A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...
7a.
Winters are cold with a January average of and the average annual snowfall is , which falls mainly from November to April.
Summers are warm and humid with a July high of and a low of .
Temperatures rarely go over , averaging 4 days per year.
Pelee island and Point Pelee receive the fewest days with precipitation in Ontario, averaging 75 days with measurable precipitation, and drought-like conditions occur every 4–5 years.
The average annual precipitation is which is evenly distributed throughout the year with January and February being the driest months.
The record low was on January 20, 1985 and the record high was on July 24, 1934.
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, Pelee had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Economy
Tourism
Pelee Island is a popular tourist destination, with thousands of visitors each year. There are several key events such as the Annual Springsong Weekend, a celebration of birds and books, traditionally held on Mother's day weekend, and hosted by famed Canadian author
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...
.
Pelee Stone & Sky Music & Art Performances feature spoken word, live performance and visual arts weekly for the duration of the summer. The
Island Unplugged Music Festival takes place at the East Park Campground and features Canadian musicians and also includes the southernmost Chili Cook Off. A Farmer's Market is held every Saturday in the Quarry throughout the summer. The season wraps with the Heritage Weekend, hosted by the Pelee Island Heritage Centre.
Canada Day
Canada Day (french: Fête du Canada), formerly known as Dominion Day (french: Fête du Dominion), is the national day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 18 ...
is celebrated on the island with a fireworks display and a parade along the West Shore Road.
The Pelee Island Half Marathon attracts runners from both the United States and Canada to participate in what is billed as Canada's southernmost and most exclusive half-marathon. Only about 350 runners are allowed to register for the race which is held the first weekend in June.
Ecotourism
Pelee Island has features that make it an
ecotourist
Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...
destination. Pelee is the southernmost inhabited part of Canada and is situated on two major migratory bird routes, the
Atlantic Flyway and the
Mississippi flyway
The Mississippi Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Mississippi, Missouri, and Lower Ohio Rivers in the United States across the western Great Lakes to the Mackenzie River and Hudson Bay in Canada. The main endpoints of t ...
. The island has been designated as a globally
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) by the Canadian partners of BirdLife International: the Canadian Nature Federation (CNF) and Bird Studies Canada (BSC). IBAs are described as “truly outstanding sites of significance nationally or internationally and sites that are exceptionally important for birds”. Every year the return of the migratory birds is celebrated on Pelee with the Annual Springsong Weekend, usually taking place on Mother's Day weekend. Pelee Island Bird Observatory located on the island work to conserve and study birds on the island, and offers visitors the opportunity to take part in tracking, tagging and photographing the wide variety of species present.
Pelee Island is one of Ontario's most botanically significant sites, and features several
Nature Conservancy of Canada
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is a private, non-profit, charitable nature conservation and restoration organization based in Canada. Since its founding in 1962, the organization and its partners have protected of land and water across ...
areas, and two Provincial Nature Reserves, Lighthouse Point Nature Reserve and Fish Point Nature Reserve. Glaciation left a variety of habitats for wildlife, such as wetlands, sand dunes, alvars (areas of limestone with a shallow overburden), and deep soils suitable to the trees of the Eastern Deciduous Forest zone. Pelee Island is home to numerous
species at risk
The List of Wildlife Species at Risk currently has more than 800 entries for Canadian wild life species considered vulnerable; including 363 classified as endangered species, —190 threatened species, —235 special concern, and 22 extirpated ( ...
including both flora and fauna as well as insects, snails, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
Government
Pelee Island is part of the Township of Pelee which has its own mayor, deputy mayor, and three councillors. It is a separated
township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
, separate from
Essex County. The township comprises nine islands, the largest being Pelee Island, and including
Middle Island,
Middle Sister Island
Middle Sister Island is a island in Lake Erie. Along with West Sister Island (in Ohio, USA) and East Sister Island, it is part of the Pelee Archipelago in the western basin of Lake Erie, and is considered to be the "most natural and undisturbe ...
,
Hen Island,
Big Chicken Island Big Chicken Island is a small, flat, treeless island in Ontario located within Lake Erie. Although it is called an island, it is actually a reef
A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath ...
,
Little Chicken Island Little Chicken Island is a small, flat, treeless island in Ontario located within Lake Erie. Although it is called an island, it is actually a reef. It is one of the three "chickens" that surround Hen Island, the other two being Big Chicken Isl ...
,
Chick Island Chick Island is a small, flat, treeless island in Ontario located within Lake Erie. Although it is called an island, it is actually a reef. It is one of the three "chickens" that surround Hen Island, the other two being Big Chicken Island Big Chick ...
,
East Sister Island, and
North Harbour Island. The total land area of all islands in the township is .
Infrastructure
Transportation
![MV Jiimaan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/MV_Jiimaan.jpg)
The island is serviced by two ferries, MV ''Pelee Islander II'' and MV ''Pelee Islander'' (owned by Pelee Island Transportation Company, a subsidiary of the
OSTC). MV ''Pelee Islander II'' is the largest passenger ferry along the Lake Erie route to Pelee Island. The leisurely cruise to Pelee Island can range from one-and-a-half to just over two hours depending on departure routes. The ferry service splits the season between Leamington and Kingsville on the Ontario mainland. Leaving from
Leamington from early spring until August, the ferry then finishes the season (mid December) in nearby
Kingsville. The ferry from Pelee Island to Sandusky, Ohio runs only from late spring until early fall, while ''Pelee Islander II'' runs from the Canadian ports of Leamington and/or Kingsville from early spring until early December. When the ferries are not operating, the only practical way to get to the mainland or to Pelee Island is via
airplane
An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spe ...
. In January 2004, a Cessna 208 Caravan crashed on takeoff from Pelee, killing eight pheasant hunters, the pilot and his girlfriend. The plane crashed into the shallow waters of Lake Erie. It is believed the plane was overloaded and potentially ice-laden according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada report.
![Pelee Island Light House](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Pelee_Island_Light_House.jpg)
The older MV ''Pelee Islander'', which continues to operate, carries 196 passengers and 14 vehicles. MV ''Upper Canada'', which serviced Pelee prior to ''Jiimaan'', was sent to
Lake Huron
Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...
(the people of
Christian Island
Christian Island is a large island in Georgian Bay close to the communities of Penetanguishene and Midland, Ontario. The island, with its neighbours Hope Island and Beckwith Island, is a Ojibwa reserve, known as Christian Island Indian Re ...
received her for transport to and from the mainland) when ''Jiimaan'' began service to Pelee. ''Pelee Islander'' was built at
Erieau, Ontario in 1960.
In June 2015, the Ontario Government announced that it would invest $40 million in a new ferry, to replace MV ''Pelee Islander''.
A tender was awarded to
Asenav of
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
to build the replacement ferry, MV Pelee Islander II, which carries 399 passengers and 34 vehicles.
During the winter season (starting December 11 until the start of the ferry the next year) Pelee Island Transportation Company operates an air service to the
Pelee Island Airport
Pelee Island Airport is located adjacent to the west side of Pelee, Ontario, Canada. Approximately 5,500 passengers passed through Pelee Island Airport in 2009.
The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by t ...
from Windsor.
Emergency services
There is a medical clinic on the island operated by the
Victorian Order of Nurses
The Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) has been leading home and community care in Canada for over a century. Today, VON provides home and community support services to over 10,000 people every day across Ontario and Nova Scotia. It is registered as a ...
. This Nursing Station has regular hours of operation during the summer but does not respond to emergencies. In the event of an emergency, visitors or residents of the island are instructed to call 911. Essex-Windsor EMS are on the Island 365 days a year to provide emergency paramedic services. Air Ambulance services are also available to airlift patients to the nearest hospital if necessary.
The Pelee Island
Volunteer Fire Department
A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respond ...
is present on the Island 365 days a year and responds to 911 calls on the Island; the Department is made up of Fire Chief, a Deputy Fire Chief, and volunteers.
Police services on the island are provided by the
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. Under its provincial mandate, the OPP patrols provincial highways and waterways, protects provincial government buildings and officials, patrols unincorpo ...
. Officers are present on the island four days a week during the summer, during the annual pheasant hunt in the fall, and on the long weekend in May. During the winter, police will fly to the island to respond to emergency calls only. There are typically two officers on the island at a time. The OPP detachment is located on the second floor of the municipal building.
Education
Pelee Island has one school which is part of the
Greater Essex County District School Board
The Greater Essex County District School Board (known as English-language Public District School Board No. 9 prior to 1999) was created on January 1, 1998 with the amalgamation of the Windsor Board of Education and the Essex County Board of Educ ...
and serves students from
Junior Kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...
through grade 8. Children on the island can choose to attend high school on the mainland or they can complete high school courses online with the assistance of the teachers at Pelee Island Public School. The school has a student population of about 10 to 20 pupils at any given time and a staff of two to three teachers. Classes are held in a traditional three room school house that was built in 1927 and is located at the north west corner of the island. Every year the children of the school raise money for an annual field trip by holding a raffle during the island's fall pheasant hunt.
See also
*
List of townships in Ontario
This is a list of townships in the Canadian province of Ontario. Townships are listed by census division.
Northern Ontario Northeastern Ontario Algoma District
Historical/Geographic Townships
*Abbott
*Aberdeen Additional
*Abigo
*Abotossaway
* ...
Notes
References
Pelee township, OntarioStatistics Canada
External links
*
{{authority control
Islands of Lake Erie in Ontario
Landforms of Essex County, Ontario
Municipalities in Essex County, Ontario
Single-tier municipalities in Ontario
Township municipalities in Ontario
Wine regions of Ontario