Gallipolis 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 ...

on the Ohio River along the bank at Gallipolis,

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 ...

and across from Mason County,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

, USA. Although located within the boundaries of West Virginia, Gallipolis Island historically belonged to the city of Gallipolis, Ohio until the city and a private landowner, Michael Hoeft, from Milton, W.Va., donated their ownership shares of the island in 2016 to th
West Virginia Land Trust
The land trust protects the island as essential habitat for fish, mussels, birds and other animals, as well as for public recreation. Th
West Virginia Land Trust
intends to stabilize stream banks to keep it from eroding—the island was once more than 85 acres, but erosion reduced its size over the years to just a few acres. Once the West Virginia Land Trust completes its restoration, after 10 years, the island's ownership will be transferred to the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife Service for its inclusion in the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, a collection of 22 protected islands along the 362-mile stretch of the Ohio River from Pennsylvania to Kentucky. According to information collected from Gallia County Historical Society Director Mary Lee Marchi, when the original French 500 found Gallipolis Island in 1770, they discovered wild grapes. Those grapes were then used to produce a local wine that may have been one of the town's first exported products, along with bootleg rum and whiskey. In the 1840s, the island was turned into a kind of resort with beach access, a picnic area and a playground. In the 1860s, steamboats were made on the island. Read a West Virginia Land trus
article
about Gallipolis Island.

References

River islands of West Virginia Landforms of Mason County, West Virginia Islands of the Ohio River {{MasonCountyWV-geo-stub

See also

References