Murray Isle is an island in the

Thousand Islands The Thousand Islands (french: Mille-Îles) constitute a North American archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddles the Canada–US border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for abo ...

region of the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

of New York. The island lies in the Town of Clayton, near its border with the Town of Orleans, in the northern part of Jefferson County. Today Murray Isle is the site of many summer cottages. While the record is unclear, it is believed that the first cottage on Murray Isle was built in 1860. The structure, a simple log cabin, was owned by Daniel Sherman. By 1880, the island had four cottages, all located upriver, on the northern portion of the island. Murray was formerly known as Hemlock Island due to the presence of that variety of tree, but the name was changed in the late 18th century to Murray Hill Park after the Murray Hill area of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

when the island was developed and lots sold off. The development was never finished. The name was shortened to its present form some time later. The Murray Hill Hotel was built on the island in the late 19th century, and served tourists who came over on steam ships from

Clayton, NY Clayton is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 5,153 at the 2010 census. The town is named after John M. Clayton, a federal political leader from Delaware. The town contains a village also named Clayton. B ...

through the early 20th century when it closed and was ultimately torn down. Today a community house and post office sit on the former site of the hotel. The post office operates yearly from June until September. An annual "Fish Fry" is hosted on the grounds of the community house every summer; the event takes place on the first Saturday of July. Murray Isle is bounded by channels on both its eastern and western tips. The channel on the island's eastern tip, known as "The Narrows" separates Murray Isle and

Wellesley Island Wellesley Island in Jefferson County, New York, United States is partially in the Town of Orleans and partially in the Town of Alexandria. History The island was named Wells Island but during his 1815 survey of the US-Canada border renamed by ...

. A small islet known as Wintergreen Island (formerly Whippoorwill Island) is connected by a

footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

along the southern length of Murray.

External links

Clayton Chamber of Commerce

NOAA Weather Station - Alexandria Bay
* Islands of Jefferson County, New York Islands of the Thousand Islands in New York (state) {{JeffersonCountyNY-geo-stub