#123 Jul 2015 City of 1000 islands

Our next two stops were to visit friends that we know through Lutheran Marriage Encounter. LME weekends focus on strengthening Christian marriages. We have attended two weekends and been involved with planning and administration since the early 1990s.

Ted and Jane live in Brockville Ontario. They made us very welcome and we squeezed our motorhome onto their driveway. We got to know one another better over good food and sightseeing.

Brockville is considered the eastern gateway to the 1000 Islands, an archipelago that straddles the Canada-USA border in the St. Lawrence River.

The Brockville waterfront provides a view of North America’s great inland shipping route where gigantic cargo vessels weave their way through the Brockville Islands.

 

Including the shoals and rocks 1,864 islands range in size from over 100 square km to islands occupied by a single residence or outcroppings of rocks that are home to migratory waterfowl.

The 1000 Islands Observation Tower provides a fabulous view of some of the islands.

 In 1937 the Ivy Lea Bridge connected Ontario Canada and New York USA.

A boat cruise provided a closer view of the islands.

Beginning in 1900 George C. Boldt set out to build a full size Rhineland castle on picturesque Heart Island.

It was to be 6 stories with 120 rooms complete with tunnels, Italian gardens, a drawbridge and a dovecote.

The powerhouse was designed in the fashion of a medieval tower. In reality it was intended to house two generators to supple electricity to the entire island.

The design of the Alster Tower suggests a defense tower similar to those on the Alster River in Germany. It was intended for the entertainment of guests.

In January 1904 tragedy struck when his beloved wife Louise died suddenly. Boldt commanded that all construction stop. For 73 years the castle and various structures were left to the mercy of wind, rain, ice, snow and vandals.

Since 1977, several million dollars have been applied to rehabilitating, restoring and improving the Heart Island structures.

Since the late 1880s, during the Gilded Age, wealthy people have built retreats on the islands.

Others built houses that seem to defy gravity and the power of the river.

In Brockville The Statue of Justice stands proudly atop the Brockville Court House.

Historic Downtown is well maintained and utilitzed.

Completed in 1860, the Brockville Railway Tunnel was Canada’s first railway tunnel. Initially built to link two rivers it became part of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, which joined two oceans in 1885.