MORE ABOUT ... HOWE ISLAND
Howe Island is a 31 km² (12 mi²) island located in the St. Lawrence River in Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada. Howe Island is part of the Thousand Islands chain. It is located south of and about midway between Kingston and Gananoque.Howe Island together with Wolfe Island and Simcoe Island are some of the oldest rural municipalities in Ontario. These three islands form the Township of Frontenac Islands.
The Township of Frontenac Islands was formed in 1998 by the amalgamation of two of Ontario's oldest rural municipalities: Howe Island and Wolfe Island. Both islands can trace their European roots back to New France, but it was only in the years after the War of 1812 that settlement took place in any numbers.
The Wolfe and Howe islands are named after two of Britain's generals from the time period of the Seven Year's War: James Wolfe (d. 1759) and William Howe (d. 1814), a subordinate of Wolfe's at the Plains Of Abraham and later Commander-in-Chief of British troops in North America during the American Revolution. The islands' current names first appeared on a map in 1818 when Captain William Fitzwilliam Owen of the Royal Navy conducted a naval survey of the 1,000 islands, and then some, located in the St. Lawrence River.
Howe Island measures 13 km (8 mi) long and 5 km (3 mi) wide. Located in the St. Lawrence River just east of Kingston, the island forms river's Bateau Channel on the north, with the main current of the river passing to the south. Today, the island has a mixture of agricultural and rural lifestyles with a growing proportion of residents commuting to Kingston or elsewhere.
The population of Howe Island currently numbers approximately 500 full-time residents. The island's population doubles in the summer months when recreational properties are occupied. Two ferry services connect the island with mainland. A bigger 15-car ferry operates 24/7/365 on the north-west side of the island. A smaller 3-car ferry operates 18/7/365 from the most eastern tip of the island. Either ferry service runs on demand and takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to board and cross the water. Check the link below for more detals: