Navy Island

Navy Island is a small, uninhabited island in the Niagara River in the province of Ontario, managed by Parks Canada as a National Historic Site of Canada. It is located about 4.5km upstream from Horseshoe Falls, and has an area of roughly 1.2km2. It was designated a national historic site in 1921 in recognition of its role in shipbuilding and the location of the short-lived Republic of Canada. The site is closed to the public, has no visitor facilities, and has not allowed camping since the expiration of a lease with the Niagara Parks Commission.HistoryNavy Island was settled by the Lamoka people in approximately 2000 BC and Meadowood culture peoples in 1000 BC.During the French colonization of New France, Navy Island was known as Île de la Marina. Here the French built four ships that they used to service the Great Lakes. When New France was ceded to the British in 1763, they set up a shipyard here. In the War of 1812, a detachment was stationed on the island.In 1837, William Lyon Mackenzie and about 200 of his supporters captured the island and proclaimed the Republic of Canada there. Initially Mackenzie started with twenty-five men, but the population eventually swelled to over six hundred men. On January 11, 1838, the rebels were forced from the island and retreated across the river into the United States.