LO300 Booklet 2010_04_09 Low RES - Lake Ontario 300

Page 16LO300short rations of spoiled provisions. Atlength there was only one man left. Hehad buried all his companions. His skeletonwas found many years afterwards.Early French historical records makereferences to many shipwrecks on Isleau Couris, and subsequent records in themid to late nineteenth century indicatethat the sand bars of the Main Duckclaimed a couple of wrecks yearly.During the war of 1812 -1814 MainDuck Island is where Sir James LucasYeo pulled in for shelter after a runningbattle with the American Commodore,Chauncey, on September 11, 1813. It wasalso past this Island that the mightiestsailing ship of the western world at thetime, HMS St. Lawrence, built in Kingston,Ontario in 1814, first worked herway into the lake.Under British rule Main Duck was originallyheld in trust for the Allenwick tribeof Indians, but was regularly used bylocal fishermen and farmers.Captain Walters, a farmer from PointTraverse, rented the Main Duck Island topasture his sheep and cattle and reignedsupreme on the Island as the major landlordfrom 1848 to 1892. He and his brothersDyer and William had as many as 400sheep, 200 cattle, 60 hogs and 30 horses.Twelve boats then fished the Ducks anda good day’s haul was four tons of laketrout and whitefish. The fishermen livedashore in shacks with their families andtheir wives milked the cows and churnedthe butter which was shipped to Kingstonin the little schooners that could wigglebetween Yorkshire and the Main Duck.About the year 1892, the island wasdeeded to private ownership. ClaudeW. Cole owned the land from the early1890s until his death in 1938. The landwas farmed with animal stock beingCHANDLERYCHANDLERY LTDMASON’SMASON’STHES OTRELO300 Booklet 2010_03_12 FINAL.indd 1609/04/2010 9:08:42 PM