- History
- Lore and Stories
- Areas of Concern / Special Places
- Ecology
- Arts and Entertainment
- Recreation
- Food and local products
- Events
- Photo Album
History
The ancestors of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation were inhabitants of the Lake Simcoe region long before the arrival of white settlers. Chippewa Chief, Joseph Snake, and his people first lived on Snake Island, one of three islands (Snake, Fox, and Georgina) not surrendered to the Crown.
In 1830, Snake and two other Chippewa communities (led by Chief Assance and Chief Yellowhead) were moved to 9,800 acres near what is now Coldwater, Ontario as part of the government’s Coldwater Experiment to colonize the Chippewa people. Then, just six years later, the Chiefs were forced to surrender these lands under treaty. Chief Joseph Snake slowly moved his people back to Snake Island. By 1860, the band had outgrown the small Snake Island and Chief Snake moved his people onto the larger and more spacious Georgina Island.
Lore and Stories
Cut off!
In the 1920s, when the Trent Severn Waterway was completed, water levels in Lake Simcoe rose three metres. This had a life-altering impact on the Georgina Island community. In earlier times, the ankle-deep water levels permitted passage by foot to the mainland. The low water levels also created fertile conditions for growing and harvesting wild rice and cranberries, staples in the Chippewa diet. The community was able to fish, hunt, farm and cultivate the land and rice fields. But with the higher water levels, the Chippewa could no longer walk to essential services or markets on the mainland, except in the winter. More significantly, all of the wild rice and cranberry fields were drowned and could be no longer harvested, and therefore ceased to provide an economic and nutritional staple for the community.
view Lore and Stories on the map >
Areas of Concern / Special Places
Life was Changed Forever
Weather and reliable transportation became priorities with the higher lake levels. Families had to row across to purchase groceries, see a physician, or simply go to work. Students began to board on the mainland to attend school. Farming gradually ceased, as modern equipment could not easily be brought to the island. Over the ensuing years, many members lost their lives due to storms, poor ice conditions and frigid water temperatures while attempting to cross the lake.
view Areas of Concern / Special Places on the map >
Ecology
The lovely forest on Georgina Island is one of the largest remaining in the GTA, covering 70% of the island. It includes 39 species of mixed wood, hardwood and conifer supporting over 400 species of flora, including several locally and regionally rare species, and approximately 143 species of birds. Rabbits, beaver, racoon, grouse, woodcock, wood frogs, salamanders and toads, foxes and deer also make their home in the forest and in the four adjacent wetlands. Large white pine and spruce trees up to 115 years old and fallen logs, many hundreds of years old, provide habitat for mammals and birds. Georgina Island preliminary research studies designate forested interior areas for protection.
Arts and Entertainment
Though generally associated with Orillia where he spent most of his adult life, literary giant Stephen Leacock had strong emotional ties to Sibbald Point. His mother Agnes rented the parsonage of St. George’s Anglican Church for many years and Stephen Leacock spent a considerable amount of time there fostering a deep love for Lake Simcoe. Leacock requested that he be buried in the cemetery at St. George’s Anglican Church when he died, a wish that was ultimately fulfilled. Local lore suggests the novelist’s restless ghost wanders between the leaning tombstones on dark evenings—a haunting postscript to a brilliant life.
view Arts and Entertainment on the map >
Recreation
Sibbald Point Provincial Park opened in 1956 with one of the largest number of campsites in Ontario. In 1959, the Sibbald home, Eildon Hall, became a museum to showcase the genteel lifestyle of the aristocratic settlers who made Georgina their home in the early 19th century. Costumed interpreters, treasured heirlooms and priceless family stories bring this period of history to life. There are two interesting trails—the Maidenhead Fern Trail, a 2 km path that highlights local flora and fauna –and an historical walking path that explores the lives of the Sibbald family.
Food and local products
The future for the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation is bright. The island is currently undergoing a growth spurt which has resulted in the construction of new homes and cottages and this construction boom has created much needed job opportunities. There is also increased investment by some island residents in new businesses that will foster an emerging tourist industry as visitors to
the area become more aware of this “jewel” of the lake.
view Food and local products on the map >
Events
Members of the Chippewas of Georgina Island are descendants of a larger group known as the Chippewas of Lakes Huron and Simcoe. They are an Anishnaabe people and their language is Ojibwe. Proud and progressive, they continue to assert their Aboriginal rights as guaranteed in the Canadian Constitution. While almost all Aboriginal communities in Canada are still governed by the Indian Act, Georgina Island was the first to remove itself from all sections in relation to Lands. On February 12th, 1996 Indian Affairs Minister, Ron Irwin and Chief Bill McCue signed an historic agreement at Georgina Island that enabled the Georgina Island First Nation to develop a legislative framework allowing them to manage their lands. The Land Code developed by the community had a 92% approval rating as determined by a membership vote. The community no longer has to wait for approval from the Minister for decisions that rightfully belong to the First Nation.
This is not the only instance of Georgina Island taking a lead role amongst the First Nations in Canada. The community was one of the first to develop its own membership code, and they are leaders in developing alternative forms of energy. All of this has been accomplished by strong leadership from Chief and Council along with active participationfrom the membership.
Photo Album
