Croil Island is a uninhabited island on the
St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...
in the
Town of Louisville in
St. Lawrence County,
New York, United States.
The island is currently occupied by the undeveloped Croil Island State Park.
History
The island was considered
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
territory prior to 1818, at which time ownership was officially transferred to the United States.
Croil Island is named for a
Scottish family that farmed upon the island in the mid-1800s. Prior to the purchase of the island in 1835 by William Croil, the island was known as Stacey Island.
A
land claim
A land claim is defined as "the pursuit of recognized territorial ownership by a group or individual". The phrase is usually only used with respect to disputed or unresolved land claims. Some types of land claims include aboriginal land claims, A ...
brought by the
St. Regis Mohawk Tribe in the early 1980s sought to reclaim Croil Island and additional lands in northern New York. A 2013 ruling by the
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (in case citations, N.D.N.Y.) serves one of the 94 judicial districts in the United States and one of four in the state of New York. Appeals from the Northern District of New ...
dismissed the tribe's claim to the island, but upheld some of their claims elsewhere.
Croil Island has been alternately known as Baxter Island, Grand Eddy Island, ''Ile au Chamailles'', Stacy Island, ''Tsiiowenokwakarate'', and Upper Sault Island.
[ The island has historically been home to several large farms, but no concentrated settlements.][
]
Croil Island State Park
Croil Island today hosts Croil Island State Park, an undeveloped state park maintained by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and owned by the New York Power Authority
The New York Power Authority (NYPA), officially the Power Authority of the State of New York, is a New York State public-benefit corporation. It is the largest state public power utility in the United States. NYPA provides some of the lowest-co ...
.
See also
* List of New York state parks
References
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River islands of New York (state)
Islands of New York (state)
Uninhabited islands of New York (state)
State parks of New York (state)
Parks in St. Lawrence County, New York
Islands of St. Lawrence County, New York
Islands of the Saint Lawrence River