Isle Phelipeaux or Isle Philippeaux – also called Isle Minong – is a

phantom island A phantom island is a purported island which was included on maps for a period of time, but was later found not to exist. They usually originate from the reports of early sailors exploring new regions, and are commonly the result of navigati ...

supposedly located in

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it was believed to be real, and was shown on maps of the era. The island "Phelipeaux" is mentioned in the 1783 Treaty of Paris as a landmark defining the border between the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and what would later become

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It may be either a fabrication or a mistaken duplication of

Isle Royale Isle Royale (, ) is an Islands of the Great Lakes, island of the Great Lakes located in the northwest of Lake Superior and part of the U.S. state of Michigan. The island and the 450 surrounding smaller islands and waters make up Isle Royale Na ...

. Other prominent islands appearing on contemporary maps of Lake Superior which may or may not correspond to real islands are Pontchartrain, Maurepas, and St. Anne's.

History

These four islands were described by priest and traveler

Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, S.J. (; ; 24 or 29 October 1682 – 1 February 1761) was a French Jesuit priest, traveller, and historian, often considered the first historian of New France. Name Charlevoix's name also appears as Pier ...

, who named them in honor of his patron Louis Phélypeaux. Phélypeaux's titles included ''comte de Pontchartrain'' and ''comte de

Maurepas Maurepas may refer to: * Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, Count of Maurepas, French statesman Count of Maurepas (Yvelines) * Fort Maurepas, also known as Old Biloxi, a settlement in Louisiana (New France) * Maurepas, Louisiana, an unincorporated commun ...

'', and his patron saint was

Saint Anne According to apocrypha, as well as Christianity, Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's Gosp ...

. The islands first appear on a 1742 proof of a map published in 1744 by

Jacques-Nicolas Bellin Jacques Nicolas Bellin (; 1703 – 21 March 1772) was a French hydrographer, geographer, and member of the French intellectual group called the philosophes. Bellin was born in Paris. He was hydrographer of France's hydrographic office, membe ...

, who used Charlevoix's journal as a source. That map and those based on it show "I. Philippeaux" as an island about the same size as

, located midway between that island and the

Keweenaw Peninsula The Keweenaw Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of the greater landmass of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw Peninsula projects about northeasterly into Lake Superior, forming Keweena ...

. "I. Philippeaux" is drawn with features resembling the actual Isle Royale, and may be an accidental duplication of it under the name given by Charlevoix. The alternate name given by Bellin – "I. Minong" – had been previously applied to Isle Royale, which today bears a prominent ridge by that name. Across the lake due east of Isle Royale on this map lies "I. Pontchartrain", which is oriented and positioned relative to the southeast shoreline of the lake similarly to

Michipicoten Island Michipicoten Island is an island in Ontario, Canada, in the northeastern part of Lake Superior, about northwest of Sault Ste. Marie and southwest of Wawa, Ontario. At its closest point to mainland Ontario, the island is located about from t ...

(which does not appear on the map) and may represent it. Northeast of Pontchartrain is "Isle Maurepas", which has been speculated to be either a duplication of Michipicoten (whose shape it resembles), or a misrepresentation of the

Slate Islands Slate Islands may refer to: * Slate Islands, Scotland, in the council area of Argyll and Bute * Slate Islands (Ontario), Canada * Slate Islands (Alaska), United States See also * Slate Island Slate Island is an uninhabited island of about ( ...

in the north of the lake (an area poorly represented by Bellin). South of "I. Pontchartrain" is "I. Se. Anne", whose relative size and position resemble that of Caribou Island. Mitchell Map-06full2

The islands appear essentially the same on the larger 1755

Mitchell Map The Mitchell Map is a map made by John Mitchell (1711–1768), which was reprinted several times during the second half of the 18th century. The map, formally titled ''A map of the British and French dominions in North America'' &c., was used ...

of the colonies that would later comprise the United States of America, and surrounding territory. The Mitchell Map was widely used, and served as a reference in defining the border between the new United States and the remaining North American territories of the kingdom of

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

, following the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. The 1783 Treaty of Paris describes a portion of the boundary as running "through Lake Superior northward of the Isles Royal and Phelipeaux to the Long Lake. '' ic'" During the 1820s, when surveyors were attempting to more precisely stake out the

international boundary Borders are generally defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ...

from

Lake of the Woods Lake of the Woods (; ) is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake of the Woods is over long and wide, containing more than 14,552 islands and of shoreline. It is fed by t ...

to Lake Superior, it was determined that "Isle Phelipeaux" did not exist. Surveyors were also unable to determine what body of water was meant by the "Long Lake" referenced in the treaty, and instead followed the Pigeon River from Lake Superior into the

Boundary Waters The Boundary Waters, also called the Quetico-Superior Country, is a region of wilderness straddling the Canada–United States border between Ontario and Minnesota, in the area just west of Lake Superior. While "Boundary Waters" is a common nam ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelipeaux and Pontchartrain Phantom islands Islands of Lake Superior