Sunset Island is a three-acre island on
Lake Champlain
, native_name_lang =
, image = Champlainmap.svg
, caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed
, image_bathymetry =
, caption_bathymetry =
, location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada
, coords =
, type =
, ...
, located just west of the Greater Mallets Bay,
Colchester, Vermont
Colchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Colchester was 17,524. It is the fourth-most populous municipality and second-most populous town in the state of Vermont. Colchester bor ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
. It is currently privately held, with Patricia McDonald as the majority owner.
Originally named Hogback Island, the property was used by the caretaker of the
Colchester Reef lighthouse for
farming
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...
from 1871 until the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1933. In 1956, after the
lighthouse had been relocated to the
Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum is a museum of art, design, and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the museum grounds. It is located ...
, Sunset Island went up for auction and was purchased by John McDonald and 3 other sportsmen to be used predominantly for
duck hunting
Waterfowl hunting (also called wildfowling or waterfowl shooting in the UK) is the practice of hunting ducks, geese, or other waterfowl for food and sport.
Many types of ducks and geese share the same habitat, have overlapping or identical hun ...
.
There are no facilities on the island besides a one-room cabin left over from the lighthouse era that is used to store maintenance and landscaping requirements.
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Colchester, Vermont
Landforms of Chittenden County, Vermont
Lake islands of Vermont
Islands of Lake Champlain