Near Leamington in Essex County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Middle Island
⎯⎯⎯
Île Middle

Carolinian Canada

Middle Island - Marker (English) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joel Seewald, September 8, 2018

1. Middle Island - Marker (English)

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Middle Island
Middle Island is the most southern piece of land in Canada. Only a few metres from the Canada-US border, the tiny 22-hectare island is part of the western Lake Erie archipelago. Migrating birds and insects use the island to rest as they travel across Lake Erie following an island chain from Point Pelee to Ohio. The island is also home to many Carolinian species at risk including the Lake Erie watersnake, the red mulberry tree and the Miami mist flower. Evidence of human presence on the island spans centuries, from the late Woodland Period (ca. 800-1200 A.D.) to the American Prohibition era when it was used as a gambling haven. In 1999, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, with the support of Parks Canada Agency and many other contributors, purchased the island. Now as part of Point Pelee National Park of Canada, Middle Island will remain a refuge for some of Canada's most southern species of plants and animals for all time.

Île Middle
L'île Middle est le point le plus méridional du Canada. Située à quelques mêtres à peine de la frontière canado-américaine, cette petite île de 22 hectares fait partie

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de l'achipel ouest du lac Érié. Les oiseaux et les insectes en migration s'en servent comme aire de repos alors qu'ils traversent le lac Érié en suivant une guirlande insulaire qui les conduira de la pointe Pelée à l'État de l'Ohio. Elle abrite de nombreuses espèces caroliniennes en péril, y compris la couleuvre d'eau du lac Érié, le mûrier rouge et l'eupatoire céleste. Il existe des preuves d'une présence humaine sur l'île pendant plusieurs siècles, de la fin de l'âge sylvicole (vers 800 - 1200 après J.-C.) jusqu'au XX^e siècle, alors que l'île servait de refuge aux joueurs durant la prohibition aux États-Unis. En 1999, l'île fut achetée par la Société canadienne pour la conservation de la nature avec l'appui de Parcs Canada et de nombreux donateurs. À présent intégrée au parc national de la Pointe-Pelée, l'île Middle demeure à jamais un refuge pour certaines des espèces végétales et animales les plus méridionales du Canada.

Erected by Carolinian Canada Coalition.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Environment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1999.

Location. 41° 54.718′ N, 82° 30.589′ W.

Middle Island - Marker (French) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joel Seewald, September 8, 2018

2. Middle Island - Marker (French)

Marker is near Leamington, Ontario, in Essex County. It can be reached from Point Pelee Dr. The marker is in Point Pelee National Park on Tip Trail, which is about 2.2 Km south of the Visitors Center and 250 m south of Winter Parking. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1118 Point Pelee Dr, Leamington ON N8H 3V4, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Southwest Ontario Area

and in Southwestern Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within 24 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Founding of Leamington (approx. 17.8 kilometers away); Unitarian Universalist Church of Olinda / L’Église Universaliste Unitarienne d’Olinda (approx. 23.6 kilometers away).

Middle Island - Marker in context image. Click for full size.

Ken Lund from Reno, NV (CC BY-SA 2.0), September 27, 2015

3. Middle Island - Marker in context

Middle Island image. Click for full size.

By Archer7282 (CC BY-SA 3.0), May 29, 2006

4. Middle Island

Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 2, 2018, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 481 times since then and 88 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 2, 2018, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. 3, 4. submitted on July 31, 2026, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario.

Middle Island⎯⎯⎯Île Middle

Carolinian Canada

Middle Island
⎯⎯⎯
Île Middle