Whitefish Island, Historic river island in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada.
Whitefish Island is a river island in the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie, Canada, designated as a national historic site and archaeological area. It sits at the point where Lake Huron and Lake Superior meet, and a network of boardwalks crosses its wooded terrain.
People settled and traded on this island from around 300 BC, with at least 8 successive cultures leaving traces across its soil over many centuries. The island was returned to the Batchewana First Nation as a reserve in 1997 following a court ruling.
The Batchewana First Nation regards this island as ancestral land, and their connection to it is still felt today. Signs and paths maintained by the community tell visitors about the people who have lived and fished here for generations.
The Attikamek Trail runs along boardwalks and observation points across the island, and the route is clearly signed so it is easy to follow without a guide. A visit in the morning or late afternoon works well, as the light on the river and the surrounding trees is at its best.
Stone fishing weirs built near the rapids to catch whitefish are still visible in the water today, making this one of the few places in the region where such old structures can be seen in their original setting. The weirs give a concrete sense of how communities organized their food supply long before European contact.
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