72 SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



development of the Thousand Islands as a pleasure resort, was taken up earnestly. 

 Thus the organization was kept intact as a protection to the sporting interests of 

 the Thousand Islands. Some of the members of the Association were Canadians, 

 who were not without influence with the Dominion Government. Originally the 

 Indians owned all the islands of the St. Lawrence River, on both sides of the 

 national line. The State of New York, however, acquired title to all islands south 

 of the national boundary more than a hundred years ago, and this title has passed 

 down through various owners to the present occupants. The timber was cut off for 

 building purposes or fuel prior to 1850, and such of the islands as were large 

 enough and of suitable soil were cleared up for farming purposes. 



Sometime in the sixties this locality commenced to develop as a summer resort. 

 The attraction that first acted as a magnet to draw people of leisure from their 

 cit)- homes to this place was the fishing with hook and line, popular!)- known as 

 " angling." The first visitors made their homes at such hostelries as a rural farming 

 community usually provides, where the fare was of the quality generally found at 

 country hotels. There were two hotels at Clayton and one at Alexandria Ba\- ; but 

 their patronage was a mixed one, made up of commercial travelers, farmers, etc. 

 The sportsmen soon found the climate highly beneficial to health ; the water, 

 purified in Nature's own laboratory, of unexcelled qualit}' and transparency, and, 

 to the user of the contaminated water of the cit}-, a tonic of alterative quality. 

 Thus, from being simply a favorite place for sportsmen, it became a health resort. 

 To accommodate the constantly increasing numbers that flocked there to take 

 advantage of its natural attractions, hotels were erected at conveniently located 

 places until the patronage each summer included many thousands. 



As usual in such cases, in company with the sportsman and health seeker, 

 finally came the pleasure seeker, and then, of course, larger, more pretentious, and 

 more attractive hotels were erected. Now, there is such a variety of hotels and 

 boarding houses, with various rates, that all classes of society may readily be accom- 

 modated. Following the usual course of development at resorts of this kind, many 

 of the patrons of the hotels that made a vacation at the Thousand Islands an annual 

 matter, soon desired places of abode of a more private character than can usually be 

 obtained at a public house. Many such people, desiring facilities for entertaining 

 friends and guests, each purchased an attractive island or a point of land of a 

 few acres and erected a cottage or villa suitable to the individual needs of the per- 

 son, in many cases at an e.xpense which would not be possible to an)- other than 

 the multi-millionaires of these modern times. Not content with providing palatial 

 residences, comfortable and roomy grounds have been made from unsightly areas; 



