Winter on the Island
During the 1966 spring break at the University of Michigan, My wife and I, Ava and Bill Frisinger, took the only trip to the island across the ice. It was an interesting bonding experience for us as newlyweds.
On some days it was sufficiently cold inside the cabin that the water on the dishes in the drying rack would freeze before the dishes were dry.
It was below freezing the day they arrived, and the day they left, but on this day it was warmer. You can see puddles of water on top of the ice.
Just to the right of the tree, near the base, you can see something on the ice, and if you look closely, you can see the hole in the ice that they chopped to get water. While walking over to the island they were always afraid they might break through. Once they had chopped the hole, it was obvious that there was nothing to worry about.
One of the unexpected downsides to using a hole in the ice was that on warm days the water melting on top of the ice would use the hole to drain down, leaving a scum on the surface which was not too attractive for ones source of drinking water.
1966 was before the road was built to Killarney. In the winter, goods were brought across the ice from McGregor Bay by truck. They must of stopped by this time in the season because there was no sign of vehicle tracks.
Looking south-east out in to Fraser Bay with the tip of Quartz Rock (McGregor Point) on the left.
Ava starting back to the car pulling the toboggan used to transport our supplies. We had left the car at Whitefish Point. This was before the cement towers were built, so anybody could drive to the point. The land is Whitefish River First Nation land so we rented parking space from them.
Rev 9/12/07