History
The first inhabitants of the park were Aboriginals who began fishing and hunting in the area around the end of the last glacial period approximately 10,000 years ago. Many artifacts have been found in the park, including a 2500 year old pot that was found by a diver in 1979. Pictographs are still visible on some shoreline cliffs despite damage due to acid rain and vandals.
By the early 17th century, the Iroquois people had put up large summer encampments on the riverbanks from which they fished the rich waters. Around this time they began to be visited by French explorers, fur traders, and missionaries following the St Lawrence river to seek their fortune in the new world. Following the American Revolution at the end of the 18th century, European settlers began moving into the area and the traditional fishing encampments were displaced. A few Iroquois still returned to fish, but by the 1860s fish stocks were greatly depleted.
During the war of 1812, the St Lawrence Islands National Park area was visited by both British and American warships. The preserved hull of a British Gunboat was sunk nearby and, raised in 1967, it now resides at the park. Martello towers were built in the area to defend the British from American invasion. Inside the park, Cedar Island, a small island visible from downtown Kingston, Ontario, is the site of a Martello tower named Cathcart Tower.
The park was established in 1904, the first Canadian national park east of the Rocky Mountains.
Read more about this topic: St. Lawrence Islands National Park
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