Thanksgiving Weekend - Rock Port &1000 Islands

A big weekend was planned commencing on Friday night with a trip to Rockport on the 1000 Islands. We arrived to find a quaint village where the cruise boats leave, it was a small motel with a pub next door. The pub was frequented with locals and tourists, we enjoyed a nice meal and listened to a local band.

Rock Port is a cruise departure point with many buses arriving mainly for the 1 hour cruise.

                                     

There is a lot of history associated with the area

It had rained during the night but a cruise was still on the agenda, the area is called 1000 Islands but there are actually over 1800. People have built holiday houses on the islands which span both Canada and the USA as the border runs down the middle of the St Lawrence river.

Bridge between Canada and the USA 

Boldt Castle is a major landmark and tourist attraction in the Thousand Islands region of the U.S. state of New York. Open to guests seasonally between mid May and mid October. It is located on Heart Island in the Saint Lawrence River. Heart Island is part of the Town of Alexandria, in Jefferson County. Originally a private mansion built by an American millionaire, George Boldt, it is today maintained by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority as a tourist attraction.

                                                      

The construction of Boldt Castle ceased abruptly in early 1904 after the death of Boldt's wife, Louise Kehrer Boldt. Boldt never returned to Heart Island, leaving this structure as a monument of his love. For 73 years, the castle and other stone structures were left exposed to the harsh winter weather and occasional vandals.The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired Heart Island and the nearby yacht house in 1977, for one dollar, under the agreement that all revenues obtained from the castle operation would be applied towards restoration, so that the island would be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. In the two decades after acquiring the property, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority spent some $15 million for restoration and improvements here, and work continues annually. The initial goal of the restoration of Heart Island was not to finish what had not been completed, but to restore the island to the state it was in when construction was halted.