Caribou Island (Thunder Bay)
island in Lake Superior, Canada
Caribou Island is an uninhabited island in Lake Superior, approximately 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) south of the township of Shuniah, Ontario and approximately 32 kilometres (20 mi) east of the city of Thunder Bay. It is approximately 3.3 kilometres (2.1 mi) long and 0.7 kilometres (0.43 mi) wide, and 371 acres (150 ha) in area. The north shore of the island features steep cliffs leading to an elevated plateau. Atop the plateau lies a small kettle lake.
The island is prominently visible from several points around Thunder Bay, including notably from Sleeping Giant Provincial Park's Caribou Island lookout. The island and its cliffs were featured in Andrew Cividino's 2015 coming-of-age drama Sleeping Giant.
Conservation
The island is described as having a high level of ecological value serving as home to a mature forest and endangered species. While white tail deer have been known to inhabit the island, despite its name, the island is not known to be inhabited by any caribou. In 2014 the Nature Conservancy of Canada purchased 65 ha (161 acres) of the island along its southern shore for the purposes of nature conservation. The island contains some hiking trails and, like other Nature Conservancy of Canada properties, is open to the public.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Caribou Island (Thunder Bay)” as island in Lake Superior, Canada. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as island in Lake Superior, Canada. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q22438067. Authority coordinates are 48.526, -88.849. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2015 and 2014.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Caribou Island (Thunder Bay)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Caribou Island (Thunder Bay) primary sources, Caribou Island (Thunder Bay) archive and Caribou research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Caribou Island (Thunder Bay)”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Caribou Island (Thunder Bay)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.