Fawn Island
island in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada
Fawn Island is a small Canadian island located in the St. Clair River between Sombra, Ontario and Marine City, Michigan. The island is approximately 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario. There are over 50 cottages on the island, all accessible via the island's two canals. The canals divide the island into three islets, joined by two small bridges.
History
Queen Victoria granted the island to Captain Whitley, who built a summer hotel on the north end of the island. The island was frequented by tourists who would enjoy the hotel, dancing, and picnics, but it was eventually abandoned. When the island came to be known as Fawn Island is unknown. In 1955, J.L Thompson, the mayor of Wallaceburg, Ontario, began developing the item as a summer resort community, eventually owning most of the island. The existing streets were changed into the canals of today.
“Fawn Island” enters the record as island in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Fawn, Island and island can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Fawn Island” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Fawn, Island and island provides the most credible route into that argument.
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 Q14875149. Authority coordinates are 42.700, -82.490. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1955.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. 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 “Fawn Island”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Fawn Island primary sources, Fawn Island archive and Fawn 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 “Fawn Island”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Fawn Island” 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.