Stag Island is a private Canadian island located in the St. Clair River between Corunna, Ontario and Marysville, Michigan. The island currently houses over 100 cottages owned by both American and Canadian citizens.
History
Stag Island used to be a resort destination in the early 20th century until Great Lakes cruises went out of favour due to the introduction of cars. As of 1903, there was a beach, 100-room hotel, 6- to 8-room cottages, a dining hall, and sports and amusements. Transport to the island was via Star Line Steamers with rail transit available to the mainland dock. By 1906, another hotel had been built and a pavilion was advertised with a dining room and ball room. One of these facilities was called "La Salle Hall". Products sold in the dining hall were also offered for purchase at Island Farm. All park buildings by then had electric lighting and drinking water. A total of 23 cottages were available. Amusements included croquet, tennis, bowling, bathing, boating, and fishing - with accessories and a guide provided. The island seems to have fallen on harder times after World War I. Although season rates were up to $150, the hotel base rates were $1.00 - $1.50 per day and as low as only $8 per week in 1921. The following year, the park came under new management. Still, business must have declined because cottages and land began to be offered for sale in the area, many at bargain rates. A July 2, 1925, ad states "At Stag Island - 10 Cottages to Rent". Ads on July 12 and July 19 still offered cottages. Although this was for weekends, it shows that accommodations not available in previous years that late after the start of the season, were able to be rented. However, a roller coaster was built there around 1928. Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield, in the introduction to his book, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, mentions staying at the family summer cottage on Stag Island when he was 9 years old, when very late in the evening of July 20, 1969 he watched Neil Armstrong step on the surface of the Moon. He knew, "with absolute clarity" that he wanted to be an astronaut. In the 1890s, Stag Island was a resort destination, with a single owner in the lumber business, ships coming up from Detroit and a large dance hall close to the water. With the coming of the automobile-which initially seduced people to more glamorous summer excursions-and the intervention of the First World War, the resort fell into disuse. In 1919, a group of investors bought the island and formed the Fraternal Fellowship Association, which still exists today. The association's bylaws limit residence on the island to cottagers, although the land itself can't be purchased, just the structures. Every owner has a share in the FFA, so in essence, ownership is communal. Cottages can occupy only a modest footprint. No motor vehicles are allowed on the island, only bicycles, lawn mowers and two golf carts for helping residents transport luggage from the ferry. And no one can build a fence.
