“Eastern Lake Ontario Islands” – Prince Edward County
“The water stretches out like a quiet infinity, reminding me how small I am and how endless the world can feel.” – Ed Lehming
Above is a photo of three islands at the east end of Lake Ontario. Despite the depth of the lake, geology plays its part and produces three low-lying islands that are all visible on a clear day from the southeasternmost point of Prince Edward County. From left to right, they are named Timber Island, False Duck Island, and Main Duck Island, and they remind me just how vast Lake Ontario is. Main Duck Island is approximately 12–14 km (7–9 miles) across open Lake Ontario and appears as a low shape in the distance behind False Duck Island.
None of the islands are inhabited but do have abandoned buildings from many years ago. Given their low profile, they all have lighthouses. I have yet to visit the islands, but they have a long and colorful history, given their proximity to the USA border. They used to be staging areas for “rum runners” during Prohibition. I’ll have to post another article about them in the future, but I need to do some more research.
But back to the photo. I’ve stood on this shore many times, gazing across the water and the islands as they fade into the horizon. My grandsons always ask about them: what are they called, how far away are they, does anybody live there? They are hard to miss and they really add a sense of scale to the vast body of water, and this is just a small part of it. On clear days, if I look directly south (further to the right), I can see steam billowing up from the cooling towers of the Nine Mile Creek Nuclear Station just east of Oswego, New York (NY).
Interestingly, given the current politicizing of the very name of Lake Ontario, the Town of Oswego, NY, is the home of Fort Ontario, which dates back to the American Revolution and at which one of my ancestors served as a member of the Loyalist Butler’s Rangers. History, geography, and ancestry all merge for me in this small yet vast part of the world.
iPhone 17 Pro Max
Main Camera — 24 mm
1/6494 sec, ƒ/1.78 ISO 64
Ed Lehming Photography 
Thanks for this informative post.I like that your writing has personal impressions of the islands and the lake. It’s much more interesting to learn about the area done in this style. Much better than just looking at a map.
Interesting, and I am glad that it still is Lake Ontario….
Thank you. The timing was not deliberate and the photo has been quietly whispering to me for weeks. I just wasn’t sure how I would present it.