Neebish Island
| Native name: Aniibiish (Ojibwe) | |
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 Neebish Island
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| Geography | |
| Location | St. Marys River |
| Coordinates | 46°16′14.8″N 84°09′16.5″W / 46.270778°N 84.154583°WCoordinates: 46°16′14.8″N 84°09′16.5″W / 46.270778°N 84.154583°W |
| Total islands | 2 |
| Major islands | Big Neebish, Little Neebish |
| Area | 21.5 sq mi (56 km2) |
| Highest elevation | 571 ft (174 m) |
| Administration | |
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United States
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| State | Michigan |
| County | Chippewa |
| Township | Soo |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 89 (2010) |
| Pop. density | 4.14 /sq mi (1.598 /km2) |
Neebish Island is located in the U.S. state of Michigan, in the St. Marys River that connects Lake Superior and Lake Huron at the easternmost point of Michigan's upper peninsula.
Located west of the international border that separates the United States from the Canadian province of Ontario, the island forms an important junction of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence seaway. Ship traffic heading up to Lake Superior pass on the island's east side, while down-bound traffic to Lake Huron passes through a deepened channel on the island's west side.
The island has a permanent resident population of nearly 90 and is a destination for seasonal cottagers and campers.
By the time the first Europeans arrived in the early 1600s, the area around Neebish was shared by the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi whose Algonkian ancestors had come from the east around 1200.
The island is believed to have taken its name from the Ojibwe word aniibiish meaning "leaf".
Following the Anglo-American War of 1812, British and American negotiators agreed to settle long-standing border disputes in the Great Lakes and elsewhere by appointing commissioners to survey the boundary and determine the actual border between the United States and Canada envisioned in the original Treaty of Paris of 1783. It was at this time that Neebish came to be known as St. Tammany Island. The name was offered by Anthony Barclay, the British boundary commissioner as a compliment to the United States given that Tammany was considered the Indian saint of New Englanders. While St. Tammany was used in the commission's maps and reports, the name did not survive long after. In 1821, the commissioners of both countries consented to appoint the island to the United States.
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Wikipedia