Walpole Island

Walpole Island 46 Bkejwanong
Unceded territory
Walpole Island Indian Reserve No. 46
Governance building
Walpole Island 46
Coordinates: 42°33′N 82°29′W / 42.550°N 82.483°W / 42.550; -82.483Coordinates: 42°33′N 82°29′W / 42.550°N 82.483°W / 42.550; -82.483
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Lambton
First Nation	Walpole Island
Government
• Chief	Dan Miskokomon
• Federal riding	Lambton—Kent—Middlesex
• Prov. riding	Lambton—Kent—Middlesex
Area
• Land	137.47 km2 (53.08 sq mi)
Population (2006)
• Total	1,878
• Density	13.66/km2 (35.4/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s)	519 and 226

Walpole Island is an island and First Nation reserve in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the border between Ontario and Michigan in the United States. It is located in the mouth of the St. Clair River on Lake St. Clair, about 121 kilometres (75 mi) by road from Windsor, Ontario and 124 kilometres (77 mi) from Detroit, Michigan.

In addition to Walpole Island, the reserve includes Squirrel, St. Anne, Seaway, Bassett, and Potawatomi islands. It is unceded territory and is inhabited by the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa peoples of the Walpole Island First Nation, who call it Bkejwanong, meaning "where the waters divide."

It is independent of, but within the geographic region of Lambton County and adjoins the municipality of Chatham-Kent and the township of St. Clair. Across the St. Clair River to the west are the United States city of Algonac, Michigan, and Clay Township. Harsen's Island, also unceded Anishinaabe territory, is now on the west side of the international border line. The border was redrawn in the 19th century following disputes between the United Kingdom and the United States; their governments were oblivious to the interests and rights of the Indigenous peoples living on and using these lands. Walpole Island is known as the resting place of Tecumseh, prominent 19th-century leader of the Native American tribe known as the Shawnee.