Retired Workers Return to Hill Island, Marvel at Changes

It is a different type of life when you live on the majestic St. Lawrence seaway. Terms such as river rats, lock masters and fishing guides are common in the communities perched along its shore. Just as common are the people who maintain the infrastructure that spans the seaway and connect the two nations to the north and south.

Known as the Thousand Islands Bridge - a series of five bridges over the St. Lawrence River that extend from Collins Landing near Alexandria Bay, New York to Ivy Lea near Gananoque, Ontario - the system covers 13.6 kilometres and is intercepted by the US and Canada border control agencies. It is owned and operated by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority.

Opened 87 years ago, the bridge system and Canadian customs/immigration service have been staffed since inception by locals who look on it with pride.

“When people think of the 1000 Islands, they think of the bridge,” says Kelsey Sherboneau from a bus carrying people who helped maintain the bridges, border crossing, grounds and gift shop on Hill Island that houses part of the bridge system that connects Canada to the United States.

Retired after years of hard work on the island, the bus passengers are residents of Carveth Care Centre, a retirement lodge and long-term care home in Gananoque where Kelsey works in the Recreation Department. She helped arrange this outing in August 2025 to show the seniors how Hill Island has changed since they retired.

“I wouldn’t say it was hard work,” says Bill Gibson, a local resident who painted the bridges for more than 40 years. “But if I had to do it over again, I would have taken a heavy blanket to lay on. It’s where I developed rheumatoid arthritis.”

Reluctant to join the outing at first, Bill is clearly enjoying himself after he enters the 1000 Islands Tower, a platform on the island that overlooks the river and bridges that Bill started painting when he graduated high school until he retired at 65. “It’s all different now, it’s very modern,” he reminisces. There are also more trees on the island. When I wasn’t painting the bridge, I drove the snowplow for the bridge in the winter. It was good, busy work. One thing that hasn’t changed is the paint colour. The bridges are still that nice green.”

Joining Bill on today’s excursion is Jim Foote who worked as a custodian for the bridge authority. He remembers sleeping in the office one night when bad weather closed the bridge. On the way to the island, his wife Christine indicated where Jim proposed marriage in Landon’s Bay.

Pointing to an abandoned building on the island that has fallen into disrepair, Barbara Powell, another resident of Carveth Care Centre, notes, “I worked at Stradford’s gift shop for 20 years. I remember the line for fishing licenses was always long. People bought lot of everything.”

Watching quietly from his wheelchair, Bruce Leakey can see the sleek new border crossings and customs buildings that have replaced the buildings where he used to work as a customs officer. His health prevents him from finding the words to describe the changes before him, but it makes you wonder what stories he would tell about his career welcoming people to Canada. Or, as it’s known to locals, The Great White North.