It took longer to get the canoe on top of the car than it did to actually make the paddle across
from the banks of Windsor to the dock at Peche Island.
We spent the morning switching vehicles with a family member - my ‘02 Pontiac just can’t
handle a canoe on top of the car - and gathering all the canoeing equipment from various homes.
Between the boyfriend, the cousin and the dog, it was an adventure just trying to get everyone to
Kayak Cove in Riverside, just past Lilly Kazilly’s.
Peche Island - known by some colloquially as ‘Peach’ Island - is an 86-acre piece of land less
than 400 metres from the coast of Windsor. It’s located just across from Lakeview Marina, and is
a common stopping ground for paddlers and boaters of all kinds. The docks were crowded when
we pulled up, but we found a good spot to tie off and trekked the many paths criss-crossing the
island.
Early French maps name the island Isle du Large, which could be taken to mean “at a
distance.” At the entrance of the Detroit River, where the river meets Lake St. Clair, this name is
fitting for the island further out than even Belle Isle. Because the waters around the island were a
popular home for fish, First Nations lived on the island near the source of food.
After Hiram Walker became the owner of the island in 1883, he dug canals to allow fresh
water to flow throughout the entire island, and to bring supplies in from mainland Windsor. He
built a mansion, stables, planted an orchard and installed a generator to power the island.
The Walker family eventually sold Peche to the Boblo Island Park owners, who had ambitions
of turning it into an extended theme park. This idea never panned out, and the island became an
Ontario Provincial Park in 1974, and then a City of Windsor park in 1999.
The ruins of Walker’s home were exciting to tromp through - even the dog enjoyed jumping
up and down from foundation piece to foundation piece. Off-leash with no threat of traffic, he
sprinted after ducks, swans, a ferret and broke down a dozen or more spider webs - sparing us
from knocking them down with our faces!
Peche Island is an 86-acre piece of land less than 400 metres from Windsor’s coast. Hiking
or walking the island’s paths and trails is a popular way to explore