Montreal's tiny, weird islands

 Dorval Island. Dorval Islands to be more accurate because along with the main island are two tiny specks: Bushy and Dixie.
   According to legend, in ancient times Indians from Khanawake would meet Europeans on the island.
   Both sides would leave their weapons on their respective shores prior to such meetings. The islands - which are unconnected to Montreal by bridge - have about 200 summertime residents and no cars. A ferry service brings people back and forth all summer. The islands were originally known as the Courcelles Islands after Charles de Courcelles. In 1668 he gave them to Pierre Picote de Blestre.
   The Seminary of St. Sulpice took over, swapping him for nearby land on the island of Montreal, not far from the islands.
In 1673 Charles de Frontenac gave the islands to M. de Fenelon, priest of St. Sulpice and director of the mission. In 1674 Charles de Fenelon had cleared the  large island - at the expense of the seminary. He donated the land to the Seminary who kept it until 1685 when they passed the fief onto Pierre Le Gardeur, sieur de Repentigny.
    The mission was protected by the Fort of the Presentation and the missionaries of Lake St. Louis lived there. In 1691 de Repentigny sold the property to J. Bte Bouchard dit Dorval. The islands then took the name Dorval Islands.
J. Bte. Bouchard dit Dorval had a fur trade at the Fort of the Presentation but he went broke. So in 1711 the fief and the islands passed to one of his creditors, Chs. de Couagne, a wealthy Montreal trader. In 1753 the Couagne clan sold the islands to Antoine Meloche, a farmer who lived nearby on the island of Montreal. On August 15, 1832 J.B. Meloche gave the islands to his son on the condition that they continue pass to the male issue as a tradition of succession. This little clause turned out to be a big deal.
On January 18 1850 the Meloches revoked the first deed of donation clause and the father gave it to his son without condition. J. Bte Meloche then sold the properties - without strings attached - to Sir George Simpson in 1854 for $4,000. (Simpson was resident governor of the Hudson Bay Company 1839-1860)
Sir George built a magnificent country house on the large island. In 1860 he hosted a famous lunch for the Prince of Wales which was attended by many top ranked dignitaries.

   Sir George died at Lachine that same year and the property was occupied by General Williams, Henry McKay, Wolferstan Thomas, Robert Hamilton and George Eadie. The Simpson mansion was destroyed by fire around 1890 but rebuilt but by 1947 gone again.
   Sir George Simpson bequethed the islands to his son Pelley and his children. Pelley died around 1899. But the Meloche heirs felt that Simpson clan never had legitimate ownership claim and that the transfer of the property from the Meloches to the Simpsons had violated the previous deed.

ancient local legend, one of the isles in the St. Lawrence close to Montreal was initially known by Europeans as Peace Island. Where is it and what did it to do earn this name?

   The Meloches went to court arguing this and all courts sided against them until the Supreme Court overturned all of the lower court decisions. In 1899 Meloche v. Simpson saw the land return to the Meloche family with the exception of the golf Club.
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Here's a list of some of the little-known islands around Montreal and their sizes from an a list printed in La Presse August 1976.

Around Montreal: St. Helen's (Ile Sainte Helene) 336 acres, Notre Dame Island (Ile Notre Dame - artificial) 343 acres, Cat Island (Ile aux Chats) 39 acres, Perry Island 3.56 acres, Visitation 41 acres, Sergeants Island 2 acres,
Pine Island 1.26 acres, Ile de Cheval de Terre 3.06 acres, Tongas Island 11 acres, Rochon Island 6.34 acres, Gagne Island 28.8 acres, Haynes Island 5 acres, Bonfoin Island 29.6 acres.

Around Lasalle: Heron Island 129 acres, Goat Island (Ile aux chevres) 28 acres. Rock Island 1 acre, Devil's Island 10 acres  Verdun: Nun's Island 785 acres.
Pointe au Trembles: Marion Island .85 acres, Les Battures 14 acres.
Dorval: .45 acres Bushie, 4 acres Dixie, Dorval Island 54 acres.
Pierrefonds Barwick 5.12 acres, Jasmin .85 acres, Menard 3.8 acres, Cadastre 323 1.26 acres, Cadastre 324 .5 acres
Roxboro Cadastre 311 5.61 acres
Bizard Island Mercier 15 acres, castre 154 .18 acres, cadastre 153 3 acres,
No Cadastre 1 acre.
Ste. Genevieve Cadastre 150 5.7 acres
Sennevilles St. Gilles 11.3 acres, Blakelock 1 acre, 3 islands without cadastres 11.56 acres.