Collins Landing

Collins Landing
Collins Landing can be found in the Town of Alexandria on the banks of the St Lawrence River, latitude 44.3 & longitude 75.981 with an elevation of 262 feet. Route 81 runs through Collins Landing. On August 18,1938 The dedication ceremony of the opening of The Thousand Islands Bridge was held there. The bridge base starts at Collins Landing and spans the St. Lawrence River to Wellesley Island.

Collins Landing (1) was named for Joseph Collins the oldest son of John B. & Clarissa Rhodes Collins. Joseph was married to Mary Eddy in 1829, at the time they were living in Collins Mills known today as Stone Mills. Shortly after they were married somewhere around 1831 to 1834 they moved to a heavily wooded area on the shores of the St. Lawrence River. The land there was ideal for farming. This was to become Collins Landing. Soon other farmers looking for good farmland moved there. John & Sarah "Sally" Arnold Shields (2) also from Stone Mills settled there soon after. Collins Landing was to become known for some of the best farming land around. And a very busy little community.

Joseph Collins and his family lived in a log cabin until around 1880 when he built a frame house. It was moved in later years but is still there and used as a home for the Bridge Superintendent. It wasn't long before two saw mills and at least one cheese factory could be found there, and a post office which was known as "The Narrows". One of the early post masters was George Collins a brother of Joseph Collins Sr. and Joseph Jr. rode horseback through the wooded county side to bring the mail from LaFargeville. One of the saw mills was built on a small island close to shore and it is said to have had so much business that there was soon a path made of sawdust that could be walked on between the small island and the main land. A ferry also ran between Collins landing and Wells Island (now Wellesley Island) the largest island on the American side. The first ferry was powered by rowing but later gave way to a more modern ferry with a motor.

Collins Landing was to become a fueling place for steam ships for the water was deep enough that they could anchor and gather wood. Today Collins Landing retains it's original name but the once rich farms are no longer there. Now you will find a lot of homes and cottages all along the banks of the St. Lawrence River and no longer is there a ferry.