Scugog Island: whose island, and what is on it

Whose land is the hotel on?

The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation's. The Nation describes itself as part of the larger Anishinaabeg people, with the Chippewa, Mississauga, Potawatomi, Odawa and Algonquin peoples, and its members speak Anishinaabemowin. The Township of Scugog's own acknowledgement says the township sits on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

How did the community come to be here?

We will not retell it better than the Nation does, so here is a summary of its own history page. By the 1830s, settlement, logging and dams had flooded the wild rice beds around Lake Scugog that had fed families for generations, and many Mississaugas were displaced. In the mid-1830s Chief Jacob Crane moved his community to Balsam Lake, to land set aside for them, but the soil was too rocky to farm. In 1843 he led them back to Scugog. Using their own annuity funds, they bought back an 800-acre parcel on Scugog Island, the site of their old village, and Chief Crane led the community there until his death in 1861.

The Nation is a signatory to three treaties with the Crown: the Gunshot Treaty of 1788, Treaty 20 of 1818 and the Williams Treaties of 1923. Its page links the opening of the casino in 1997 and the creation of the Baagwating Community Association to the economic growth of recent decades, alongside the revival of the language and of cultural practice through Elders' teaching.

When is the powwow?

The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation Powwow is held every year on the third weekend of July, according to the Township of Scugog, and the Nation describes it as internationally recognized, welcoming nations and visitors from across Turtle Island. For 2027 that would be the weekend of 17 and 18 July; the Nation publishes details closer to the date.

What else is on the island?

May–
SepScugog Shores Museum Village and Archives16210 Island Road · open May to September · about 10 minutes by car

A village of heritage buildings showing daily life in Scugog from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, with heritage flower, herb and vegetable gardens and the Ojibway Heritage Interpretive Lands. General admission runs from May to September; guided tours are offered Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in that season, and the museum runs special events and off-season tours. Payment by cash or credit.

TentTheatre on the RidgeProfessional summer theatre under a tent at the museum

A not-for-profit professional theatre company working in Port Perry and the wider township since 2013. Its summer stage is a show tent on the museum grounds, and the museum offers visitors a voucher for $5 off a ticket. In autumn it moves events to the Blackstock United Cultural Centre.

BoatScugog Island MarinaBoat rentals on Lake Scugog · about 8 minutes by car

A full-service marina with boat rentals and services for fishing or a slow day on the water. It is one of the nine stops of the island passport described below.

ShopIsland shops and a bakeryAdawegamig, Redman's Antique Barn, Minisi, Marcelle's Kitchen

Adawegamig is a First Nations-owned family business selling vintage clothing, antiques and collectibles. Redman's Antique Barn is a family-run antique barn with more than 30 years in the trade. Minisi Convenience & Gift sells Indigenous art, jewellery and everyday essentials. Marcelle's Kitchen is a dedicated gluten-free bakery.

DomeBirchwood Luxury CampingGeodesic domes in the island forest

Glamping domes in a private forest on the island. If the hotel is full for your dates, it is the other place to sleep on Scugog Island that the township lists.

What is the Scugog Island Experience?

A passport the island's tourism businesses created with the township and Durham Region Tourism, with matching funds from Central Counties Tourism. Nine stops took part in 2026: Theatre on the Ridge, the museum village, the marina, Marcelle's Kitchen, Redman's Antique Barn, Adawegamig, Minisi, Birchwood and Great Blue Heron. Its 2026 prize draw closed on 15 October 2026. Whether it returns next year has not been announced, but the map of nine stops is still a good day's route.

Where does the name come from?

Place-name scholars give two readings, both cited in the encyclopedia: a Mississauga word, sigaog, said to mean "waves leap over a canoe", or an Ojibwe word for marshy land. Anyone who has seen the lake whipped up by a west wind will understand the first.