View source for Elizabeth Islands

{{Short description|Island group in Massachusetts, USA}}
{{Distinguish|Queen Elizabeth Islands}}
{{Use American English|date = October 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = October 2019}}
{{Infobox islands
| name = Elizabeth Islands
| native_name = 
| image_name = Image:Wpdms na elizabeth islands.jpg
| image_caption = The Elizabeth Islands (red) and [[Martha's Vineyard]], off the coast of [[Massachusetts]]
| image_size =
| map = Massachusetts#USA
| map_caption = 
| native_name_link =
| nickname = 
| location = Between [[Buzzards Bay]] and [[Vineyard Sound]]
| coordinates = {{coord|41|28|30|N|70|46|0|W|source:kolossus-ruwiki|display=inline,title}}
| archipelago = Elizabeth Islands
| total_islands = >20
| major_islands = [[Cuttyhunk]], [[Penikese]], [[Nashawena Island|Nashawena]], [[Pasque Island|Pasque]], [[Naushon Island|Naushon]] 
| area_sqmi = 13.2
| length_mi = 
| width_km =
| highest_mount = 
| elevation_ft = 85
| elevation_m = 26
| country = United States
| country_admin_divisions_title = State
| country_admin_divisions = [[Massachusetts]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = County
| country_admin_divisions_1 = [[Dukes County, Massachusetts|Dukes]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_2 = Town
| country_admin_divisions_2 = [[Gosnold, Massachusetts|Gosnold]]
| country_largest_city = Village of [[Cuttyhunk Island|Cuttyhunk]]
| country_largest_city_population = 52
| population = 70
| population_as_of = 2020<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gosnold town, Dukes County, Massachusetts |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Gosnold_town,_Dukes_County,_Massachusetts?g=060XX00US2500726325 |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=census.gov/}}</ref>
}}
The '''Elizabeth Islands''' is an [[archipelago]] extending southwest from [[Cape Cod]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-22 |title=Elizabeth Islands {{!}} Cape Cod Tourism - Massachusetts |url=https://capecodxplore.com/elizabeth-islands/ |access-date=2024-03-16 |language=en-US}}</ref> They include over 20 small [[island]]s located at the outer edge of [[Buzzards Bay (bay)|Buzzards Bay]], north of [[Martha's Vineyard]] from which they are separated by [[Vineyard Sound]]. The Elizabeth Islands constitute the town of [[Gosnold, Massachusetts|Gosnold]] in [[Dukes County, Massachusetts|Dukes County]], [[Massachusetts]], based on the outermost island of [[Cuttyhunk]], where most of the year-round population resides. All islands except for [[Cuttyhunk Island|Cuttyhunk]] and [[Penikese Island|Penikese]] are privately owned by the [[Forbes family]].

==History==
[[Image:Elisabeth Islands and Martas Vineyard.png|thumb|right|200px|Satellite image of Elizabeth Islands and [[Martha's Vineyard]] ]]
The islands were formed by different gravels and soils entombed inside of glaciers. The glacial movement deposited much material as they melted, thus many small islands were formed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Brief History Of The Elizabeth Islands |url=https://www.wanderer.com/features/a-brief-history-of-the-elizabeth-islands/ |access-date=2024-03-17 |website=www.wanderer.com}}</ref>

The islands were long known to and utilized by the [[Wampanoag]] and other indigenous peoples before European colonization. They utilized the islands for hunting and fishing. The [[Indigenous peoples|Indigenous]] name, Pocutohhunkunnoh, meaning Lands End, was the inspiration for the name Cuttyhunk Island.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cuttyhunk Historical Society {{!}} Museum of the Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts |url=https://www.cuttyhunkhistoricalsociety.org/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=www.cuttyhunkhistoricalsociety.org}}</ref>

Europeans first learned of the islands in 1602 when the English colonizer [[Bartholomew Gosnold]] sighted them on his way to Virginia. For three weeks, they built shelter and rested on the islands.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Richard |first=Barry|date=2024-01-12 |title=Why the Massachusetts Elizabeth Islands Are Mostly Off Limits |url=https://wbsm.com/massachusetts-elizabeth-islands-off-limits/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=1420 WBSM |language=en}}</ref> However, it was not until 1641, subsequent to the successful establishment of the first English North American colonies, that colonizers formally laid claim to and settled the islands in the name of the [[The Crown|English Crown]] as part of the country's nascent [[English overseas possessions|imperial expansion]]. At this time they renamed the islands after [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]], who had been [[List of English monarchs|Queen of England]] when the islands had first been discovered by Europeans.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gabel |first1=Sue |title=The Elizabeth Islands |url=https://traveltips.usatoday.com/elizabeth-islands-107534.html |access-date=9 February 2019 |agency=USA Today |date=21 March 2018}}</ref><ref>[http://capecodhistory.us/19th/Elizabeth_Islands-1817.htm "Visiting the Elizabeth Islands]," ''North American Review''; vol. 5 (15); (September 1817), pp. 313-324; accessed July 7, 2009</ref> They named Cuttyhunk Elizabeth's Isle.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cuttyhunk Historical Society {{!}} Museum of the Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts |url=https://www.cuttyhunkhistoricalsociety.org/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=www.cuttyhunkhistoricalsociety.org}}</ref> King James the First gave the islands to the Council of New England because he did not care to have them.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Brief History Of The Elizabeth Islands |url=https://www.wanderer.com/features/a-brief-history-of-the-elizabeth-islands/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=www.wanderer.com}}</ref> In 1641, [[Thomas Mayhew (governor)|Thomas Mayhew the Elder]], of [[Watertown, Massachusetts]], bought the islands—along with Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard—from [[William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling|William Alexander]], the [[Earl of Stirling]]. [[James Bowdoin]] and his family owned the islands for over 100 years beginning in the 1700s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Brief History Of The Elizabeth Islands |url=https://www.wanderer.com/features/a-brief-history-of-the-elizabeth-islands/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=www.wanderer.com}}</ref> Finally the islands were bought by the [[Forbes family]] in the 1800s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Richard |first=Barry|date=2024-01-12 |title=Why the Massachusetts Elizabeth Islands Are Mostly Off Limits |url=https://wbsm.com/massachusetts-elizabeth-islands-off-limits/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=1420 WBSM |language=en}}</ref>

Before the creation of the [[Province of Massachusetts Bay]] in 1691, the islands were part of the extinct [[Dukes County, New York]]. The first known European inhabitant was Francis Usselton, who had been banished at the time for making secret trades with the local Indians without consent from the governor.

Since the mid-1800s, the Forbes family, in the form of a family trust, own much of the island's property.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Brief History Of The Elizabeth Islands |url=https://www.wanderer.com/features/a-brief-history-of-the-elizabeth-islands/ |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=www.wanderer.com}}</ref>
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==Geography and demographics==
The total land area of the islands is 34.2 km² (13.2 mi²). The [[United States Census, 2020|2020 census]] recorded a permanent population of 70 people in the town of Gosnold, making it the least populous town in Massachusetts.

=== Named islands ===
All of the Elizabeth Islands, except [[Cuttyhunk]] and [[Penikese]], are privately owned by the [[Forbes family]].<ref name="usatoday">{{cite web |url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/elizabeth-islands-107534.html |title=The Elizabeth Islands |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |first=Sue |last=Gabel |access-date=2015-07-26 |archive-date=May 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501153749/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/elizabeth-islands-107534.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, the Forbes family have other beaches open for public access including: Weepecket, Kettle Cove, West End Beach, Quicks Hole and Tarpaulin Cove.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gold |first=John |date=2021-05-17 |title=Lure of the Elizabeths |url=https://www.pointseast.com/lure-of-the-elizabeths/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Points East Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

Stretching south-west from land's end at [[Falmouth (town), Massachusetts|Falmouth]], [[Massachusetts]], the islands are:
*[[Nonamesset Island]], the closest to the mainland. On the northern end of the island, boats can anchor in Hadley Harbor even though the island is off limits to the public. Boats will often also anchor on the outer harbor due to crowds.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-22 |title=Elizabeth Islands {{!}} Cape Cod Tourism - Massachusetts |url=https://capecodxplore.com/elizabeth-islands/ |access-date=2024-03-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>
*[[Veckatimest Island|Veckatimest]], a small island. The band [[Grizzly Bear (band)|Grizzly Bear]] named one of their albums off the island.<ref>{{Cite web |title=In a 'Veckatimest' State of Mind |url=https://www.vinylmeplease.com/blogs/magazine/grizzly-bear-liner-notes |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Vinyl Me, Please |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Gull Island (Massachusetts)|Gull Island]], a small uninhabited island.
*[[Uncatena Island]], uninhabited as of the 2000 Census. The island is owned by the Forbes Family and is private. In the early 20th century a sidewheeler steamer ferry used the island's name in theirs, [[Uncatena (steamboat)|Sidewheeler Uncatena]]. The ferry took people between New Bedford, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket and was the last of its kind.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Farewell, Uncatena! |url=https://vineyardgazette.com/news/1930/04/25/farewell-uncatena |access-date=2024-03-17 |website=The Vineyard Gazette - Martha's Vineyard News |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Naushon Island]], {{convert|5.5|mi|km}} long and the largest. Composed of the main island along with the smaller [[Nonamesset Island|Nonamesset]], [[Monohansett Island|Monohansett]], [[Bull Island (Dukes County, Massachusetts)|Bull]], [[Cedar Island (Dukes County, Massachusetts)|Cedar]], and [[Bachelor Island|Bachelor]] islands. Owned by the Forbes' Naushon Island Trust, and while it is not generally open to the public, the Forbes family has set aside Tarpaulin Cove to the south and Kettle Cove to the north as well as Bull Island and Hadley Harbor to the northeast for public enjoyment including picknicking. 
*The [[Weepecket Islands]], three small, publicly accessible islands north of central Naushon owned by the Forbes family.  These islands offer very few places to land, are nearly obscured by water, and are home to numerous shore birds, seals and other animals.
*[[Pasque Island]], {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} long, owned by a subset of the Forbes family, and covered in [[poison ivy]]. A shallow tidal creek cuts part way through the island.
*[[Nashawena Island]], {{convert|3|mi|km}} long, owned by another subset of the Forbes family, it has grazing livestock.
*[[Baret Island]], located off the north shore of Nashawena Island.
*[[Rock Island (Massachusetts)|Rock Island]], located off the north shore of Nashawena Island.
*[[Penikese Island]], located about {{convert|0.5|mi|km}} north of Nashawena and Cuttyhunk.  Penikese is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and has a colorful history.  It was the site of a groundbreaking 19th-century research facility that was the precursor to the famed [[Marine Biological Laboratory]] (MBL) in [[Woods Hole]], was the site of the state's only leper colony in the early 20th century, and is currently a bird sanctuary and site of the [[Penikese Island School]], an experiential environmental education center.
*[[Cuttyhunk Island]], farthest west in the chain, and home to most of Gosnold's municipal population. Like Penikese, Cuttyhunk is not owned by the Forbes family, and therefore much of the island is publicly accessible.
*[[Gosnold Island]], located in [[Westend Pond]] on Cuttyhunk Island.

=== Named channels ===
{{Elizabeth Islands}}
Channels with strong tidal currents, known locally as ''holes'', separate the islands from each other and the mainland. Currents of up to {{convert|6|knots|km/h}} are driven by the different sizes and filling rates of Vineyard Sound to the southeast and Buzzards Bay to the northwest. At high tide, water flows from [[Buzzards Bay]] to the [[Vineyard Sound]]. Near mid-tide the water stops and reverses, filling the Bay at low tide.

Listed from northeast to southwest, the named channels are:
*[[Woods Hole (Passage)|Woods Hole]] separating the mainland from Nonamesset Island
*[[Robinson's Hole]] between Naushon Island and Pasque Island
*[[Quick's Hole]] between Pasque Island and Nashawena Island
*[[Canapitsit Channel]] between Nashawena Island and Cuttyhunk Island.

=== Named harbors and coves ===
*[[Cuttyhunk Harbor]] is sheltered on its east by Nashawena Island on its west by Cuttyhunk Island and on its north by Penikese Island.
*[[Tarpaulin Cove]] is on the south shore of Naushon Island.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tarpaulin Cove |url=http://www.fganz.info/cruiseguide/tarpaulincove/index.htm |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=www.fganz.info}}</ref> The cove includes a public beach protected by the Naushon Island Trust.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tarpaulin Cove Beach |url=https://www.savebuzzardsbay.org/places-to-go/tarpaulin-cove-beach/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Buzzards Bay Coalition |language=en}}</ref>
*Hadley Harbor is located near [[Woods Hole, Massachusetts|Woods Hole]] and is made up of surrounding islands owned by the Naushon Trust. The only place visitors are allowed to land is Bull Island.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hadley Harbor – Boston Sailing Center Cruising Guide |url=https://bsccruisingguide.com/hadley-harbor/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=bsccruisingguide.com}}</ref>

== Wildlife ==
There are many bluefish and striped bass found in the waters near all the islands. The stripers are drawn in by the rocky coastline of the islands. The abundance of different fish also brings in many different kinds of birds that can easily find pods of topwater fish.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elizabeth Islands |url=https://saltycape.com/elizabeth-islands/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=Salty Cape |language=en-US}}</ref>

* Stripers, or [[striped bass]] are popular gamefish in America.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=F. F. M. |date=2021-10-01 |title=All About Striped Bass |url=https://www.flyfisherman.com/editorial/all-about-striped-bass/454337 |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=Fly Fisherman |language=en}}</ref> They are drawn to the underdeveloped coastlines and low levels of disturbance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elizabeth Islands |url=https://saltycape.com/elizabeth-islands/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=Salty Cape |language=en-US}}</ref> 
* [[Bluefish]], which are fish that live along the east coast, are also found near the islands.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fisheries |first=NOAA |date=2024-02-17 |title=Bluefish {{!}} NOAA Fisheries |url=https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/bluefish |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=NOAA |language=en}}</ref> 
* [[Cattle]] are found on the islands of Nashawena and Naushon.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Bair |first1=Diane |last2=Wright |first2=Pamela |last3=July 7 |first3=Updated |title=Exploring the Elizabeth Islands (and swimming with cows) - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/07/lifestyle/exploring-elizabeth-islands-swimming-with-cows/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=BostonGlobe.com |language=en-US}}</ref> 
* [[Harbor seal|Harbor Seals]], [[Grey seal|Grey Seals]], and [[Harp seal|Harp Seals]] are all found on the islands and in the waters between the islands. The seals can be seen on the sandbar called Gull Island at low tide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Seal & Bird-watching – Cuttyhunk Island – Lloyd Center for the Environment, Dartmouth MA |url=https://lloydcenter.org/seal-bird-watching-cuttyhunk-island/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Deer]] are found on many of the islands because they swim over from the mainland. They are also known to swim to [[Martha's Vineyard]] when food is scarce.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baer |first=Chris |date=2018-04-11 |title=This Was Then: The deerly departed |url=https://www.mvtimes.com/2018/04/11/this-was-then-the-deerly-departed/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=The Martha's Vineyard Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Recreation ==

=== Sightseeing ===
There are many different sights to see across the islands. Some of the most popular include Nashawena Island’s Highland Cattle, Tarpaulin Cove Lighthouse, Gay Head Cliffs, the Naval Lookout Point on Cuttyhunk, and a plethora of wildlife.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Island Girl Excursions- Martha's Vineyard Boat Charters |url=https://www.islandgirlexcursions.com/excursions |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Island Girl Excursions |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Bird watching ===
There are many birds found on Cuttyhunk who are the first birds migrating north in the spring and the last going south in the winter. This is because it is the last or first landmass in the bay.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-22 |title=Fascinating Bird Watching Cape Cod {{!}} Cape Cod Xplore |url=https://capecodxplore.com/bird-watching-cape-cod/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |language=en-US}}</ref> There are wildlife habitats located on Penikese Island that people visit to observe the birds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Birding Trips |url=https://www.penikese.org/birdingtrips |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Penikese Isle School |language=en}}</ref>

=== Activities  ===
On many of the public beaches and islands, it is popular to stop for a few hours and set up a picnic. People are also found snorkeling and swimming in the oceans around many of the islands.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Weepecket Islands |url=https://www.savebuzzardsbay.org/places-to-go/weepecket-islands/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Buzzards Bay Coalition |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{NIE Poster}}
*[http://www.cuttyhunkhistoricalsociety.org Cuttyhunk Historical Society, the Museum of the Elizabeth Islands] 
*[https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo49455 Bathymetry of the Waters Surrounding the Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts] [[United States Geological Survey]]
*{{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Elizabeth Islands |short=x}}

{{Islands and Peninsulas of Massachusetts}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Elizabeth Islands| ]]
[[Category:Islands of Dukes County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Coastal islands of Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Private islands of Massachusetts]]