New Island in Ohio River Claimed By 'Pirates' and Given Name

Wouldn't it be great to own your own island? My friend owns a small island on Fox Lake and I tell her all of the time that I'm going to have a tiny house airlifted to her island so I can move there permanently.

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I recently wrote an article about a local Ohio River island that is the largest one in the river. As I was trying to find more info on Diamond Island, I found this new one.

Let me start from the beginning.

How are islands formed in rivers?

We know that rivers in the ocean are made from volcanic activity both on land and under the water. But, how do random islands from in a river?

According to Wikipedia.org.

These islands result from changes in the course of a river. Such changes may be caused by interactions with a tributary, or by the opposing fluvial actions of deposition and/or erosion that form a natural cut and meander.

In this case, that is exactly what has happened, and frequently happens, in the Ohio River.

A new island forms in the Ohio River

The new island is located at the point where the Little Miami River and the Ohio River merge.

The island was formed during the floods that happened in February and March of this year...right now, Chicken Island is a four-acre oval that measures 300 feet by 900 feet.

Local Pirates have already claimed it and given it a name. The name?The People’s Republic of Chicken Island.

By local Pirates, I mean the captain and crew of the SS Tiki Tours that leave from a port in Cincinnati and give day cruises around the Ohio River.

sstikitours.com

Is it legal to claim ownership of an Ohio River island?

Well, no. But, if it's all in fun, maybe.

The land was previously owned by Cincinnati Water Works. Nick was the first to lay claim to it as an island. Legally, who knows? It might not be worth arguing over, though, as it could be washed away in a matter of years, or it could sit in on the other side and become a peninsula again.

- leoweekly.com

[leoweekly.com]