Opening from On This Site - Native Long Island

Skow Island (South Oyster Bay)

Skow Island is a tidal marsh island in South Oyster Bay. Tooker recorded Skow as an early-map spelling associated with the island; modern federal maps preserve the island at this exact location under an outdated historical name. The island is a clearly identifiable part of the South Oyster Bay marsh landscape. Mapping it with careful language allows the archive to preserve a historical place-name record without repeating outdated terminology as an unqualified public label. The island lies among the tidal marshes south of Massapequa. Its geographic identity is confirmed by modern U.S. Geological Survey mapping, while its historical name requires respectful context because the longer form used on many maps is now recognized as offensive. Tooker repeated a refuge story involving Native women and children during conflict, but did not document the story to an earlier record. The listing...