On the right of this picture two pipes can be seen protruding above the river’s surface. These are from oil wells which were drilled on the downriver portion of Grandview Island. Considering that the wells were positioned within the confines of the island, the amount of erosion is staggering. The island had numerous derricks scattered on its soil. (Photo Provided)

Those old enough in Matamoras can remember a time when the upstream shore of Grandview Island was in line with the last block of Front Street to the south.

The head of the island’s beach was long and wide with a large sand-bar that hosted many swimming parties, picnics, and cookouts. It took little effort to launch off in a jon boat and “set sail” to the West Virginia owned beach. The beach extended gradually and swimmers could wade to a point opposite the American Legion hall without getting beyond the depth necessary to actually start swimming. Deep into the night the glow of firelight reflected off the water’s surface.

When venturing into the heavily wooded sections of the island one could imagine being marooned on a deserted island questioning whether pirates might be lurking in the dense undergrowth.

The island has always been a natural wildlife sanctuary and an excellent place for birdwatching and nature lovers. Deer could be seen among the trees.

During the boom oil years, tall derricks dotted the island. The wells there were reported to be great producers for that period of time with large quantities of both oil and gas.

In 1931 the murder of a three-year-old occcured on the island. The boy’s body was discovered on a Monday morning in the river near the island with the death assumed to have been caused by drowning. After an autopsy was performed, it was determined he had been choked to death and then thrown into the water.

Prosecutors in Tyler County, West Virginia held the child’s mother and two male companions in Middlebourne. After investigating it was determined that the death was an outgrowth of a liquor orgy held by the trio the night before.

There is a sister island to Grandview named Mill Creek Island. This site is located above Matamoras and clings close to the West Virginia shore. Thus its banks are not exposed to the swift current found in the center of the Ohio. It has been spared the fate of the island downstream.

John Miller is president of the Matamoras Area Historical Society. Membership dues are $15 per year single/couple. Life membership is $150. Contact the society at P.O. Box 1846, New Matamoras, Ohio 45767. Much of this column is built on the work of Matamoras’ historian, the late Diana McMahan.