[4] The bedrock of the island consists of metamorphic and igneous Precambrian rocks, which are part of the Frontenac Terrane of the Central Metasedimentary Belt.

The metamorphic rocks that are found in the area include: schist, gneiss, amphibolites, quartzite, and marble.

The igneous rocks found include: quartz monzonites, granites, diorites, gabbro, diabase, and andesite.

The mass of the ice from the glacier induced a downward force which enabled the Atlantic Ocean to flow inward creating what is called the Champlain Sea.

[4] In 1844, Delino Dexter Calvin, an American businessman, rented space on Garden Island to conduct his timber exportation business as the location was ideal as it provided a sheltered bay for building rafts of timber and for access to retrieve the bound rafts.

Further, it allowed Calvin to operate within the British (commonwealth) system which enabled shipping to Great Britain.

[6] To subsidize timber activities and stabilize employment of his company men, Calvin started a lucrative shipbuilding business on Garden Island.

[6] In the panic that ensued after a recession, rather than laying off employees, Calvin instead chose to reduce wages to maintain constant employment for all.

[5] As timber resources dwindled in the Great Lakes region, the mainstay of Calvin's business retreated similarly.