Cross Over Island, Saint Lawrence River Cross Over Island resides dead center of the Saint Lawrence River close to where I grew up as a child. The River, as I call it, spans a width of about 1.25 miles on average but gets wider in different places. It has several locks that help transcend rapids along the way. The River begins at Lake Ontario and flows 1900 miles into the world's largest estuary, the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The River has always been "my place" it holds a place in my heart that began pre speech for me. It is believed that if one was dunked in the River as an infant you were considered a "River Rat." One would think that "river rat" is a derogatory term, but it isn't we, those of us who claim to be a river rat, wear the title as a badge of honor. There are even local purveyors who sell river rat cheese and river rat wine... one wouldn't know this unless they grew up on the river. The thing about growing up on a river is that one