Editing Oak Island (section)

==Human history==
<!--This section is about the overall history of humans on the Island (summary), for the treasure/mystery we have a separate article on that-->
{{See also|History of Nova Scotia}}

The first known indigenous people in [[Nova Scotia]] are the [[Mi'kmaq]], who have lived in present-day Nova Scotia and [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] for several thousand years.<ref>{{cite web |first=John Nick |last=Jeddore |date=August 25, 2011 |title=There were no Indians here ... |website=TheIndependent.ca |url=http://theindependent.ca/2011/08/25/there-were-no-indians-here/}}</ref> The area that encompasses Oak Island was once known as the "Segepenegatig" region. While it is unknown when Europeans first encountered Oak Island, the earliest confirmed European residents date back to the 1750s when French fishermen built a few houses on the future site of the nearby village of [[Chester, Nova Scotia|Chester]].<ref name=mather>{{cite book |last=DesBrisay |first=Mather Byles |author-link=Mather Byles DesBrisay |title=History of the county of Lunenburg |year=1895 |location=Toronto |publisher=W. Briggs |lccn=01022095 |pages=619 |oclc=04067460 |url=https://archive.org/stream/historycountylu00desbgoog}}</ref> Following the [[Expulsion of the Acadians]] during the [[Seven Years' War]], the [[Government of the United Kingdom|British authorities]] encouraged British colonists from [[New England]] to settle in Nova Scotia.<ref name=mather/> Land was made available to settlers in 1759 through the [[Shorham grant]], and Chester was officially founded that same year.<ref name=mather/>

The first major group of settlers arrived in the Chester area from [[Massachusetts]] in 1761, and Oak Island was officially surveyed and divided into 32 four-acre lots in the following year. A large part of the island was owned at the time by the Monro, Lynch, Seacombe, and Young families who had been granted the land in 1759. In the early days of British settlement, the island was known locally as "Smith's Island," after an early settler of the area named Edward Smith. Cartographer [[Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres]] renamed the island "Gloucester Isle" in 1778. Shortly thereafter, the locally used name "Oak Island" was officially adopted for the Island. Early residents included Edward Smith in the 1760s and Anthony Vaughn Sr. in the early 1770s. In 1784, the government made additional [[Land grant|land grants]], this time to former soldiers, which included parts of Oak Island.<ref name=mather/> It was not until July 6, 1818, that the original lot owners' names were mapped for the [[Nova Scotia Crown Lands office]].<ref>{{cite book |last=DesBrisay |first=Mather Byles |date=1895 |title=History of the county of Lunenburg |url=https://archive.org/stream/historycountylu00desbgoog#page/n318/mode/2up/search/Oak+Island |location=Toronto |publisher=[[William Briggs (publisher)|William Briggs]] |author-link=Mather Byles DesBrisay |edition=2|page=300}}</ref> Oak Island has been intermittently owned by treasure hunters ever since [[#Oak Island mystery|old legends]] were first published in 1857.<ref name="Treasure">{{cite web |last=Whipps |first=Heather |title=For Sale: Island with Mysterious Money Pit |url=http://www.livescience.com/history/051107_oak_island.html |access-date=5 December 2005 |date=7 November 2005 |work=[[Live Science]] |publisher=[[Purch]]}}</ref> The hunt for treasure got so extensive that in 1965 a [[causeway]] was built from the western end of the island to Crandall's Point on the mainland, two hundred metres away in order to bring heavy machinery onto the island.<ref>[[History (U.S. TV channel)|The History Channel]], ''Decoding the Past: The Templar Code'', video documentary, November 7, 2005, written by Marcy Marzuni</ref>

The most recent owners include a treasure hunter named Dan Blankenship, who initially partnered with "Oak Island Tours Inc.," run by David Tobias. Oak Island Tours eventually dissolved, and in February 2019 it was announced that a new partnership had been formed with a company called the "Michigan Group".<ref name="Michigan Group">{{cite web|url=http://oakislandsociety.ca/oak-island-sold/|title=Dan Blankenship confirms new treasure hunting partners|author=Angie Zinck|work=Oak Island Society|date=February 3, 2019|access-date=February 4, 2019}}</ref> This group consisted of brothers Rick and [[Marty Lagina]], Craig Tester, and Alan Kostrzewa who had been purchasing lots from Tobias.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.marivineyards.com/winery/villa-mari-team|title=Marty Lagina - Alex Lagina - Oak Island - Curse of Oak Island - Winery Traverse City|website=www.marivineyards.com|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref><ref name="Michigan Group"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://mynorth.com/2014/01/qa-with-oak-islands-marty-lagina-and-craig-tester/|title=Q&A with Oak Island's Marty Lagina & Craig Tester|author=Evan Perry|work=My North|date=January 31, 2014|access-date=February 4, 2019}}</ref> Blankenship owned the island with the Michigan Group until his death on March 17, 2019, at the age of 95.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/dan-blankenship-treasure-hunter-oak-island-funeral-1.5071691|title=Famed N.S. treasure hunter brought about new era in Oak Island mystery|publisher=CBC|author=Aly Thomson|date=March 26, 2019|access-date=March 27, 2019}}</ref>

Oak Island is populated on a seasonal basis with two permanent homes and two cottages being occupied part-time.<ref name="Michigan Group"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chesterbound.com/Oak_Island/faq.htm |title=Explore Oak Island Display |work=Chester Municipal Heritage Society |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528115901/http://www.chesterbound.com/Oak_Island/faq.htm |archive-date=28 May 2016}}</ref> While the island remains private property, public access is granted to those who schedule tours ahead of time.<ref>{{Cite web|title=contact|url=https://www.oakislandtours.ca/contact.html|access-date=2020-08-18|website=OAK ISLAND - NOVA SCOTIA|language=en}}</ref>