Then and now photos featuring Cove Inlet on Orient Bay of Lake Nipigon. Other than Orient Bay Station/Nipigon Lodge which is 1.5 miles to the north, Cove Inlet is likely one of the most photographed areas in the rugged and picturesque bay. The three period photos, all postcards, were likely taken during the 1940s or 1950s and look north along the rail line and highway, capturing portions of the high cliffs known as the Pijitawabik Palisades.

Cove lnlet was located at Milepost 42.8 on the Canadian Northern Railway Nipigon Subdivision. In 1924, shortly after the line was taken over by Canadian National Railways and became the Dorion Subdivision, a small spur was constructed here called “Cox” (likely after area businessman Charlie Cox). In 1938, the Abitibi Power and Paper Company constructed a marine base at what would become the headquarters of their water operations on Lake Nipigon. In 1960, CN merged lines and it was now located at Milepost 92.5 of the Kinghorn Subdivision. In the early 1970s, Abitibi closed their marine base and the railway spur was removed.

Cove Inlet eventually became the home of Sandy’s Cruiser Service, a staple business on the bay for several decades. Today it is very quiet with the closure of Sandy’s and the Kinghorn, which saw its last train in May 2005 and the removal of the rails in 2010.