Video of the former Canadian Northern Railway/CN-Kinghorn Subdivision (MP 45-49) at Jellicoe, ON. Features the grade west of Kinghorn Road with cuttings, culverts and a former 132-foot trestle that filled in to create a large embankment in the early 1980s.
Part 1 of 6
Active, 1914-2005.
Extra Credit is video series that examines topics related to history in the Thunder Bay District and exploring that history.
Part of the experience of heading outdoors in getting there. This is part 3 of a multipart series on driving to our hiking destination. This episode was recorded in June 2024 and chronicles our journey to a multipurpose exploration we did near Wildgoose Lake in Greenstone. You can watch the other videos we did that day here: https://youtu.be/dOHPaf0uOJc
Enjoy!
Extra Credit is video series that examines topics related to history in the Thunder Bay District and exploring that history.
In past episodes we have examined the use GPS in historical explorations and investigations. Recently I acquired a new GPS unit, a Garmin GPSMap 67i. In this third episode in the sub-series, I break down this latest offering from Garmin and how it differs from my old GPS, both good and bad. The technology has improved greatly over the years and I am really enjoying this new handheld.
Enjoy!
Extra Credit is video series that examines topics related to history in the Thunder Bay District and exploring that history.
The Grand Trunk Pacific refers to a former rail line in northwestern Ontario that ran from the then City of Fort William (now Thunder Bay) to a place called Superior Junction (also called Lake Superior Junction), just east of the community of Sioux Lookout. It was constructed between 1905 and 1908 and was intended to provide access to Lake Superior (hence the name Superior Junction) for the Grand Trunk Pacific/National Transcontinental Railway system. It became part of the Canadian Government Railways in 1915, and later Canadian National Railways in late 1918. After many transformations and names changes, it emerged as the Canadian National Railways Graham Subdivision in 1931. The line was abandoned in 1994 and this video documents my interest in its history and my attempts to document what remains of the line.
Enjoy!
Extra Credit is video series that examines topics related to history in the Thunder Bay District and exploring that history.
This episode, the seventh in sub-series on the former Kinghorn Subdivision, takes us to the southern part of Orient Bay, from Cove Inlet to Shadow Creek Road. This is the most scenic stretch of this former line and one of the most scenic areas in the entire district, which is accentuated by the beautiful fall colours. Here the line winds its way south, mostly on rock fill causeways, eventually crossing from the east to the west side of the bay. Old and current businesses and sidings mark the way, along with railway infrastructure.
Enjoy!
Extra Credit is video series that examines topics related to history in the Thunder Bay District and exploring that history.
This episode , the sixth in sub-series on the former Kinghorn Subdivision, takes us to the area north of Nipigon to Cameron Falls and the Nipigon River Bridge. This scenic stretch of grade along the Nipigon River is dotted with rock cuts, high embankments and tributaries flowing into the river. This area was once busy with activity when the Cameron Falls generating station (1920) and later the Alexander generating station (1930) were constructed on the river. Along the way you’ll witness some of the issues that have arisen on the line after heavy snowfall has caused the grade to become blocked with vegetation.
Enjoy!
Extra Credit is video series that examines topics related to history in the Thunder Bay District and exploring that history.
The Pigeon River Lumber Company operated in what is now the city of Thunder Bay from 1900 until the late 1920s. It had a profound impact on the industrial development of the area and was the largest local employer until the opening op the Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company in 1911. The company built a large sawmill on the waterfront and harvested logs from several areas, most notably the Pigeon River area which forms the border between Ontario and Minnesota. They also had a sizable operation on the Minnesota side of Gunflint Lake, hauling the logs to Port Arthur via their own rail line, the Gunflint and Lake Superior, as well as the Canadian Northern Railway Duluth Extension (former Port Arthur, Duluth and Western or Pee Dee Railway). This episode, the first of several, tells about the formation of the company and its impact on local history.
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On this day 30 years ago, Canadian National Railway is given permission by the Canadian Transportation Agency to abandoned its Graham Subdivision, which operated between Conmee Junction (northwest of Thunder Bay) and Superior Junction (east of Sioux Lookout) in northwestern Ontario.
This line was unique and had a very colourful history. It was constructed by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway between 1905 and 1908 and was intended to provide access to Lake Superior for the Grand Trunk Pacific/National Transcontinental network. It was an anomaly as it was a GTP line, but connected to the NTR side of the transcontinental line and thus became intertwined in the story of multiple companies. In the early years, it went through a dizzying series of name changes:
1908 Grand Trunk Pacific Lake Superior Division
1915 Canadian Government Railways Fort William & Raith Subdivisions
1919 Canadian National Railways Fort William & Raith Subdivisions
1919 Canadian National Railways Lake Superior Subdivision (October)
1923 Canadian National Railways Graham Subdivision
1924 Canadian National Railways Crest & Graham Subdivisions
1925 Canadian National Railways Crest, Raith & Quorn Subdivisions
1926 Canadian National Railways Raith & Quorn Subdivisions
1931 Canadian National Railways Graham Subdivision
Although it saw considerable traffic at times in its history, business had declined considerably by the early 1990s. The last regular train ran in November 1992 and the line sat idle until the abandonment approval in May 1994.
Today the right of way is owned by Wagner Forest Management. One of the most popular sites for visitors is the Flett Tunnel, located a short distance west of Flett Station and approximately 50 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay. The photos show the western portal of the tunnel in 1909 and 1996 respectively.
The Gunflint and Lake Superior Railroad was a logging line operated by the Pigeon River Lumber Company from 1902 to 1909. It connected to the Canadian Northern Railway Duluth Extension/North Lake Subdivision (ex-Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway) at Milepost 79. It travelled six miles from the Ontario side of Gunflint Lake into Minnesota passing Crab and Whisker Lakes to near Topper Lake.
This video covers the northern end of the corduroy trestle and embankment as the grade then passes through a 330-foot rock cut on the ridges south of Gunflint Lake beside the Crab River and Bridal Falls. The gradient here is steep, over 10 percent, which necessitated the use of a Shay locomotive.
Active, 1902-1909.
The Gunflint and Lake Superior Railroad was a logging line operated by the Pigeon River Lumber Company from 1902 to 1909. It connected to the Canadian Northern Railway Duluth Extension/North Lake Subdivision (ex-Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway) at Milepost 79. It travelled six miles from the Ontario side of Gunflint Lake into Minnesota passing Crab and Whisker Lakes to near Topper Lake.
This video covers the approaches and the remains of a former large corduroy wood trestle that was used by the line to climb the ridges south of Gunflint Lake. It was damaged in a 1999 windstorm and then burned by the 2007 Ham Lake Fire. The logs continued to smolder throughout the winter, so in March 2008 the US Forest Service was forced to dynamite the trestle to extinguish the fire. Be sure to view the 1997 video to see what it looked like before its demise Gunflint & Lake Superior Railroad MP 2.4-2.5 (Corduroy Trestle 1997) https://youtu.be/nHhwDx3yLWw
Active, 1902-1909.
Poverty, Agony, Distress & Want! 