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Category Archives: Research

I am Ironman!

09 Jul

My alter ego? I wish! Secret childhood fantasy? Nope. So what gives Dave? Well, today we celebrated my youngest son Noah’s fifth birthday and Ironman was one of the toys he received as a gift. Noah is quite enamoured with superheroes, in particular Spiderman, Batman and Ironman. He even picked out a Batman cake.

I was never into those things as a child, though now as an adult I find my kids interest in them intriguing. It would kinda be cool to have a special power, or a suit like Ironman. I must say I did like the movie, particularly the end when Tony Stark answers the reporter’s questions with the statement, “I am Ironman!”

Anyway, back in the real world, things are chugging along. The first week of holidays has passed by and I feel somewhat relaxed, though things are still very hectic. Last week I wrote about our quick trip to Duluth and the pace of things has not stopped. On Wednesday I spent the better part of the day hiking the railway (which I will talk about later), and then it was a short turn around to make it to the airport to pick up some relatives who were flying in from Italy. Showing them the sights has kept me and the family hopping, since there are five of them and I have to help shuttle them around.

On Thursday we headed out to Kakabeka Falls, which is one of the traditional places to visit around here. Not as big or tall as Niagara Falls, they are nonetheless quite a beautiful sight. The only negative that day was the heat; we are still struggling through some warm temps, and it doesn’t show any signs of letting up! I was certainly feeling pretty sweaty and gross after walking around the falls for a while, but I guess I shouldn’t complain. It could be -30C outside and I could be sporting a parka instead!

On Saturday we took our guests to my in-laws camp for a day at the lake. I think the kids (as well as mine) enjoyed the warm weather and the temped lake water; I’m sure they’d like a return trip at some point. Maybe this Saturday might be a good time, since we still need to visit Ouimet Canyon, the Amethyst Mine and Sibley.

Rail bed, Wolfe Siding, July 2012.

Things have been progressing as well on the railway front. As I already mentioned, last week I was able to get out for my first hike after the end of school. I decided that I would tackle the section of railway just west of Wolfe Siding (that area is now officially know as Suomi) since I had never hiked that area before and I didn’t complete it when I was there in early June.

I tried to get out as early as I could since I knew it was going to be hot later in the day. It is roughly a 45 minute drive from my house to where Wolfe is located on Whitefish Lake. I would start my hike where I ended the last one at Mileage 46 Road and work my way 3km east to Wolfe. My previous hike had been very difficult due to the heavy growth and I was hoping that it would not be a repeat of that experience.

Telegraph pole, Wolfe Siding, July 2012.

One of my main objectives for the hike was to locate any remains of a bridge on a creek about 900m east of Mileage 46 Road. I had been to that spot in 1998, but I wanted to see what was still left. I was in for a bit of a surprise though, as I would find a few more things than I anticipated!

About 200 metres into my walk I made the first discovery, broken shards of what had been a ceramic culvert (or culverts-there may have been two) under the grade. Another 250 metres later I made my best find, the prized telegraph insulator. Every time I hike the railway I am always scanning the south side of the grade looking for telegraph poles and potentially a very rare insulator. As I was winding my way along, dodging the trees and deadfall, I happened to look back on the grade and caught something white on the ground. Sure enough it was the remains of a pole with the insulator still attached. I marked its location in my GPS as I knew I didn’t want to lug my find along with me.

Culvert, Wolfe Siding, July 2012.

As I continued east I did find the remains of the bridge, and then a 150m long, very high embankment. From there I entered a relatively open area of the railway, which would stretch almost the whole way to Wolfe. About 1km west of my destination, and just beside Mile 46 Road there was another interesting discovery; an intact ceramic culvert. The grade above it had been supported by rock, and the culvert was still doing its job and handling the flow of water under the grade.

After reaching Wolfe I began my return journey and shortly thereafter I came across something very neat. About 400m west of Wolfe I had wandered slightly off course, but it the process I made a discovery. I noticed a pile of rocks very close to the grade, arranged in a circular pattern that definitely was not natural. I then remember I had seen the same thing weeks earlier when I found a telegraph pole closer to Mackies. This was the base of the pole, where it had been inserted into the ground and the rocks were there for support. While I could not find the pole, I now had an obvious clue to help me find other poles. I then proceeded to locate another four poles on my way back, making a total of six poles (I guess five) for the trip.

Glass insulator, Wolfe Siding, July 2012.

After 3 hours and nearly 7 kilometres I had made it back to my truck. I drove the short distance up the road to photograph and retrieve the insulator I had found earlier. It will make a fine addition to the similar items I had donated to the Duke Hunt Museum in the past.

Speaking of the Duke Hunt, my presentation there is rapidly approaching. I just finished printing off some posters to put up and I need to get my butt in gear with the slide show. Since I’m busy writing this blog today, tomorrow night might be a good time. However, my thoughts right now are preoccupied with Thursday’s impending trip to Leeblain.

Ever since I had heard that the road to Gunflint Lake had been repaired I have been itching to get to that area of the railway. With the potential development that might be occurring there, my trip is even more urgent. Late last week I received an email from an acquaintance with the US Forest Service. He informed me that he had seen an excavator at Leeblain, which certainly got my attention. The only part of the trip I am not looking forward to is the drive, which is almost 150km, most of which will be on gravel roads. Hopefully all goes well and that I will be able to bring back some great pics of the area (and I don’t keel over from the heat-it’s supposed to be 38C with the humidity). I’m also praying that no damage has been done to the rock ovens at the ghost town.

Anyway, gotta get rolling. Tomorrow we’re off to Grand Marais with our guest for a little visit south of the border. I’m sure I’ll have a lot to say in next week’s post. Until then…

 
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Posted by on July 9, 2012 in Hiking, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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School’s out for summer!

03 Jul

Yes, the legendary rocker Alice Cooper put it best, though it would be nice if school was out forever! I guess I wouldn’t get paid then, and unemployment sucks. Oh well, the two month break is very much appreciated and will be very relaxing.

In a stroke of perfect timing, the weather over the last week has seemed to settle down. The temperatures have been on the rise and at times it has even been uncomfortably hot. I guess that is what happens when the weather is all over the place and the sudden onset of heat gives the body a bit of a shock. Could be worse though; there are people in the northeast US who are dealing with 40C temps and no power. Kinda makes the 28C in my bedroom Sunday night a bit more bearable.

So, what have I been up to? Well, with aforementioned hot weather on the weekend, the family and I decided

Bass Lake, June 2012.

that camp was the best place to beat the heat. We really hadn’t been out to camp this year, aside from a few short little visits, so it was nice to get out to the lake. Swimming in the water was a treat as well, especially after a relaxing sauna. My kids love being at camp, a sort of change of pace from the regular routine. The only part I hate is when I have to cut the grass, since I LOVE to cut grass and do yard work. It only took 2.5 hours to do the whole thing!

If you’re a regular follower, you’ll have noticed that I’m a day late with this post; that’s ‘cause I was away from home for a few days. The family and I headed down to Duluth, MN for the night on Monday to do a bit of shopping and we just returned home. It was a nice little break, though the only downside (if you can call it that) was the heat. Yesterday was hot, and today was even hotter. The heat generated a pretty wicked thunderstorm last night, with bolts of lightning flashing across the sky; it was quite impressive.

Duluth Lighthouse, July 2012.

We spent most of today either driving or inside, which was a good thing since the truck thermometer was showing 30C+ (it was 33 at one point). We drove down to Minong, WI to take a look at some boats and the heat was absolutely stifling there. Even now it still is 34C with the humidity; I might just hide in the basement so I can get a decent sleep!

On the railway front there is not a lot to report. I wasn`t able to get out hiking last week, but I am heading out tomorrow. I want to finish the hike I started along Whitefish Lake between Wolfe Siding (Suomi) and Mackies. It`s not supposed to be as hot tomorrow (25C), but I`m not taking any chances and I will be heading out early to beat the heat.

Even though I was not out in the bush on field work, I did get a few things accomplished last week. While I was finishing up exams, I had a little lieu time coming to me, so I took Tuesday afternoon off and ended up at the Lakehead University (LU) Library. The Library you ask? Yes, the library. Seems pretty bizarre, but I had some time and there was some stuff I want to look at.

The internet has been a gold mine of information for me, but unfortunately not everything I find on the net is downloadable. They are like tempting little morsels, taunting me with what they might hold. I had found some hard copies of some material I was after at LU so I decided to pay my old alma mater a visit. It had been quite a while since I had been in the library to look up old books, so I was a bit dumbfounded at first. I had to ask for directions!

Most of the information I was after was located in old mining and forestry reports. There was some valuable information, particularly in the mining reports, since the Gunflint Range that holds the Paulson Mine extends into Canada for some 50 miles; the railway was supposed to tap into some of this Canadian iron as well. These geologic reports shed a lot of light into the quality and quantity of iron located in this extension of the Mesabi Iron Range. You can imagine how disappointed I was however when one book, which was supposed to have 4 maps of iron location along the railway, was missing two of the maps. They had been torn out! Thanks dirt bag whoever you were-now I have to try to find this book elsewhere, probably in Toronto!

I also found some time to start working on an article for the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, of which I am a member. I have been wanting to write an article for TBHMS on Leeblain for a while now, and since I have already written one article this year (no idea when that will be completed), I thought I would move on to something else. I have about 550 words so far, which is a decent start. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to work a bit more this week, as I know I will have to put it on hold soon to begin working on my slide show for my presentation on the 25th of this month. We’ll see where I am by next week.

Anyway, I better wrap things up since I have an early morning. I’ll have a bit more to report after tomorrow’s hike, and next week I will be on time! Until then…

 
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Posted by on July 3, 2012 in Hiking, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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Farewell and Adieu

25 Jun

Well, there are no Spanish ladies around, but I can hear the proverbial fat lady warming up. In case you haven’t guessed it, this is the final week of classes for the year and I’m just a wee bit excited. It’s not that I don’t like my job, but as I’ve mentioned in previous weeks, it is time for a break. I’m tired. I just need some time away from the building, without the stress and just relax. This is not to say that I’m going to do nothing for the next two months, far from it, but I just need to recharge the battery.

On that note, there are still a few days left and a bunch of stuff to do. There is still one exam left to go (for me anyway) and I have a bunch of projects to mark. By Thursday it will be all good and I can put things on cruise control. The end of the year is somewhat sad though, as I say goodbye to the students from this year. This is especially true for the graduates. I’ve known some of these young adults for four years (if they played football), and some have been in my classes three years in a row. It is amazing to watch them grow, mature and move on to the next phase in their life. Reminds me that I’m getting old though, as I graduated from the very same building exactly 20 years ago. Class of 1992; wow, where has the time gone? How quickly time flies by. I sometimes wonder where all my former classmates are? Some are still friends; some I work with; some I see glimpses of their lives on Facebook. There are the few that you just don’t know.

Anyway, enough with the memory lane crap. So what’s new on the railway? Well, not a whole lot. We unfortunately got another dump of rain last week, which is perfect since things were just starting to dry out from the last one. It ruined the last day of our annual spring football camp, which is the best one by the way. I always love playing a bit of ball with the kids, and I know they like to see what the old guys can do. I guess we should count ourselves lucky though, since we only got 50mm of rain, not like our sister city to the south, Duluth, Minnesota. They were walloped with 250mm, which is more than double what we received in our big storm. I really feel for people there, since there was a hell of a lot of damage that was done. I wonder when this crazy weather is going to settle down?

Last week I did receive some encouraging news however regarding Gunflint Lake. On Wednesday I received a long-awaited response from my local MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly of Ontario). Bill Mauro’s office told me that they are looking into the matter and will get back to me when more information is available. Then on Thursday I received another email, this time from the local Archeology Review Officer for the Ontario Government. He acknownledged that there are some valuable historic artifacts in the area and they do need to be protected. The information will be forwarded to the appropriate government agencies so if and when an application for development is made, it will trigger a proper review. We’ll see where things go from there.

Magnetic Lake, with Gunflint Narrows and Gunflint Lake in the background, August 2008.

All this talk of Gunflint Lake has made me excited to get back to hiking. Next week I’ll be able to get into the bush; I think I’ll finish the examination of the Wolfe Siding to Mackies section that I didn’t get to a few weeks back. However, what has really got me going is Gunflint. Since the road down to the lake on the Canadian side has been repaired, I am contemplating getting out there in a few weeks. I last did this route back in 2008, and it was one crazy drive; maybe with the road in better shape it won’t be so bad. I am going to be on Gunflint in August, but I figure if I can get out there before that trip, it will take some pressure off of me.

I’m really curious to see what shape the road is in too; the only unfortunate part is that it will take me more than 2.5 hours to get there, since it is almost 150km

Rock cut, Gunflint Lake, August 2008.

away. The temptation is too much to resist though! I’ll save Leeblain for August, and concentrate on covering the stretch from there to Gunflint Narrows, which is an 8km round trip. I can properly document the rock cuts on my GPS (which I didn’t really do in 2008) and take video to post on YouTube (didn’t start the railway videos until mid-2010). Let’s hope the weather holds!

Speaking of video, and I’ll wrap up with this, I decided to add a little spice to my hiking videos. Just happened to catch a video from BWCACAST, which had a neat little intro to it, so figured that I could do that too! I contacted a former student who is in the multimedia program at Confederation College. He agreed to help out and I’m eagerly anticipating the completion of this cool intro clip. I’ll be sure to post the link when I get the first new video up!

Anyway, time to shut it down for this week. I might be late on next week’s post, just so no one thinks I’m dead or anything. Until then…

 
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Posted by on June 25, 2012 in Hiking, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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Who gets a cold in June?

18 Jun

Obviously me! I feel like the proverbial bag of poop. I could feel it coming on Friday as I was heading back from the states. I was feeling it on Saturday and I spent a chunk of Sunday morning lying on the couch unable to breathe through my congested sinuses. Today it is in my throat and lungs; I can’t catch my breath and my throat is on fire. I’m dying, but I dragged my butt to work.

So where did I get this lovely virus from? Clearly I have no idea, but I can bet that my boys might have something to do with it. They generally tend to bring home every germ imaginable from school. How I got it and they didn’t it is beyond me, but I guess it’s better now than when summer vacation starts. Certainly the crazy weather we’ve been having doesn’t help. Last Monday I wrote that it was 25C in the morning; the next day it was only 5C. I hope these wild swings settle down into a somewhat normal pattern soon. Unfortunately that doesn’t seem like that will happen anytime soon, since they are calling for another big dump of rain and tonight we even had a tornado warning!

Speaking of vacation, this week marks the final week of classes for the semester and the school year. Exams begin on Friday and then it will be downhill from there. There is still a lot to do before then though, if I make it. Today was the first day of our annual spring football camp and it was rough. I had zero energy and though I did a lot of delegating (the head coach can do that), I still had to do a bit of running. I thought I was going to keel over! My lack of physical fitness coupled with my chest congestion made things very interesting. Hopefully I feel better by Wednesday since we’re having a little scrimmage and the coaches usually play. I don’t want to look like the decrepit old man!

As for the railway, it has actually been a very busy week. In my last post I wrote about my frustration regarding the most famous locomotive on the railway, the Black Auntie. I had sent away for a photo that was supposed to be the Black Auntie, but what I had received was not it. Or so I thought. Almost immediately after I made this proclamation I began to re-consider my decision. The next day I was looking through my files for something when I came across a document regarding the sale of the railway in 1899. It stated that locomotive #1 was a “Rogers” type locomotive with an 8 wheel arrangement (most likely a 4-4-0). This is the locomotive depicted in the photo; thus a new mystery in the history of the railway is born.

On the topic of mysteries, my biggest railway news for the week is related to a mystery of sorts. On Friday I travelled to the Minnesota side of Gunflint Lake to do some examination of the grade near the fabled Paulson Mine. The last few years I have used my one personal day (a paid floater day if you wish) to hike the railway. Can you say obsessed?

I first visited this area back in 1998, before the 1999 blowdown and 2007 Ham Lake fire. Those two events radically transformed the landscape of what is known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, which lies inside the Superior National Forest. I returned a second time in 2010 and again in 2011, and between the three trips I was able to investigate almost the entire length of the railway and the iron mines. There was one exception though, the area around the second switchback. In ’98 it was rough terrain and high water that stopped me; in 2010 and 2011 it was a lack of time. But I guess I should explain what it is I am referring to.

US Topographic Map, 1904.

The railway crossed into the United States over the Gunflint Narrows and after blasting its way along the shore of Gunflint Lake, it followed the valley of the Cross River. After progressing 5 kilometres, the railway was then confronted with a serious problem. The Paulson Mine lay some 200 feet above the valley and shrouded by several high ridges. The only answer was to construct several switchbacks or zig zags which allowed the trains to ascend the steep hills with minimal use of tunnelling or rock work. In my first three visits I was able to trace the route of the first switchback, but the second was proving troublesome. I was hoping that this trip would answer all my questions.

Joining me for this adventure was my 7 year old son Ethan, and we departed home around 7:45 EST. The drive to our departure point would take about 2 hours and 45 minutes, but for this trip I decided to follow the GPS and take the “short” route. Instead of driving to the town of Grand Marais and the turning northwest on the Gunflint Trail, the GPS advised me to take County Road 14 to Trout Lake Road, then on to the Trail. The detour shaved about 15 to 20 minutes off the journey, but led my through the middle of nowhere of Cook County (I was a bit worried about where I was going). When we arrived at the Kekekabic Trailhead I was a bit concerned as my truck thermometer was showing 20C at 10:30! Shortly after we began our 2km walk to the second switchback.

The railway grade lies somewhere below this lake.

Following the 2007 fire, the US Forest Service created a new hiking route on top of portions of the railway and the existing Kekekabic Trail. The Centennial Trail runs west for approximately 2km before it leaves the “Kek” and turns southeast. Along this north leg of the trail can be found five test pits, holes of various depths (15 to 25 feet) used to ascertain the quality of the iron in the area. A short distance later, on the south shore of an unnamed lake, can be found the famous Paulson Mine. The next lake along the route lay close to our destination and running through the lake can be discerned what would appear to be part of the grade. Unfortunately the railway lies beneath several feet of water created by a beaver dam which has flooded the area (it appears that the engineers blasted a channel to drain the lake when they built the line).

Mine shaft, June 2012.

As we left the Kek, our first stop was at a mine shaft located beside the trail. It is apparently 75 feet deep and one can see the timbers that lined the sides of the shaft. This would lend some evidence that it was an actual shaft rather than a test pit. Beside the hole lies a vast heap of tailings, red with oxidation.

We then left the trail and headed cross-country to the site of a rock cut on the opposite side of the ridge. The water was higher than it was in 2010 and we had to skirt the cut until we reached drier ground. We moved about 30 metres northwest where it appeared that the

Rock cut, June 2012.

grade ended and we would start our investigation. Unfortunately my search was handicapped by a technological glitch; all the waypoints in my GPS somehow vanished. I had pre-loaded some likely targets for the continuation of the grade beyond what appeared to be a trestle, but without that data I was walking blind.

We made our way back to the trail and headed west on the Kek to where it appeared the grade continued. Unfortunately my search was frustrated by the missing data and the poor visibility in the forest growth (with the rain the bush is particularly lush). We headed back 230 metres to the small lake hoping to see some traces of the railway, but it was of no use. Without the reference point of the railway through the lake, it is near impossible to determine where the line travels. I plan to return in the fall after the leaves are down and hopefully that will make a difference.

Test pit 3, June 2012.

Attempting to beat the rising temperatures, Ethan and I took the trail back east, stopping briefly at test pit 3 to eat lunch. Ethan seemed quite interested in the test pits so I showed him all five. I promised to take him to the Paulson Mine when he was a bit older and able to handle the difficult terrain.

After the hike, I wanted to make two quick stops. In August I will be making a presentation at the Chik-Wauk Museum near the end of the Gunflint Trail and I thought it would be beneficial to actually visit the museum before then. Recently opened in a former lodge, the museum is quite nice inside, combining history and nature in one location. While there I had the opportunity to chat with Ada Igoe, who is the site manager and the one who invited me to speak there. It certainly makes me excited for the presentation and I am eagerly looking forward to August.

Chik-Wauk Museum, June 2012.

From Chik-Wauk we travelled back east to the Cross River Lodge. I will be staying there after the August presentation and weather permitting, I will be completing some field work on Gunflint Lake. I was hoping to chat with the owner John, but he unfortunately had to return to Missouri the day before. I did have a good conversation with his wife Rose and their employee Doug. I think Ethan enjoyed the lodge and we both looking forward to our August trip.

Anyway, this blog has gone on way too long and I need to get some rest. More news next week! Until then…

 
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Posted by on June 18, 2012 in Hiking, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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Man it’s hot!

11 Jun

So this morning when I woke up, I was startled by what I saw on the thermometer; the number staring back at me was 25C. I had to take a second look and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. No wonder I had a terrible sleep! That is a very unusual temperature for this time of the year, especially given that the projected low on Wednesday morning is supposed to be 4C. I guess I shouldn’t complain though, since on more than one occasion I’ve bemoaned the cold weather we often get here.

The only unfortunate part of this whole scenario is that these warm temperatures have a very adverse effect on my workplace. Though it has seen many additions over the years, the oldest part of our school is more than 70 years old. The ventilation isn’t that great and our climate doesn’t warrant the installation of air conditioning. That all equals a very (very) stuffy classroom! By 1 o’clock the sweat was rolling down my forehead as I attempted to finish my lesson for that period. Thankfully there are only eight teachings days left before exams, so hopefully I won’t succumb to heat exhaustion before then.

On the railway front, things have been progressing in fits and starts as usual.

The Greeting by Brian Nieminen 1993.

This past week I received some much anticipated mail from Library and Archives Canada. Back around Christmas time I was contacted by local artist Brian Nieminen regarding the railway. Brian has had a long history with the railway; in 1993 to mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of the line, he created a painting of the railway entitled “The Greeting…the Old Pee Dee.” Since then Brian has wanted to paint an image of the most famous locomotive on the line, the Black Auntie.

The Black Auntie was the first locomotive purchased by the railway, and it was a small wood-burning 0-4-0 tender (for those of you who are interested in that stuff). She was nicknamed the “Black Auntie” as apparently there was an image of a black (can I use that, or is African-Canadian more appropriate?) madame from Port Arthur carved on her firebox door. There is currently only one known image of Black Auntie, taken while carrying passengers on an excursion during construction in 1891.

September 1891 excursion to Sand Lake.

In our conversations, Brian explained that he has held off on the painting for so long because he wanted to make sure it was done as accurately as possible. In particular he was curious to know if the image was on the front of the boiler, or on the cab firebox. My response was that I only knew of the one image, but that in the course of my research I came across an image at the archives that was titled “Port Arthur, Duluth & Western Ry. #1 at Port Arthur nicknamed Black Aunty.” Several weeks ago I decided to bite the bullet and send in a request for a digital copy of that photograph.

What arrived last Thursday was an image of a PAD&W locomotive alright, but not the Black Auntie. Immediately I recognized that this engine was a type 4-4-0, which would make it engine number 2 or 3. After reading through the specifications (I’m no train expert), I would have to say it is probably number 3, the “Lady Walton.” I immediately emailed Brian to tell him the disappointing news; I would love to see his vision of a painting of the Black Auntie crossing the bridge into Minnesota!

Turning wye at Mackies (Hymers Museum).

This past week wasn’t all disappointment however. With the warmer temperatures, the bush has dried out somewhat and that gave me an opportunity to do a bit of hiking on Saturday. I decided since the ground is still wet and the rivers and creeks a bit high, that I would go to Whitefish Lake since it is a fairly dry area. I had not really hiked this area a lot over the years, primarily because the railway runs right beside the road and there is generally not much to see. However, in my quest to gather GPS data on the whole line, I did want to mark a very prominent feature, which was a turning wye just east of Mackies.

For this adventure I was going to be joined by an old buddy, Terry, who had hiked the railway with me many moons ago. The only unfortunate part of the day was the fact that it had rained the night before, making the journey a rather wet one. We started near the Mackies Trestle (which burned in 1923) and headed east. The going was very difficult as it was more heavily grown in than I anticipated, made worse as everything was wet and slippery.

Wye screen shot.

After slugging along for about 1600 metres, I decided that we would forgo the remaining 800 metres. I had wanted to investigate the remains of a bridge over a small creek, but we were thoroughly soaked and tired from climbing over the deadfall on the rail bed. On our way back, I wanted to follow the legs of the “wye.” Resembling an inverted Y, the purpose of this track was to allow the trains to turn around. This wye had probably been installed after the Mackies trestle had burned in 1923, and the trains could no longer travel to North Lake

Junction of wye legs, Mackies 2012.

and use the turn wye there. The total length of the wye was about 500 metres, and unfortunately it was just as overgrown as the rest of the section.

As we made our way back to our starting point, we took a few minutes to examine a rare find on the line, a telegraph pole. The insulators were probably long gone, though Terry did find a shard of an insulator nearby.

That essentially ended the hike, but before wrapping things up, I showed Terry the remains of the east abutment of the Mackies trestle. I am very anxious to re-visit this section, as I

Telegraph Pole, Mackies 2012.

know there are some vehicles hiding in the brush nearby. These trucks were used the McKechnie Logging Company to transport logs from Round Lake to Mackies after the trestle burned. I think I’ll save this hike for the fall when the leaves are down and more things will be visible.

My last comments for this week offer some potentially positive news. A few weeks ago I wrote about the pending development at Gunflint Lake. Today at work I received a phone call from MPP Michael Gravelle’s office. My email did not fall on deaf ears and the Minister of Natural Resources’ office is looking into the matter. Hopefully I will receive more information in the coming weeks.

Anyway, enough for now; I need to do a few things before I call it a day. I’ll be back with more ramblings next week. Until then…

 
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Posted by on June 11, 2012 in Hiking, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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Are we there yet?

04 Jun

No, we are not on a vacation to Kansas with Toto, but we are certainly in need of a break! I’m done! Kaput! Toast! (I could go on with the metaphors) It seems as though no matter how much sleep I get, I still wake up feeling tired. There are way too many things swirling in my head that will only go away once the school year is done. Now I know what you’re saying, poor teachers, it must be rough having the whole summer off! Well, truth be told, this occupation is getting harder to do all the time.

Once the weather begins to turn warm in April, this whole idea of “teaching” becomes much tougher to do. The nice temperatures bring with them thoughts of summer and the kids begin to lose their focus. It is now June 4th and we have completely lost them! They have no attention span, trying to do work is like pulling teeth and the senior kids just don’t show up; June is like a good month/bad month. Therefore June 29th can’t come soon enough!

I must admit though that I do have an ulterior motive; summer means that I will have time to do what I want, namely hiking the railway. Unfortunately the bush it still wet from last week’s rain, so I can’t really get out. The city continues to be in a state of emergency, since our water treatment plant is still out of action. More than a thousand homes were flooded by the rain, and I really feel for those people. I hope that things get back to normal as soon as possible.

Gravel Lake Station, June 2012.

I did get out for another drive this week, mostly to complete my task from the last drive. Moving beyond Nolalu, I marked Hillside, Silver Mountain, Whitefish, Wolfe Siding (Suomi), Mackies and Gravel Lake on Facebook. Being out there made me want to be hiking so bad; maybe I have a bit of an addiction! Or it could be that I love being in the outdoors and it gives me the peace and quiet I crave. I never really hiked a lot of the line along Whitefish Lake and my curiosity has been peaked. This area is fairly high and dry, so I might be able to get out next week.

One of my stops was at the Silver Mountain Station, one of the few remaining buildings on the line. It was built circa 1911, replacing an existing log structure and is an identical copy of the station that once stood at North Lake. For many years it has been an iconic landmark on the corner of Highways 588 and 593. During the railway era, it was home at one point to Dorothea Mitchell, the famous Lady Lumberjack. The book on her adventures makes for a very interesting read, not only chronicling some of the history of the area, but also of the life of a female entrepreneur in a frontier wilderness.

Silver Mountain Station, June 2012.

Today the station is a restaurant, recently acquired by chef and baker Shelley Simon. I had a quick chat with her on Saturday, but I need to stop by again this summer and sink my teeth into a PD burger. If you’re in the neighbourhood (or even if you’re not…the drive through the Whitefish Valley is beautiful) be sure to stop in for some great food and hospitality!

Last week I wrote about my concern for the potential development near the ghost town of Leeblain. Unfortunately I did not receive any replies to my emails, which is a bit frustrating. I know that it has only been a week, and that people have other business to attend to, but I had hoped to hear at least something. Maybe I’m used to my profession and things just operate differently. In my line of work, I’m expected to reply to messages/emails as soon as possible. Then again, I’m responsible to parents for their child’s education, so maybe there’s a bit more urgency in that!

My last news for this week is very good news. I’ve written about my planned talk at the Chik-Wauk Museum scheduled for August 5th, but I’ve managed to land something closer to home. On Friday I paid a visit to one of my old stomping grounds, the Duke Hunt Museum. Located just outside Thunder Bay in the Municipality of Oliver-Paipoonge, it will always be known to me by its old name, the Paipoonge Museum. I first visited this great little gem back in 1997 and I spent many a day there in years past. I was privileged to be able to give a few lectures at the museum back in the late 90’s.

It had been quite a while since I visited the museum, especially given that it was recently relocated to a former school just down the road. The director is a great lady by the name of Lois Garrity and it was nice to sit down and catch up with her. Our conversation naturally turned to railway and we reminisced about the presentations I had done all those years ago. It was then that Lois said, “Hey, it been a long time since you spoke about the railway, are you interested in doing it again?” To be honest, I was hoping that she would ask. Needless to say I jumped at the idea and we were able to pin down a date. So on July 25th I will make my return to the lecture world and I could not be more excited. I love to research and hike the railway, but I probably like talking about it even more!

Anyway, enough yapping for now; I’m sure I’ll have more news and things to say next week. Until then…

 
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Posted by on June 4, 2012 in Hiking, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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Uh, I think we have enough rain now. Thanks.

28 May

A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months. The term was first used in English in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and neighboring countries to refer to the big seasonal winds blowing from the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea in the southwest bringing heavy rainfall to the region (Dictionary.com).

Pic from the net of Vibert Road in Oliver-Paipoonge.

So you’re probably thinking, “Dave, you live in Thunder Bay and according to Dr. Koppen, it is a Humid continental (Dfb) climate (sort of)…you don’t experience monsoons!” As I demonstrate some of my geography skills in jest for you, it seems as though we do. It has been raining for the better part of five days now. It is actually quite bad; several outlying municipalities have declared emergencies today as well as the city of Thunder Bay. We have received well over 100mm of rain that have caused flooding, washouts and for the first time in my teaching career, cancelled buses. Some unfortunate people have had their basements ruined. The ditches, creeks and rivers are full of water; my backyard looks like a swamp! The sun is supposed to return on Wednesday, so let’s hope it dries up soon.

This week is the last week of May and it could not come soon enough. My burnout only seems to get worse! Football training camp starts soon and there are a whole bunch of things that need to get done before that happens. There is timetabling, graduation and a bunch of meetings still to go. I know that it will fly by, but it doesn’t make it any easier. I just need a breather!

Another picture from the net of an OPP SUV in a rather precarious situation.

All the rain doesn’t bode well for my plans to do any hiking in the near future. Rather hard to walk near rivers and lakes when they’re flooded. On Sunday I decided that since I could not hike, I would take the boys on a little drive. My one hour expedition turned into three hours, but it was all good. What could I possibly do in those wet conditions you ask? Well, my main objective was to create some places on Facebook with my phone so that I could effectively locate them when I post. I didn’t get everything done, but the Harstone Bridge, Harstone, Silver Creek, Hymers, Sellers, Leeper and Nolalu are now all officially recorded. I’m sure I’ll finish the job soon enough…the drive made me want to look at these areas sometime soon.

The most dramatic development of my week (other than the flood of course), was when I was informed that a very sensitive area of the railway is due for some development. The North-Gunflint Lake corridor is my favourite on the railway and I try to get there as often as I can (I booked my field work for August 5-8 at Gunflint). It is the farthest area from Thunder Bay and fairly inaccessible, so it has remained mostly free from human interference.

Rock oven at Leeblain, August 2011.

I received an email on Saturday that there were plans in the works to possibly open a resort on the Canadian side of Gunflint Lake, near the ghost town of Leeblain. I have spoken about Leeblain before, and it contains the remains of an old hotel and workers camp, the most important of which are several rock ovens. These ovens were used by Italian labourers on the railway to bake bread and in other places such as BC they are preserved in parks. About 2.5km west of Leeblain is the Gunflint Cross I wrote about a few weeks ago.

I’m not against the development; it would actually be nice to access Gunflint Lake without have to endure a 1 hour boat ride from North Lake or go through the US. However, I think it is critical to ensure that these important historical sites are preserved and protected. I’ve written emails to local MLA’s Michael Gravelle and Bill Mauro, as well as the local archeological review officer for the Province of Ontario; hopefully someone listens to my pleas. I will certainly mention any developments should they arise in my subsequent blogs.

Now speaking of Gunflint and Leeblain, I’ve confirmed my plans to visit the area this summer. On August 5th I will be doing my railway/mine presentation at the Chik-wauk Museum and I had hoped to conduct some fieldwork in the following days. By chance I stumbled upon long-time Gunflint summer resident and current lodge owner John Schloot. Back in the 60’s John spent many summers on Gunflint and often visited the Bishop family on North Lake and the old railway station there. He recently purchased the Moosehorn Lodge on Gunflint, which is now known as Cross River Lodge.

I’ve visited the US side of Gunflint Lake several times, staying mostly at the Gunflint Pines Resort, but I also spent an evening at the historic Gunflint Lodge. John graciously suggested that I stay at Cross River and I was more than happy to oblige. Besides, John has old films of the North Lake Station taken in the 60’s and I am very eager to see them. He has even kindly offered to provide me with a copies that I can post on my YouTube channel. The trip should be interesting since I managed to convince my wife Jo-Anne to tag along with the kids. She’s not particularly outdoorsy, so hopefully we can find some things for her and kids to do while I hike the railway. If the weather is good, it should prove to be very a memorable visit.

Anyway, I think it is about time to wrap things up. Maybe be next week the water levels will have subsided somewhat and everyone can return to a relatively normal routine. Until then…

 
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Posted by on May 28, 2012 in Hiking, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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Well, if it wasn’t for the black flies and ticks…

21 May

“Why did God make yucky things like black flies and ticks?” asked my four-year son old Noah. “Not sure buddy, there must be a reason” was my reply (the standard answer…I am only a history teacher).

If you have no clue what I am referring to, a black fly (sometimes called a buffalo gnat, turkey gnat, or white socks) is any member of the family Simuliidae of the Culicomorpha infraorder. Ticks are small arachnids in the order Ixodida. Along with mites, they constitute the subclass Acarina. I hate both of them! (thanks to Wikipedia for the long, hard to understand scientific descriptions)

Living in northern Ontario, I’ve had to put up with black flies all my life. Most people in Canada and the northern US know what I’m talking about. They are usually most active in the spring, before things start to dry out and get too warm for them. They like to feed particularly on human blood, leaving one with small, red itchy dots at the bite location. Their most annoying trait is the swarming they do around their victim, flying into your hair (I don’t have that problem), up your nose, in your ears, eyes, wherever! Even in your mouth if it’s open…mmmmmm, tasty black fly! Unfortunately they are one of the few things that I hate about where I live.

Ticks on the other hand are a completely different story. A few years ago, no one had ever heard of a tick. There were very few of them, if any, around this area. Then things changed. It might have been the movement of more deer into this area, or more likely attributed to global warming. In any case, we now have ticks. Lots of them. My first run in with a tick happened about 5 years ago and every year it gets worse. This year is predicted to be a bad year for them, since the winter and spring were so mild. If the past few days is any indication, the forecasts are correct…I picked so many off the dog I’ve lost count.

So this weekend is the Victoria Day long weekend, which I mentioned in last week’s post is the traditional beginning of the summer season here in Canada. In my profession, it also means that summer vacation is right around the corner. And it could not come soon enough! Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but at this time of the year everyone is a little burnt out and is in need of a refresher. I read somewhere this week (might have been on Twitter) that the old debate of re-vamping the school year is back in the spotlight. For those of you who don’t know, the school calendar was originally designed to accommodate a farming society with the months of July and August off. Yes times have changed, but the need for those two months has not.

As I already mentioned, after nine months of school (including several breaks), teachers and students are in need of a disengagement from the stress and routine of the learning environment. Time to re-charge the batteries if you like. That doesn’t mean however that all is forgotten; my gears are always turning about the next year, football, etc. Sometimes I feel like I’m not really on vacation. Weeks before the return I’m already working on things, so I don’t think I ever fully relax. So be it I guess.

So the long weekend usually means my first real hike of the season. I had been anticipating this for some time, and I was hoping that the weather would cooperate. My first order of business was to make a trip to my in-laws camp to grab the boat and motor. The camp is located about 65km east of home, and I wasn’t relishing the drive in my old truck. When I bought a new truck last year, I decided to keep the old one for trips into the bush. However, I have become a bit spoiled with the crew cab interior and leather seats!

The boys were very excited about the visit to camp; too bad the water is too cold at this time of the year! After our delicious Subway dinner (the boys would rather go to Subway than McD’s), I proceeded to load up the boat. In a precursor to the next day’s hike, I was assaulted by swarms of black flies. They made my life miserable as I tried to strap down the boat…gotta love May in the north!

Narrows between North and Little North Lakes, with Ontario on the right and Minnesota on the left.

The drive to North Lake is about 105km, of which only just over two-thirds is paved. The drive becomes rather bumpy after leaving Highway 588 for the final 9km into the lake directly on the old grade. After unloading the boat, we began our ride to Little North Lake. Since I was only working with a 6hp motor, it took about 40 minutes to reach our destination.

This part of the railway is only accessible by boat from Canada. Mile 75 of the railway at North Lake was the location of a 1000 foot trestle that burned in 1909. The bay was originally called Goose Bay, but it is referred to as Trestle Bay in more recent times. I first visited the area west of Trestle Bay back in 1991-1992 (I can’t remember which year) after the rail bed was cleared all the way to the end of Gunflint by the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs. I guess the old grade made a perfect trail for them and all it needed was the removal of the forest growth. It was such a pristine area, as no one had been on that part of the railway in a very long time.

Besides spending some time with the boys, my main objective for this hike was to locate some old telegraph poles along the grade. These poles were put up in 1903, even after the railway (owned by Canadian Northern at the time) had decided to stop running passenger trains to Gunflint Lake. The only business past North Lake was the Pigeon River Lumber Company logging camp at the east end of Gunflint. They built their own line, the Gunflint and Lake Superior, 4.5 miles from the PAD&W at Little Gunflint Lake across the border to Crab Lake to haul logs to Port Arthur. The operation lasted until the trestle burned in 1909. The only reason to put up the telegraph line this far must have been the importance of the logging business; I wanted to confirm that it had indeed been done.

If memory serves me, I located the first pole back in 1995. I returned in 1997 to photograph and record this and another pole I located. They were in fairly decent shape. Last year I found a large coil of telegraph wire along North Lake near Trestle Bay and re-discovered the second pole on Little North, but unfortunately the cross beam had fallen off. I was determined to find that first pole, as well as a pile of discarded rails that had been left near the same spot.

Rail, Little North Lake.

Immediately after starting the hike, my son Ethan found a pile of rails north of the grade in the bush. I`d never seen these before (if I remember correctly) since they would have been obscured by the summer growth. Another short distance ahead I located a small pile of coal that had been dropped by a passing train sometime before 1909. Then five minutes later I found the rails I was looking for, but no pole (the rails are stamped M.B.H.I & S Co. 1890). The pole had obviously disintegrated in the last 12 years.

While the boys snacked on their lunch in the boat, I quickly recorded the first rails and then ran back to the

Insulator, Little North Lake.

second rails to take one last look for the pole. When I got there, I just happened to glance up from where the rails were lying and noticed something green in the background. My first thought was “no way!” Making my way over, my assumption was correct; I had found a glass insulator from a telegraph pole! In all my years of hiking I had only seen maybe a dozen poles and only found 3 insulators. The wire was still attached and examining closely I could see remains of the pole. After removing the insulator, I tried following the wire in both directions but came up empty.

Holding telegraph pole cross beam, Little North Lake.

Our second stop was a short 900m boat ride west to a second telegraph site. I saw it on two occasions last year, but I just wanted to take a quick poke around to see if I could find anything else. Unfortunately there was nothing else to see, but I did get some good pictures!

From Little North, we headed back 5km to North Lake and a visit to the Height of Land Portage. This strip of land separates North and South Lakes, as well-being the border and the Laurentian Divide (water from North flows into Hudson Bay and South flows to Lake Superior). I’ve been there many times, and there’s something to be said about wandering back and forth across the Canada-US border. In case you’re wondering, the Webster–Ashburton Treaty that finalized the imaginary delineation allows people to cross the border on the portages. So I even visited another country this weekend…all in a day’s work!

Boundary Monument. US on left, Canada on right.

Anyway, I babbled on way too long. I guess there’s a lot to say when you actually get out and do something fun. And we all look like we have chicken pox as a momento!Until then…

 
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Posted by on May 21, 2012 in Hiking, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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Did I say how much I hate yardwork?

14 May

I guess it is Karma. Growing up I lived in my parent’s three-bedroom bungalow in the Westfort area of Thunder Bay. My parents were both immigrants from Italy, and they retained many of the Old World traditions when they came here. As such, our city sized yard only had grass in front of the house; the backyard consisted of patio and garden. Lots of garden. So, where I am I going with this? Well, despite the pathetically small amount of grass that we actually had, I hated cutting the grass. My dad would always yell at me for not cutting it, even though it took about 10 minutes to do it.

When my (at the time) fiancée and I were deciding where to live, we decided we wanted a bit more space than a city lot offered. So we bought property in South Neebing, and our house now sits on 1.5 acres of land. Although some of it is still treed and not landscaped, it still takes me over 3 hours to cut all the grass in the yard. I often curse at how much time it takes to cut the grass, edge, rake, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I love where I live, but I swear I can hear my Dad looking down at me and laughing. The 10 minute job doesn’t seem so bad now. So Karma has bitten me in the posterior!

We’ve now reached the midway point of May and the time is flying by! This weekend is the Victoria Day long weekend here in Canada, which usually marks the beginning of the summer season. We might make a trip to my in-laws camp for the day, which is located about 65 km east of our home. Speaking of camp, it is interesting how people in Canada refer to “camp” by many different names. I have cousins in Toronto, and their first reaction to the word camp was “what?” Isn’t camp like summer camp? You see, people in southern Ontario refer to it as the “cottage.” Sounds too citified for us up here in the north; camp is so much more outdoorsy. I’ve heard that in Manitoba they call it the “lake.” Anyway, whatever you call it, enjoy this weekend in the outdoors!

Since we’re on the topic of the outdoors, I’m getting even more excited about the hiking season. This week I decided it was time to post more videos from my archives to YouTube. It was really a response to a request on the Facebook page for information about communication on the railway, such as telegraph lines, etc. I had footage from my 1997 trip to North-Gunflint Lakes that contained a few old telegraph poles that I found on Little North Lake, so I decided to upload a video. While I was at it, I put together a bunch of other videos from that ’97 footage; I will be posting them over the next few weeks, but I did put a second video up. This one is of the “Gunflint Cross.”

The Gunflint Cross is one of the most interesting legacies of the railway. It is a small cross, approximately 18

Gunflint Cross, 2008.

inches high, carved into the south side of a rock cut along Gunflint Lake near the 84 mile marker. The cross was created in 1892 as a memorial to a tragic accident that occurred during the construction of the railway. On October 8th, crews were blasting rock for the right of way when one of the charges failed to detonate. After waiting about 20 minutes, workers began removing rock to investigate the cause of the “hang fire” when the explosives went off; Joseph Montegia was struck and killed by the force of the blast. He would be buried in Port Arthur at St. Andrew’s Cemetery and some of his fellow workers carved the cross in his memory. So after 120 years it still remains in its spot, a mute testimonial to the men who built the railway.

The cross makes me think about Gunflint, and today I came across a reminder that I will make my first presentation in years this summer. I’ve mentioned this event in previous posts, but today I found a reference to it on the net. I’m excited about this lecture, I titled it “The Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway and the Paulson Mine: Hopes and Failures in a Border Wilderness.” It is going to be very different from anything I’ve done in the past as it will be outdoors. From my experience as a teacher, I’m sort of used to an indoor environment with a projector and a Smartboard. I guess I will have to explain things very thoroughly since I have no visuals to accompany my information. Let’s hope it is a nice day and a good turn out!

Anyway, enough for this week. Until then…

 
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Posted by on May 14, 2012 in Hiking, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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Dreaming of Summer

07 May

So why am I dreaming of summer you ask? You may reply that it is May, which is close to the northern solstice, and that means we’re pretty much there aren’t we? Well, reality is that we’re not quite there, and I really want it to be. Yes, this is very selfish of me, totally blowing off the month of May and we’ve just started it. I did write last week that I needed a break; the end of the year burnout is starting to set in and I’m getting tired. But truth be told, I really want to be on vacation so I can do all the things I enjoy doing…not that don’t like my job. However in a contest of what brings me more satisfaction, going to camp, hanging out with the family and hiking the railway is so much more fun! So let the countdown begin…only 38 more school days left!

Unfortunately my reality is that there is so much left to do before the end of June…I shudder a bit just thinking about it. Soon it will be time to start the process of timetabling teachers for next year, which is always good for a few headaches. And this year my term is up for my Curriculum Chair appointment, so I will have to undertake the somewhat stressful process of re-applying and re-interviewing for this job. I sent out an email this morning regarding our spring football camp, which will take up time and energy alike. Throw into the mix graduation, exams and all the little things that go on at this time, I will certainly need the vacation!

Well, I guess I should talk about some happy things instead of complaining and being so depressing. I was in Europe when this happened, so I never did mention that I was approved for my deferred salary leave in 2016. Yay me! So my wife and I will be off from February to June of that year…I am so pumped. In case you’re wondering, this is not at the taxpayer’s expense; my school board will be garnering 12% of my salary for the next 3.5 years which will be my pay while I am on leave. It means a bit less pay over the next few years, but that semester is going to be sooooo nice!

Library and Archives Canada.

What am I going to do you ask? Travel, hang out, go back to school…actually I’m going to do some research. I think I mentioned this fact way back when I applied for the leave in January, but in case you’ve forgotten or have not read that post, here is my rationale. My main goal is to finish all this railway research that I have been doing for the past 18 years so I can complete the book that I started writing many moons ago. I need to travel to Ottawa to visit the National Archives as there are a ton of files that I need to peruse related to the railway. I also need to pay a return visit to the Archives of Ontario in Toronto as they have a file related to the sale of the railway in 1899 that requires more intense scrutiny that I gave it the first time around. Once that is complete, I will have to spend some time at the Brodie Branch of the Thunder Bay Public Library going through about 30 years’ worth of microfilm. So to answer the question, I will be very busy on my semester off!

Chik-Wauk Museum.

Another reason why I am anxious for summer is that it means hiking season. I do manage to get in some walks during May and June, but unfortunately I’m restricted to the weekends. I like being able to go whenever, especially whenever the weather is most conducive. I started tentatively hashing out my big hiking trip for the summer, which involves spending several days on Gunflint Lake to complete some of the field work left over from last year. I have the presentation at the Chik-Wauk Museum on August 5th; the plan is to try to complete the field work in the days immediately following. Hopefully the weather cooperates; last year it was heat exhaustion one day and a monsoon another.

I’ll probably get some good images; they’ll make a good addition to the new Facebook page I set up. It was a bit of an impulse decision to create the page, but I’m glad I did. Getting “likes” on the page has been more challenging than I expected, but it’s only been a week I guess. One of things that I am groping with is what content to include on the page; what do I put on there without repeating what is on my website? Maybe this will make a good question for the page.

Anyway, need to run. Until then…

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2012 in Hiking, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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