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Gunflint Retaining Wall

The Gunflint Retaining Wall is located on the Ontario shore of Gunflint Lake, east of Leeblain at Milepost 81.6.

Construction along the shore of Gunflint Lake in 1892 was very difficult. In many places, the grade had to be blasted right out of the rocky ledges of the Canadian Shield. This location illustrates the challenges faced by the engineers responsible for the construction of the line. The water depth immediately adjacent to the shore is 15 feet, but plunges rapidly to more than 100 feet in a short distance. To keep the grade from sliding into the cold depths of the lake under the weight of the trains, it was necessary to create a retaining wall with iron bars and wood timber. As a testament to the strength of its construction, the wall still performs its job, more than 120 years after being emplaced.

Link to the 1911 map.