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The Tale of Two…Locomotives?

15 Jan

Writing a blog on a weekly basis isn’t as easy as it may outwardly appear (or maybe it is and I’m just not that talented). Though I may struggle a bit with the content, by far the most difficult part is trying to come up with a witty, clever title. Sometimes I hit and sometimes I miss (I’d like to more of the former, but in reality it’s probably more of the latter). This week was no exception. I had no idea what to call this week’s post, and then it hit me; I think it is very reflective of the week I’ve had. Besides, if Dickens can create something so popular why can’t I do likewise?

Obviously it has been a very busy week once again…but what’s new. We are down to our final full week of classes before the start of exams and there is so much to do. I’m slowing chipping away at my backlog of marking and I hope to be cleared up by next Monday. My exams are in and the students have been given their exam reviews. Most of the teaching is now complete and we will be focussing on exam prep. Where has the semester gone?

Things have been extra hectic as this Friday some of our students will be travelling to our feeder school Pope John Paul II to speak to them about coming to St. Patrick. Normally we send a contingent of football players to plug the program and hopefully do some recruiting. I’ve always sent along a highlight video of the previous season to show; problem is that it is not ready yet. I was supposed to work on it over the break, but as I mentioned it took a backseat to my Leeblain article. I’ve only got a few days to finish putting everything together! I should be working on it right now, but you know…

So, what’s been going on with the railway? Well, there are quite a number of things on the go. Last week I mentioned that my Leeblain article may have earned me another speaking gig, this time at the Thunder Bay Museum. There is nothing confirmed right now, but I may have the privilege to kick-off the 2013-2014 lecture season this coming September. I’ve never had the opportunity to speak at the museum, so I am really hoping that this goes through. It will certainly go a long way to promoting my work on the railway and our efforts to preserve the remains at Leeblain.

On the topic of lectures, I need to get cracking on preparations for my February 9th presentation at Gunflint Lodge. I am looking forward to this event, as the lodge is a beautiful place and it’s located in one of my favourite areas. I have not visited Gunflint Lake in the winter, and so it should be a great experience. Hopefully we get more snow; this past week has been another wild temperature ride. On Friday it was +3C with rain, and Monday dawned at a crisp -19C. We lost a lot of snow with the rain and it would be nice to get more before my visit.

Alright, so what’s with the locomotive thing? Well, it has actually been an ongoing situation for quite a while now; I even wrote about it last June (ironically in that post I was complaining about how hot it was). The story involves the most famous locomotive on the PAD&W, affectionately known as the “Black Auntie.” Her nickname stemmed from the fact that there was reputedly the image of a woman on her firebox door which apparently resembled a local Madame by the name of Julia Ann Roy.

So the issue lies with the fact that accounts of the type and appearance of the Black Auntie do not jive with historic information. Traditionally the Black Auntie was describe as a 0-4-0 locomotive; however documents suggest that rather it was a 4-4-0 “Rogers” type engine. There is a photo that purportedly shows the Black Auntie on an excursion in 1890-1891. However it lacks the necessary detail to make a thorough analysis. So I sent for an image of PAD&W #1 from Library and Archives Canada and what I received completely baffled me (unfortunately I cannot post the image as it is property of LAC).

Black Auntie, 1890/1891.

Black Auntie, 1890/1891.

The engine in the photo is appears to fit the historic description of a 4-4-0. There are some similarities with the excursion photo, but the archives engine looks longer and newer. The Black Auntie was heavily damaged in a January 14, 1891 engine house fire and needed extensive repairs. Could this account for the differences between the two? A plausible explanation. Compounding the whole issue is that there is another photo floating around that may also be the Black Auntie, but it looks nothing like the other two (and the front of the engine is not visible to see if there are leading trucks-the small wheels at the front).

Unknown PAD&W engine, unknown date.

Unknown PAD&W engine, unknown date.

I have ordered some additional images from the Archives that will hopefully aid in this investigation. This mystery has been absolutely frustrating; the more I dig, the more confusing it gets. I can certainly appreciate how challenging it can be for others who are doing similar types of research. I hope that I will discover some information that will help solve the curious saga of the enigmatic iron horse.

Anyway, time to run. More enlightening news and facts next week. Until then…

 
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Posted by on January 15, 2013 in History, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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The next Hemingway?

08 Jan

Dave, are you suggesting that you are on the same literary plane as the great Ernest Hemingway? Surely you jest! Yes, I am kidding. I am certainly no Hemingway…he wrote fiction. Come on, I’m more like Pierre Berton, probing the depths of 19th century Canadiana. I have the same hairdo…now I just my own T.V. mini-series!

Back to the reality that is my life, unfortunately the Christmas holidays are over. Yes, I have returned to work. Sigh. All good things must come to end right? It isn’t so bad, though it is a bit of a struggle to get into the routine of things. Isn’t that funny; when you go on vacation you’re tired from working, and when you come back you’re tired from being on vacation. Can’t ever win can you?

Anyway, things are rather busy and chaotic as there are only two and a half weeks before exams start. I still have a pile of marking to get through, marking that I did not get to on the break (because I was busy writing). There are exams to look at, and lessons to finish. I think I’m gonna need another break after I’m done all of this!

Unfortunately school is not the only thing that is keeping me busy for the foreseeable future. There are some projects around the house that need attention, swimming lessons have begun again and hopefully we can get some skating in there too. On top of that, I have a presentation on the railway at the beginning February to get ready for and I have some football related stuff to get to. Yikes!

So with all this other excitement going on, you’d figure I wouldn’t have railway time. Wrong! In reality I managed to get quite a bit done, more than I expected. Most of my efforts had been directed to writing, but I did get a little research in too. I managed to come across a few new railway time cards, one from 1906 and the other from 1910. I also landed myself an original railway document from eBay and was unfortunately outbid on another three. I was smart enough however to save the images for the ones I missed so I could use them as references!

Duluth Section Timecard, November 1906.

Duluth Section Timecard, November 1906.

North Lake Branch Timecard, June 1910.

North Lake Branch Timecard, June 1910.

Canadian Northern Railway map, 1906.

Canadian Northern Railway map, 1906.

I have been writing over the past few weeks about my attempts to finish my article on Leeblain. It was a tough slug, but I am done! Five thousand eight hundred and eighty-two words…by far the longest thing I’ve ever written! I am very proud of myself. Immersing myself in the history of the railway and this ghost town was a very gratifying experience. Certainly gives me a lot of confidence to move forward to bigger and better things.

I’ve submitted the article to the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society for inclusion in their annual Papers and Records publication. I am hoping that it is accepted. My work may have earned me another presentation date, this time at the Thunder Bay Museum. We’ll see what happens.

On a final note, last week saw some very important anniversaries in the history of the railway. January 4th 1893 was a special day; on that day the railway was completed all the way to Paulson Mine, Minnesota and toured by a train full of dignitaries. It also saw the incorporation of the aforementioned town of Leeblain on the shores of Gunflint Lake. I wonder what it would have been like to be a fly on the wall 120 years ago and witness those events! I really wish there were photos of the events, or better yet, I wish we could find them if there are.

Arthur B. Lee and Hugh Blain.

Arthur B. Lee and Hugh Blain.

Anyway, time to wrap things up. I have all that marking to get to! Until next week…

 
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Posted by on January 8, 2013 in History, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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Who came up with that one?

01 Jan

So I actually Googled Auld Lang Syne as for years I’ve always wondered what the heck it meant. “Old long since” or “long, long ago”…who would have thunk it? I didn’t know it was based on a Robbie Burns poem either. Then again I’m not up on my 18th century Scottish literature; I should get on that. While I’m at it, I’ll finish all those books on my reading list and write a bunch of history articles!

All kidding aside, it is a new year. Welcome to 2013! Let’s hope that the thirteenth year of this new millennium is a good one. I know that I have a lot to be thankful for and I really want this to be another great year. However, like everyone else out there, my first big challenge for the next few weeks is going to be not writing the date “2012” on everything!

Once again my New Years was low-key, but that’s to be expected with young kids in the house. We had some friends and their kids over, ate the traditional Chinese food dinner and let the kids stay up to 10 o’clock. Certainly makes for some nicely wired children! It’s all good though; I can barely make it to midnight, let alone party the night away like when I was 21. After just celebrating my (ugh) 39th birthday, I’ll have to content myself with little victories!

The past week has been very relaxing and enjoyable. I forgot how nice it is not to go to work! Christmas Day was a bit chaotic, but that’s to be expected. The kids tried to wake up at 5am, so we had to remind them that 7:00 was the approved time; too bad I couldn’t fall back asleep after that. My wife and I usually don’t exchange gifts for Christmas, but fortunately the boys had some things that I could play with too. We decided to buy them an Xbox Kinect this year as we thought it was a system that would get them moving and was family friendly. It is funny how sore you can get playing interactive boxing against a 5 year old!

The only sour note has been the weather. It was so mild before Christmas that this little cold snap we’ve been experiencing is a bit disconcerting. I must be getting soft though, because it wasn’t even that cold; minus 20 is not really that cold! The biggest problem is that the cold temperatures, coupled with the lack of snow, really takes away a lot of outdoor options. We wanted to go tobogganing yesterday afternoon, but it was just way too cold with the wind chill. Things are supposed to warm up a bit (-6ish) in the next few days and we’re supposed to get some more snow. I really hope it happens so we can start doing our traditional weekend walks up the mountain.

Trail, Norwester Mountains, December 2012.

Trail, Norwester Mountains, December 2012.

With all the free time I’ve had over the break I was able to get a lot of railway related work done. I even did some research! I can’t remember what I was looking for, but I happened to come across an old map which has been a great source of information. I written on many occasions how the digitization of information has transformed historical research and I cannot say enough good things about it.

The information on the website stated it was from 1926, but on the date on the map was 1917. It shows the area of Lake and Cook Counties in northeastern Minnesota, as well as portions of the Canadian border area, so it is of huge value to me. I was able get some great information from it, both for my research and for my efforts with the Silver Mountain Historical Society.

This map is part of the collection held at the Cook County Historical Museum in Grand Marais, Minnesota. The museum is one of the institutions that has been very helpful to me over the years. My first contact with the CCHM was back in 1997 and then director Pat Zankman. Pat and I spent a lot of time pouring over old documents and sharing information. I had not been to the museum in over ten years when I met Pat there this past July; it was great to catch up with her and see what was new in their collections and displays. I would certainly recommend a visit next time you’re through Grand Marais.

Cook County Museum, July 2012.

Cook County Museum, July 2012.

Most of my railway time however was devoted to work on my Leeblain article. I actually was able to do a lot of writing…I’ve very proud of myself. Even though I still have quite a bit to go, I added another four and a half pages of information and I’m up to about 3400 words! The biggest challenge by far has been to decide what to include and what to leave out, as this is just an essay and not a book. It is very tough though, as you want to make sure everything makes sense. In any case I am getting a ton of experience with writing, formatting and documenting historic papers; it will certainly serve me well in the future. Now I have to figure out how to make a cool looking homemade map!

Anyway, I think it’s time to wrap things up…I have an article to finish! I’m going to try and enjoy the rest of the week before its back to work next week. Until then…Happy New Years!

 
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Posted by on January 1, 2013 in Hiking, History, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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Lazy Mayans, burnt tongues and Christmas chaos.

24 Dec

Well, since you’re currently reading this post, you too have survived the most recent end of the world-apocalyptic prediction. Yup, those Mayans were sure on the ball; maybe they were procrastinators and ran out of time (ha-ha) to finish their calendar? Could be a plausible explanation. Not like anyone else has ever put things off until the last minute and turned out a crappy final product. So there, the Mayans were not wrong, they were just lazy…the world according to Dave!

Anyway, it is the night before Christmas and the house is finally quiet. I guess it could be worse as I could have been at work today. Yes, I am officially on holidays, though the craziness of the last few days doesn’t make it seem like it. I was very glad when Friday rolled around last week as it meant the end of a very long haul that started in September. It is typically a very fun day for obvious reasons; we teachers probably like it more than the kids!

In the last number of years it has become tradition for me to cook pancakes for my period one class to reward them for their efforts with the city Christmas cheer campaign. Although it is a bit of work on my part, I know they appreciate it (I normally make pancakes from scratch, but that’s not possible in this case). Hopefully I can keep this up for the next 15 years!

Now the only black spot on that day was another food related incident with my Grade 12’s. They got me again! As we prepared to leave the class for the annual Christmas assembly, one my students casually offered me a jelly bean. I really had to try it. I thought, “It’s a jelly bean, it can’t be that bad!” As I bit into it, I was immediately greeted by the taste of…orange. Perfect right? Unfortunately that was suddenly replaced by a searing sensation on my tongue. I had just eaten an Ass Kickin’ jelly bean, wonderfully flavoured with habanero peppers. My God! Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice…

So as I’ve already mentioned, the last few days have been a bit hectic, but since tomorrow is Christmas, I’m hoping that things will slow down in a few days. Today we had the family over for dinner and of course it was non-stop excitement. My wonderfully wife did a big chunk of the heavy lifting so it could have been worse for me. The boys are tucked in for the night and Santa is on his way. Time to relax a bit!

Once things settle down, I hope to spend time working on some railway stuff. I’ve decided to put the Historical Society on the back-burner for a week or two so I can get to a few things that I’ve neglected for a while. One of my principle tasks is to get some writing done on the Leeblain article.

I did spend quite a bit of time last night working on it last night. It actually felt really good to immerse myself into some research and writing again. Leeblain is one of those great what if’s in the story of the railway. Over the last few years I’ve spent quite a bit of time there and I often find myself looking around trying to envision what that spot would have looked like had the railway succeeded and the town grown into the metropolis that it was supposed to be. Certainly it would have transformed the Gunflint Lake area.

Tonight I read my son Ethan the “Polar Express” as his bedtime story. I wrote about this topic a year ago and I can remember my words regarding trains rolling along the line in winter. Tonight my thoughts were of Leeblain, and what it would have looked like nearly 120 years ago. What was Christmas like there in 1893? The optimism for great things must have been palpable. The experience of celebrating this event at a station/hotel in such a remote location must have been memorable, although if it was as cold as it is right now (-22C with the wind) it would not have been very toasty.

Leeblain, August 2012.

Leeblain, August 2012.

Anyway, I’m pretty pooped so I think it’s time to wrap it up. Big day tomorrow…can’t wait to see what Santa brought me! More great thoughts next week. Until then…Merry Christmas!

 
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Posted by on December 24, 2012 in History, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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Hip history and chocolate potato chips!

18 Dec

So last week as I entered my Grade 12 history class I was greeted by one of my students who presented me with a Pringles potato chip. Hiding the can from me, she told me to “taste it!” I’m usually very leery about requests to taste or smell unknown things for obvious reasons, but I decided to trust her judgement as I’ve never met a potato chip I didn’t like (well, with the exception of dill pickle). Taking the plunge, I was immediately greeted by the strangest combination of flavours I’ve ever experienced. I thought I tasted what seemed like peppermint and chocolate…weird. Turns out that Pringles has released some new flavours for the holidays, including white chocolate and peppermint; not something I’ll be running to the store for!

Anyway, the special edition chips tell us that Christmas is rapidly approaching. The man in the big red suit arrives in exactly one week! It’s hard to believe that it is almost here. It seems like yesterday that it was September and the school year was just starting. Where does the time go? Maybe the saying is true, “time flies when you’re having fun!” I wouldn’t necessarily say it was all fun, but certainly it was memorable.

It has once again been a very busy week on all fronts, especially with work. I am desperately trying to clear up as much marking as I can before we head into the break. My main priority is to finish marking the Gr.12 Independent Studies that I promised would be back by Friday. I also have a bunch of other things that I doubt will be done before Friday and on Thursday all three of my classes are writing tests. So I guess I’ll have a pile of marking to do over the break that I probably won’t get all through.

Speaking of work to do over the holidays, I know I’ll be spending some time going through clips and putting together our annual football highlight video. Come January players from this year’s team will be visiting our feeder school Pope John Paul II to do some recruiting. I guess I’ll have my work cut out for me!

It is also a very busy time for our boys with all the pre-Christmas activities. I spent the afternoon today with my youngest Noah at one of the local farms, Gammondale. They do a real good job making things fun and exciting for these young kids. Too bad they were not able to do the sleigh ride because of the lack of snow. Yes, once again pretty much all of the snow has disappeared due to warm temperatures! Unless we get some snowfall in the next few days (which is not in the forecast), we will have that brown Christmas I spoke of a few weeks ago.

Now with the approach of that much anticipated two weeks off, one of my primary goals (on top of all the other things I just wrote about and then some) is to do some work on my Leeblain article. It seems like eons since I last looked at it (November 4th according to my computer). I really want to get it done so I can have my contact at the Thunder Bay Historical Society take a look at it and give me some feedback. With Christmas close to the beginning of the break, I should be able to squeeze in some time here and there.

Handcar on the PAD&W, date unknown (Shelley Simon).

Handcar on the PAD&W, date unknown (Shelley Simon).

Work is continuing to progress on the Silver Mountain Historical Society. The last week has been filled with many little projects associated with the start-up and incorporation of this organization. We are hoping to have an executive meeting early in the New Year to complete and file the incorporation papers.

Ready for the incorporaton meeting, December 2012.

Ready for the incorporaton meeting, December 2012.

Yesterday I posted the first of what will be many blog entries describing the latest news from the society on our WordPress site. It seems if I am rapidly becoming a social media junky. Between the two blogs, several Facebook groups and pages, as well as four Twitter accounts, I feel as if this is like a fulltime job. However in this electronic age, it is absolutely critical to tap every medium possible. One of our goals is to reach out to our youth, and as a teacher I know that you need to speak their language and utilize all the latest technology. Welcome to a new era, where history can be hip and cool!

Shelley Simon and myself speaking at the SMHS, December 2012.

Shelley Simon and I speaking at the SMHS, December 2012.

On a final note, work is progressing on my personal project to preserve the railway in the North-Gunflint Lake area. Today I received an email from my contact in the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Apparently gears are turning at the government level and hopefully everyone involved will be able to sit down and discuss where to proceed next. This certainly gives me reason for some optimism. I know that things like this take time, but at least we are moving in the right direction.

Anyway, it’s time to go…marking beckons! Next week’s blog will be a day early due to Christmas. Until then…

 
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Posted by on December 18, 2012 in History, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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Visions of what???

11 Dec

According to the poem, I am supposed to have visions of sugar-plums dancing through my head. I know that is from “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” but close enough. And what the hell is a sugar-plum anyway? According to our friends at Google, it is a type of dragée candy. Learn something new every day! Anyway, there are certainly no candy images floating through my head. If there was, maybe I wouldn’t have a headache. No, despite the season, my thoughts are focussed on other things. The sugar-plums have been replaced by marking, meetings and railways…par for the course right? All these things do nothing but exacerbate the sense of burnout that I’m feeling right now. How many more sleeps?

So Christmas is exactly 2 weeks away. The brown blah I wrote about last week has been replaced by a new blanket of snow, at least making it feel right. The house is fully decorated and ready for the season. Most of the shopping has been done and there are only a few things left to do. I guess it is now a waiting game, which is always interesting with a couple little boys in the house. They are certainly chopping at the bit for the big guy to arrive. We’ll see what he has in store this year!

To answer my previous question, there are only 8 more sleeps before the break. Thank God…my brain capacity is dwindling by the minute! I know I write a lot about it, but it seems as if every year the burnout gets more pronounced. Maybe it’s got something to do with the fact that I have way to many things going on (hence the lack of sugar plums). I tend to stress about things, which is not usually a good thing to do. I know that relaxation is important (and healthy), but I’m the type whose brain is always chewing on something. School is definitely one of those things. I had to laugh when I read my post from a year ago and wrote Santa for a marking elf. He never did send one, so maybe I should ask again!

This past week was again a very busy time on the railway front. Sunday was the incorporation meeting for the Silver Mountain Historical Society so there was a million and one things to do. Even though the event has passed, there are still many things swirling in my mind. The meeting itself went really well despite some bad weather.

The weather forecast called for snow on Sunday, so as I prepared to gather my stuff and head out to Silver Mountain I was a bit concerned at how that would affect the turn out. I’m sure we did lose some people due to the slippery roads, but the amount of folks that did show up was very positive. There was close to 30 people in attendance, and coupled with those that came to the previous event, we have over 60 names registered with the society!

Silver Mountain Station, December 2012.

Silver Mountain Station, December 2012.

I was the main presenter at the meeting, on top of speaking about the railway and our goal to preserve the North-Gunflint Lake corridor, particularly the ghost town of Leeblain. Other information was presented by my co-host Shelley Simon, who spoke about efforts to erect a historic plaque at Silver Mountain (like the PAD&W plaque in Hymers) and repair the Silver Mountain Cemetery. All this and we haven’t even really started!

PAD&W Historic Plaque, Hymers, May 2012.

PAD&W Historic Plaque, Hymers, May 2012.

To proceed with our incorporation process, a society executive had to be chosen. I was nominated and acclaimed as Vice-President. I certainly appreciate the selection, but I am also very nervous. There are just so many things involved and many of us have never done anything like this. Thankfully we have some members from the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society who will be guiding us through this process.

I guess my biggest fears stem from the fact that I am unsure how this will affect my free time. Between work, family and coaching, my time is fairly limited. I still want to pursue my research of the railway and especially the fieldwork aspect of it. Hopefully I can find a way to tie everything in together. To compound things, I decided to start a blog for the society as well, The Silver Express (not really sold on the title, but I can always change it). Oh by the way, if you haven’t noticed, I changed the title of this bog too. I thought it was a bit more creative than “Padwrr.”

Anyway, I guess I should get rolling as I have marking to do; big shocker! Hopefully by next week I’ll have some pics of the society meeting. Until then…

 
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Posted by on December 11, 2012 in History, Miscellaneous, Writing

 

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Dreaming of a brown Christmas?

04 Dec

So the $64,000 question is where did all the snow go? Last week I wrote about the big dump of snow we received quite suddenly; fast forward a week and it’s gone just as fast. The abnormally warm temperatures we experienced over the last few days is the obvious culprit…we don’t usually get +8C in December. There’s no global warming right? Anyway, the big downside to all of this is that we’ve returned to that dreary, blah landscape of brown. I’m not the biggest fan of winter, but I must admit that things do look better covered in white. And besides, snow just puts me more in the Christmas mood, especially since the big day is only three weeks away!

So, other the lack of a white blanket in Thunder Bay, what’s new Dave? Well, to quote my usual response, “same ole’ crap!” Not that life is that uninteresting or negative, it’s just that I’m tired. No, not the I need a nap tired, but just that I’m a bit burnt tired. Time for a breather…a break if you will. And coincidentally enough Christmas break is just around the corner (well, 13 days from now to be exact)! As I’ve mentioned on several occasions already, I am definitely looking forward to the vacation. Things are not entirely sane right now and it will be nice to have a few less things on my plate.

What is it keeping my so busy you ask? The most obvious answer to that question is work. Despite my desire for a respite, I still have a job to do. This is usually the time of the semester that my marking tends to pile up and my illness a few weeks back did nothing but exacerbate the situation. I am behind! Marking is like this never-ending battle (well, it technically does end at the close of a semester); just when you seem to have gotten yourself caught up, you’re almost instantaneously swamped again. I guess I have another 15 years of treading water…cheers to me!

Anywho, the craziness with work has made it a bit of a challenge to get through all my railway related projects. My free time has once again, like it has been the last number of weeks, been dominated by preparations for the Silver Mountain Historical Society incorporation. Things are a little more real now since the 9th is this weekend. There is still so much to do! I think Shelley and I have nailed down the agenda, and now I’ve begun work on the actual presentation. I have part of the slideshow done for the meeting, and I’ve started work on a video for one of our principal priorities, the preservation of the North-Gunflint Lake corridor.

As the date approaches I am becoming increasingly nervous. Preparation is not the concern; as a teacher, I learned a long time ago that preparation is a critical element in the success or failure of anything. I think it’s just who I am. As a bit of a perfectionist, I do put a lot of pressure on myself when it comes to things like this…I just want things to come off as good as possible. I get the same way before football games…I routinely have to trot off to the port-a-potty on the field even though I went before we left the school. I’m sure I’ll be fine, but guaranteed the butterflies will be swirling before I start.

All the preparations for the meeting over the last few weeks has not taken every minute of my time, as I have found a few spare moments to do some other things as well. I did manage to get another vintage video up on YouTube, this time of the area around the Gravel Lakes. The Gravel Lakes are a chain of four lakes stretching for 2.5km from Sun Hill to Gravel Lake Station (mile 52); they are one of the most “interesting” sections of the railway. When I say “interesting” I am obvious being very facetious, as the Gravel Lakes are probably one of the worst pieces of grade on the entire line.

Rail bed, Gravel Lake I, July 2010.

Rail bed, Gravel Lake I, July 2010.

Rail bed, Gravel Lake II, July 2010.

Rail bed, Gravel Lake II, July 2010.

This entire stretch lies just at, or even below the water level of the lakes. It could be that the level of the lakes has risen in the past 120 years, but most likely the grade has settled into the swampy, muskeg topography of the area. If you’re not familiar with muskeg, just give it a Google. In his book “The National Dream,” noted author Pierre Berton wrote of the challenges of building railways through the Canadian Shield. He stated that many times entire sections of seemingly solid line had to be re-laid as they had settled into the muskeg; one had to be done seven times!

Ties, Gravel Lake II, July 2010.

Ties, Gravel Lake II, July 2010.

I first walked this section back in 1994, and was completely horrified (maybe that’s a bit strong) by what I found. I even got lost at one point, as I could not believe that it was the railway winding its way submerged through the last lake; it in fact was! I returned in 1997 to grab some video (I could have sworn I was there in ’95) and found that the water levels had receded somewhat. This is the footage I posted to YouTube.

Rail bed with ties, Gravel Lake III, July 2010.

Rail bed with ties, Gravel Lake III, July 2010.

I was back in the area two years ago in the summer of 2010. This section is interesting in the fact that because it is rather swampy, not many people have travelled it since the rails were removed. There are stories floating around of the locomotive engineers setting the engine on a slow speed and walking beside it on a particularly bad area because there was a tendency to derail. There are others of the train men becoming adept at coaxing the train back on the tracks because it would derail so often. I swear these legends speak about the Gravel Lakes!

Rail bed, Gravel Lake IV, July 2010.

Rail bed, Gravel Lake IV, July 2010.

Anyway, my journey a few years ago was to gather GPS data for the grade as it is difficult to plot its location due to the settling. I found that the water levels were even lower than in previous years, revealing things such as ties that I had never seen before. Many of the ties still had spikes in them! I would imagine that after sitting in the ground for so long, and the area being so wet, that they just left them in place. I took many pictures, but sadly I did not have my video camera with me. Therefore I will be returning to the Gravel Lakes to do just that, maybe even this summer.

Ties with spikes, Gravel Lake IV, July 2010.

Ties with spikes, Gravel Lake IV, July 2010.

Anyway, time to call it quits. I’ll definitely have a lot to say after Sunday’s meeting. Until then…

 
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Posted by on December 4, 2012 in History, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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Well, it was inevitable!

27 Nov

Gee, what is it you’re talking about Dave? Could it be that it’s the end of November and winter has finally arrived? Yup, you got me! However I must say that the onset of winter this year was a bit unexpected. Last Thursday the temperature was +10C and it was beautiful outside. By the next day the temperature has dropped to -6C and we had received 20cm of snow. That’s a bit of a 180 if I do say so myself! Buses were cancelled and so it was a rather quiet Friday at school with only a handful of kids in the building.

I must admit that the snow on the ground does add a little colour to what was becoming a rather blah landscape of browns and greys. Christmas (yes, the c word) is less than a month away so it was expected that some snow would fall-hence this week’s title. The forecast does call for the temps to rise back above 0 for the weekend, so we may lose some of the white stuff. I’m okay with all of it though, since at some point the boys and I can start going back up the mountain.

The end of November means that we are rapidly approaching the holiday season, and there are a scant three weeks left to go before the break. Perfect timing, as it’s starting to get to that “I need a rest” point to recharge the ole’ battery! Lots of things to do between now and then though, and I’m sure it will be very appreciated when we get there. Unfortunately due to my bout with the flu last week, I am very much behind in my marking and the next little while will be filled with the sound of shuffling papers.

This past weekend I tried to play catch up on missed projects from the previous week. My wife’s van received its winter tires, albeit a day and a pile of snow late. This weekend I’ll have to get up the outside lights, but thankfully my wife and the boys looked after the trees and decorations inside. Let’s hope those mild temps show up since it’s always a pain getting the lights hooked up when it’s freezing cold out.

It has once again been a very busy few days on the railway front, with my efforts again focussed on the Silver Mountain Historical Society. On Wednesday I had my planned meeting with Bonnie McNulty who is a regional advisor with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. There were no earth-shattering revelations, as Ms. McNulty is just an advisor who offers support and advice to people like me. However it was reassuring to know that our group is headed in the right direction and talking to the right people. Hopefully this will lead to some sort of historic designation for the railway and eventually the planned hiking trails that we are after.

A lot of my time has been taken up in planning the upcoming incorporation meeting on December 9th. I’m really glad there are people around me like Shelley Simon and Ellen McInnis who have been instrumental in getting everything organized and promoted. The agenda is nearing completion and I’ve started planning what the presentation will look like. It is still a week and a half away, but I know that time will quickly fly by. I’m pretty good right now, but I’m sure my anxiety level will go through the roof as the date gets closer. Try to stay calm!

On a related note, I happened to take a look at the Gunflint Lodge website today to see if they had anything about my February presentation. In October I was contacted by Sue Kerfoot to see if I was interested in doing a few talks about the railway for their winter programming. Of course I gladly accepted! So the lodge has created a weekend package around the talks, snowshoeing and skiing. Hopefully I can convince my wife to tag along; she can get a massage while I yap! I really enjoyed my last stay there and the accommodations and hospitality were great. You can check everything out on the Gunflint Lodge website (I’ll have to talk to them about the spelling of Leeblain though).

Gunflint Lodge, May 2011.

Gunflint Lodge cabin, May 2011.

Romantic cabin for one, May 2011.

Gunflint Lake, May 2011.

Anyway, time to wrap things up for now. More to say next week as usual. Until then…

 
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Posted by on November 27, 2012 in History, Miscellaneous, Research, Travel, Writing

 

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I had to open my big mouth didn’t I?

20 Nov

Remember last week how I wrote about being so sick I felt like crap? Yup, I had to say to say it and now karma has bitten me in the ass. I have not been this sick in a long, long time. I was actually starting to feel better as the week progressed, but then I got hammered on Saturday. My back was a bit sore all day (for no apparent reason); by the evening I was lying on the couch completely chilled to the bone. Sunday wasn’t too bad, but I woke up on Monday morning at 4 freezing once again. I went to work for the morning, but went home at lunch. My temperature was a lovely 103F!

Needless to say I am feeling marginally better today, but my head is still plugged up and I cannot breathe properly. Talk about the perfect storm of colds…head, chest and fever. I managed to get through the day at work with only a few shivers and sweats. Hopefully I’m feeling better by tomorrow as I’m out of the classroom for an e-Learning workshop.

So Sunday marked the one year anniversary of this blog; where has the time gone? It’s sort of interesting to look back and see what I had to say a year ago. It’s also amazing where this rant has taken me and the topics I’ve written about every week. I’m very thankful for the 4000+ views in the last year and the 49 people who’ve decided to follow me. We’ll see what the next year brings!

Anyway, the railway front has been very busy, mostly regarding the Silver Mountain Historical Society again. Last week I wrote about the launch of the society website, which went public on Friday. Personally, I feel it could be a bit better, but I guess it’s okay for now. Hopefully it will bring more publicity to our efforts and there’s always room for improvements in the future. Be sure to check it out! silvermountainhs.ca

On Saturday I “stopped by” the Silver Mountain Station to borrow some old photos so I could scan them (I say “stopped by” in jest as it is a 54km drive along twisty-turny Highway 588 to get there). I did grab the photos I was looking for, but I also had a chance to chat with proprietress and fellow society co-chair Shelley Simon. She was kind enough to give me a tour of the old station, especially the upstairs part which one does not normally see. The station has seen a few additions over the years, but it still retains much of its historic style.

After our walkabout, our conversation turned to the old station on North Lake. Shelley had some great photos of the original station from the 1970’s; it really made me wish I could have seen it.  It made me think of the replica station that was built on Addie Lake which I did have a chance to visit on many occasions. I kinda miss that building…it made me go digging through my old videos to find some footage that I had of it from 1997. Unfortunately it’s not a lot of footage, but I decided to post it to YouTube anyway.

North Lake Station, 1970’s.

North Lake Station, 1970’s.

North Lake Station, 1970’s.

North Lake Station, circa 1970’s.

Tomorrow I have my meeting with the Regional Advisor from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. I think I’m ready for this, but I have no idea where the discussion will take us and what will come of it. I am trying to be positive though, as any little thing will be a step in the right direction. I’ll report all the news next week.

Anyway, time to wrap things up as I’m still not 100%, but you know that already. Hopefully I’ll be back to snuff by next week. Until then…

 
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Posted by on November 20, 2012 in Hiking, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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Here we go again…

13 Nov

Yep, I am officially sick again. I feel like a big pile of poop! Who came up with that analogy by the way? Did someone do a scientific study comparing the feeling you have when you’re sick and fecal matter? Gee, too bad I wasn’t part of that! All kidding aside though, I do feel quite lousy, but I did suck it up and dragged my butt into work. Hopefully I get better soon as I hate this feeling.

Now one of the reasons I’m praying for a quick recovery is that I’m going to have to play a bit of football on Thursday. Since both the junior and senior teams are done for the season, it is time for our annual wrap-up. This means that we’ll be playing a little two-hand touch football and eating some pizza. It’s bad enough that I’m out of shape, but it will kill me when I’m less than one hundred percent. Let’s hope I don’t break anything important!

So this week I did have a bit more time to devote to railway matters, but certainly less than I hoped. I had wanted to at least get in a bit of writing on the Leeblain article, but things just didn’t pan out that way. Maybe this week?

On Saturday I took some time to tidy up my office and file a lot of information that had piled over the summer and fall. While I was at it, I decided to convert the last segments of old video that I had of my railway field work. This particular footage was shot in the summer of 1997, and was taken around Nolalu, Wolfe Siding and Mackies. I put the first video on YouTube on Sunday, and I hope to get the others up in the next few weeks.

The subject of this video is the area between Leeper (mile 31) and Nolalu (mile 34), which is one of the most unique from a historical perspective. It contains many telegraph poles and the remains of four bridges over the Whitefish River.  The most amazing of all is the third crossing, as it is the only bridge on the entire railway which has concrete abutments. Why this was done for this and this only bridge remains a mystery. I was last there in 2009 and I’m anxious to get back as soon as I can as I did not shoot any video on that hike; I’m sure much has changed it that time.

Rail bed, Leeper, August 2009.

Telegraph pole, Leeper, August 2009.

Telegraph pole, Leeper, August 2009.

Bridge remains, Leeper, August 2009.

Bridge remains, Leeper, July 2012.

Most of my railway time however was once again taken up by the Silver Mountain Historical Society. Our incorporation meeting is coming up in less than a month, and there’s a lot to do in that short period of time. I have a presentation to put together and there’s also the matter of recruiting as many members as possible.

In conversation with my fellow co-chair Shelley Simon (who’s also the proprietress of the Silver Mountain Station), we decided it was time to look into a website. I’ve registered the domain name and started work on the site. Web design unfortunately is not among the many skills in my repertoire, so I had to resort to using the provided web builder. It looks decent, but it could be a bit better (I am somewhat of a perfectionist though, which does colour my opinion). I want to unveil the site by the end of the week, and hopefully this will lead to some increased publicity for the society. Fingers are crossed!

Anyway, I’m kinda out of gas, so it’s time to wrap things up…more to say next week as usual. Until then…

 
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Posted by on November 13, 2012 in Hiking, Miscellaneous, Research, Writing

 

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