October, 2018:

Thunder Bay, Ontario – Part 2 – My Top 19 Picks

Thunder Bay, Ontario – Part 2 – My Top 19 Picks

Fort William was a city in Northern Ontario located on the Kaministiquia River at its entrance to Lake Superior. It amalgamated with Port Arthur and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. The city’s Latin motto was A posse ad esse (From a Possibility to an Actuality) featured on its coat of arms designed in 1900 by town officials. “On one side of the shield stands an Indian dressed in the paint and feathers of the early days; on the other side is a French voyageur; the center contains an elevator, a steamship and a locomotive, while the beaver surmounts the whole.”

In about 1684, Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, established a trading post near the mouth of the Kaministiquia River. French authorities closed this post in 1696 because of a glut on the fur market. In 1717, a new post, Fort Kaministiquia, was established at the river mouth. The post was abandoned in 1758 or 1760 during the British conquest of New France.

In 1803, the Nor ‘Westers established a new fur trading post on the Kaministiquia River and the post was named Fort William in 1807 after William McGillivray, chief director of the North West Company from 1804-1821. After the union of the North West Company with the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) in 1821 most trade shifted to York Factory on Hudson Bay. Two townships (Neebing and Paipoonge) and the Fort William Town Plot were surveyed in 1859-60 and opened to settlement.

By 1883-84, the Montreal-based CPR syndicate, in collaboration with the Hudson’s Bay Company, clearly preferred the low-lying lands along the lower Kaministiquia River to the exposed shores of Port Arthur, which required an expensive breakwater if shipping and port facilities were to be protected from the waves. The CPR subsequently consolidated all its operations there, erecting rail yards, coal-handling facilities, grain elevators and a machine shop.

Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
1306 Ridgeway Street East – It was constructed in 1911 with Simpson Island stone. This two and a half story European style home has many unique architectural characteristics which include the prominent red tiling on the high pitched gable roof as well as the light gray squared rubble that was used in the construction. The iron porch was added after Bishop E. Q. Jennings purchased the house in 1958. – Thunder Bay Book 3
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
1303 Ridgeway Street East – Strachan Residence – Cecil R. Strachan, a local jeweler, was the first owner. It is built in a Revival Period style, has a stucco exterior in a light gray-green color contrasted with hood molds found around the main entrance and windows on the first story. The entrance is embrasure with plain molding. Above the entry is a window with a baluster barrier. The bay windows of the facade of the house are divided with glazing bars. – Thunder Bay Book 3
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
1100 Ridgeway Street East – Windrose was built in 1910 for Frederick and Cora Morris – he was a solicitor in Fort William beginning in 1897. Queen Anne Revival style – red brick contrasted with cut stone, wood and a rubble stone coursed foundation. The front facade is asymmetrical and the roof line is irregular. The central bay is flat topped, another bay has a rounded dormer, and the third bay has a pointed dormer. The facade has two Palladian windows on the first floor, and a second floor bay window which suit the Queen Anne style. The house has two rounded verandas supported by classically inspired columns. – Thunder Bay Book 3
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
431 Selkirk Street South – The Murphy house and grounds, span a whole city block. They are a reminder of the days of Edwardian commercial wealth. The house is a three and a half story home in brick and stone. James Murphy arrived in Fort William in 1884 and earned his fortune by establishing the James Murphy Coal Company, after having gained valuable experience as a fuel contractor for the Canadian Pacific Railway. The company shipped fuel throughout Northwestern Ontario and into Manitoba. Members of the Murphy family remained in the mansion after the death of James Murphy in 1928, and the subdivision of the house into apartments in 1946. – Thunder Bay Book 3
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
541 Norah Street – two-story bay window, second and third floor balconies – Thunder Bay Book 3
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
410 Norah Street – Neo-colonial – Tudor half-timbering on gables – Thunder Bay Book 3
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
512 Marks Street South – Fort William Collegiate Institute was constructed in 1907 to house the ever increasing need for a secondary school in Fort William. A big reconstruction in 1918 added the Vocational Wing. A second addition was constructed in 1925, and a third in 1970. The stately structure acted as a symbol of social importance to the community. Constructed of brick and stone, the building is three and a half stories high and is eclectic in design. The main facade, which faces Marks Street South repeats its main architectural features on both the Isabella and Catherine Street sides. The building boasts impressive stonework and features large columns with Corinthian capitals which span from the second to third story. They are topped by a circular pediment with a decorated typanum below a stepped parapet. The oak doors of the main entrance as well as the woodwork in the lobby area add to the stately decor of the structure. – Thunder Bay Book 3
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
400 Catherine Street South – This house was built in 1911 for William Ross and his family. Ross worked as an engineer on the Canadian Pacific Railway and as the treasurer of Northern Engineering. Starting in 1947 the house was used by the Lakehead Board of Education. In 1966 it was sold and was divided into apartments and remains as such today. This two and a half story Tudor Revival home was constructed of red sandstone. Architectural features include the massive three story portico on the facade, and the truncated hipped roof. The north and south slopes of the roof each have a chimney. – Thunder Bay Book 3
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
121 McKellar Street South – Built in 1907 for owner Thomas P. Kelley, a local merchant, the house was later sold to Dr. R. Kerr Dewar who had fought in the First World War, returned home to study medicine and purchased this home in 1920. The first floor was converted to a medical clinic in 1928. The building is a good example of Edwardian Classicism. It has metal cresting on one of the dormer windows. The first and second floors both have distinctive Palladian windows with prominent keystones. On the front facade, the centrally placed wood covered porch is supported by brick piers. There is a two-story bay window. – Thunder Bay Book 4
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
440 South Syndicate Avenue – Built in 1911 as a union station by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR), the station served as a passenger terminal and as administrative headquarters for the vast grain-handling facilities that were the foundation of the community. Union Station is a good example of Beaux-Arts design applied to a railway station. Notable architectural features include a projecting central bay with stone quoins and two wheat sheaves carved in Bedford stone, an arched entrance with a transom light, and projecting end bays with pilasters topped with decorative elements. – Thunder Bay Book 4
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
130 South Syndicate Avenue – The Federal Building represents a turning point in the development of Fort William. The Federal Building was constructed between 1934 and 1936. It is an example of the Beaux-Arts style that employs classical decorative elements to achieve a monumental effect. The building shows attention to symmetry, proportion and detail throughout. Excellent craftsmanship and materials are seen in the rich detailing of the exterior stonework and also in the opulence of the interior finishes. – Thunder Bay Book 4
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
207-211 Brodie Street South – St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church was designed in the style of fourteenth century English Gothic. One of the most striking architectural features of the church is the massive tower at the northeast corner. It is made from Simpson islet grey/white sandstone. The main entrance, which faces Brodie Street, is composed of two Gothic arches with elaborate molds and is supported at the center and on either side by ten massive, polished granite columns. The ornamental cap of Bedford stone is beautifully carved, the design at the center being the Maple Leaf, while the one on the right is carved into a Rose and on the left, the Scottish Thistle. The label mold around the arches stops with two bosses, carved with Shamrocks in bold relief, while on the right arch finial is carved the Leek, representing Wales and on the left finial are the Lilies of France. These carvings are symbolic of the fact that everyone is welcome to the church. The main tower rises to a height of ninety-five feet and is supported by four angle buttresses. Square to the clock loft, it changes into an octagon and terminates in the well-known typical Gothic weathering of this period of architecture. Stained glass windows enhance the beauty of the church, depicting The Good Shepard, the Dove with the Olive Branch, a Wheat Sheaf, the Burning Bush and St. Andrew’s Cross. – Thunder Bay Book 4
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
216 Brodie Street South – The Brodie Resource Library, which opened in 1912, followed the architectural guidelines established by its benefactor, Mr. Andrew Carnegie. Resembling Palladian Renaissance architecture, the library’s symmetrical staircase entrance was embellished with a pair of Ionic columns enclosed by pilasters. Carnegie approached library design with symbolism in mind, and the staircase entrance was supposed to have denoted a person’s rise through intellectual learning. Brodie Street Resource Library’s entrance was renovated in 1966 to permit accessibility, and the pilasters were changed into square piers. The overall composition of the exterior is Neo-Renaissance in character. Red brick and limestone pilasters and columns rest on a heavy stone base. Arches and columns arranged symmetrically about the main entrance support a bracketed cornice. The cornice in turn supports a brick parapet which corresponds to the Renaissance balustrade. Other notable architectural features of the library are the arched windows and their surrounding decorative stonework, the stained-glass windows depicting famous authors, from Dante to Ibsen, the parapet inscribed ‘Public Library,’ and the ornamental scrolls which adorn it.
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
135 Archibald Street South – Vernacular style – The house which stands on the corner of Archibald and Miles Street was first owned by Sarah Jane and George Coo. It is thought that George designed the building which has an elegant and eclectic feel. The jutting turrets, arched entrance way and quarter-wheel windows are features which one wouldn’t expect on such a modest-sized structure. The house is characterized by an ostentatious conical turret with faux brickwork facade. The windows are all of varied shapes and sizes, lending themselves to the overall eclecticism of the house. The large window on the main floor has a shelf entablature above it; there is also a large stone sill supported by brackets. Above the double-hung window on the second level is a molded shelf which begins rather abruptly and continues around the turret.
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
701 Victoria Avenue East – The Chapple Building – In 1913, Fort William was designated the headquarters of the Grain Commission. A prominent building was constructed in the community with the facilities to handle and inspect grain. The structure housed offices on the third floor and the bottom two stories were rented to the Chapples Company as a department store. Chapples sold everything from “lady-ready-to-wear” to “hardware” and upon its opening in this building boasted a staff of one hundred. The facade of the building features Classical detailing. Some of the architectural features are large scale dentils located on the metal projecting cornice and brick piers with stone relief capitals creating seven bays. The building has a recessed entrance with Doric columns.
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
114 May Street South – Upon completion in 1929, the Royal Edward Arms hotel had 105 rooms, each furnished with a bath and there were an additional twenty-one simple rooms which were available for day rental. The dining room seated 150 people and the kitchen was well equipped to deal with busy dinner hours, with a dishwasher capable of washing 7,000 dishes per hour, a 40 gallon soup kettle and an 8 gallon coffee urn. A large ball room, a convention hall and a banquet hall were also features of the lavish hotel. The Royal Edward Arms was a successfully run hotel for many years. Many notable people spent nights at the hotel, with perhaps the most memorable visit being from the Royal Family; Queen Elizabeth II visited with Prince Charles in the 1950s and although they didn’t spend the night they did rent a day room. In the 1980s the hotel was converted to apartments. It is in the Art Deco style. Although the exterior has a stucco or plaster look to it especially with the decorative work, the entire building is concrete. Slipform Construction technique is a sliding-form construction method of pouring vertical concrete structures. It begins with the construction of a fixed-diameter form on top of a foundation, with a back-up support and bracing system to ensure that the form maintains its shape during movement. Inside and outside forms create the cavity of the wall, and inside this cavity, reinforcing steel is tied together vertically and horizontally to reinforce the concrete wall. The form is then connected to jack rods with hydraulic jacks, which automatically move the form vertically in minute increments as the concrete is being poured. Once pouring begins, it continues until the top of the structure is reached, allowing for a large poured concrete structure. This method of construction is typically used on large-scale storage silos and other vertical concrete structures, such as elevator cores and batch houses.
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
201 May Street North – The Revenue Canada Building is associated with the federal government’s expansion of services into smaller communities, and with its provision of well designed, up-to-date facilities. It was built from 1913-1916 when Fort William was one of the world’s largest grain-handling ports and a major trade and transportation point and railway terminal. The construction of the building reflects the unprecedented prosperity and optimism of the early twentieth century as well as the expansion of east-west trade and the economic importance of customs activities. The Revenue Canada Building is an example of Beaux-Arts Classicism. This style was commonly used by the Department of Public Works for public institutions in the early twentieth century. The building’s good craftsmanship and materials are demonstrated in its use of pale limestone veneer and granite accents on the two principal elevations and in the masonry details.
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
425 Donald Street East – Thunder Bay Museum – The Police Station and Court House was built in 1912. It is an example of the Edwardian Classical style of architecture. It had enough space for a Court room, separate cell blocks for men, women and juveniles, law clerk and magistrate offices as well as a public hall for meetings. A wide flight of curving stone stairs surrounded by a solid, stepped stone parapet leads to an imposing portico. Subdivided into three sections, the central portion of the facade is recessed and framed by two massive columns. The free standing columns rise two stories and are accented by two pilasters that are attached to the facade wall on both sides of the entrance. The placement of these pilasters gives the impression that there are four columns instead of two, creating an interesting optical illusion. The pilasters are also crowned by carved acanthus leaves and small volutes. The tapered columns are adorned by Roman Corinthian capitals. The columns support a massive molded architrave which extends across the facade; over the entrance is a pediment with a bull’s eye window. The date 1910 is in high relief on the broken pediment. The facade is rusticated stone up to the 2nd floor and the remainder of the facade is faced with Milton brick. Although the windows of the upper portion of the facade have been altered, the stone sills and lintels remain intact. The old police station was renovated to house the Thunder Bay Museum. The major exhibits of the Museum, which opened in 1997, have ample space as additions have been made to the already fair-sized structure.
Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
Kakabeka Falls is a waterfall on the Kaministiquia River located thirty kilometers (nineteen miles) west of the city of Thunder Bay. The falls have a drop of forty meters (one hundred and thirty feet), cascading into a gorge. The name “Kakabeka” comes from the Ojibwe word meaning “waterfall over a cliff”.

Thunder Bay, Ontario – Part 1 – Port Arthur – My Top 12 Picks

Thunder Bay, Ontario – Part 1 – Port Arthur – My Top 12 Picks

The City of Thunder Bay has three histories. The twin cities of Fort William and Port Arthur were amalgamated in 1970. Thunder Bay’s past is linked with the parallel but separate pasts of the two cities.

Port Arthur was a city in Northern Ontario which amalgamated with Fort William and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970.

With Confederation in 1867, Simon James Dawson was employed to construct a road and route from Thunder Bay on Lake Superior to the Red River Colony. The depot on the lake, where supplies were landed and stored acquired its first name in May 1870. It was named Prince Arthur’s Landing in honor of Prince Arthur, son of Queen Victoria who was serving with his regiment in Montreal.

Prospering from the CPR railway construction boom of 1882–1885, Port Arthur was incorporated as a town in March 1884, one year after acquiring its new name. The CPR erected Thunder Bay’s and western Canada’s first terminal grain elevator on the bay in 1883. The end of CPR construction along the north shore of Lake Superior and the CPR’s decision to centralize its operations along the lower Kaministiquia River brought an end to Port Arthur’s prosperity. Silver mining had been the mainstay of the economy for most of the 1870s. The silver mining boom of the 1880s came to an end with the passage by the U.S. Congress of the McKinley Tariff in October 1890. The town was in dire economic straits until 1897–1899 when the entrepreneurs William Mackenzie and Donald Mann acquired the Ontario and Rainy River Railway and the Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway, and chose Port Arthur as the Lake Superior headquarters for the Canadian Northern Railway. Port Arthur thrived as a trans-shipment and grain handling port for the CNR after the railway line was opened to Winnipeg in December 1901.

Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
349 Waverley Street – St. Paul’s United Church was built in 1914 in mixed styles of Georgian (stone window surrounds) and Late Gothic Revival (double towers, buttresses, and geometrical tracery). The facade appears complicated because of the two different towers, the arched entrance portico with balcony above, the elaborate tracery, and the crenelations on the roof lines. Constructed of local red brick, white Bedford limestone is used for accent. A wide segmental arch with molding frames the covered entry; the doors are placed to the right and left, in the base of the towers. Above the arch there are spandrels filled with floral relief ornament. The piers to either side of the arch conclude with tall pointed finials. The north wall above the balcony has three large segmental arched windows with stone surrounds. Shallow stepped buttresses in brick with triangular capstones separate the windows. The honeycomb window tracery is applied to the windows rather than the structure. A date stone, 1913, is located above the window. – Book 1
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
401 Red River Road – Port Arthur Collegiate Institute was constructed in 1909 of Simpson Island stone in the Queen Anne style. Due to decreasing enrollment, the school was closed in 2007. Lakehead University purchased the building and it is now the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law. Originally symmetrical, the school has a four-story central tower flanked by two three-story wings. The curved step-gables of the wings repeat the curved crenelations atop the tower. Rounded battlements project from the topmost corners of the tower and oriel windows from the second level. The entrance is on the first floor of the tower and reached through a round arch. Both the tower and the wings have buttresses at the corners. – Book 1
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
Red River Road – Queen Anne style with a three-story tower with string courses between the windows; there are cornice brackets below the octagonal roof, and along the rest of the roof line; there is a second floor balcony above the veranda. – Book 1
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
9 Water Street North – The Canadian National Railway Station was constructed in 1906 in the Chateauesque style. Brick is used on a symmetrical plan with Tyndall limestone used in the foundation and for decorative elements. The solid symmetrical arrangement of the masses and windows, combined with the Scottish Baronial style (the most noticeable characteristic of which is the bartizan, an overhanging corner turret), very high pitched roofs, multiple dormer windows, and crenelated turrets qualify this building as being a prime example of the “Railroad Gothic style” developed by the railway companies at the beginning of the twentieth century and is uniquely Canadian. The plan of this brick building with pitch-faced limestone trim consists of a long, low, gabled central section. The large square end towers have centrally hipped roofs. The towers each have a central gable with three square-headed windows under one lintel course, with a string course, supported by stone corbels, at the windowsill level. Above the windows there is a triangular tablet bearing a wheat sheaf, the letters CNR and the date 1905, in relief. The second story contains a triplet of round-headed windows with stone imposts and keystones; at the windowsill level there is a string course supported by a brick corbel table. The second story of the central section consists of a parapeted gable with a bull’s eye window below it. There is a frame canopy over the first story across the full length of the east wall; it is supported on frame brackets that rest on stone corbels. All the corners of the building have quoining. There is a tall brick chimney on the east slope of the roof over the central section. – Book 2
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
9 Water Street North end – The tower corners have bartizans with loophole windows, and stone bottoms and battlements.
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
170 Red River Road – The Pagoda Visitor Centre was constructed in 1909. It was built specifically to capture the attention of visitors to Port Arthur. It is an eclectic mixture of Roman, Greek (the peristyle formed by the columns surrounding the outside of the building which support the roof and is characteristic of basic elements of western architecture), Indian Islamic (mushroom or umbrella-shaped roof) and Scandinavian architecture. The cupola on top of the roof was originally designed so that bands could play to welcome visitors. Above the entrance is a large carved stone panel with a beaver and maple leaves. – Thunder Bay Book 2
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
170 Red River Road – Above the entrance is a large carved stone panel with a beaver and maple leaves.
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
146 Court Street North – McVicar Manor Bed and Breakfast is a 1906 Edwardian red brick home with three spacious rooms. It has a three-story turret, and a two-and-a-half tower-like bay, cornice brackets, Ionic pillars supporting a wraparound veranda. – Book 2
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
277 Camelot Street – The District Court House was constructed in 1924 in the Classical Revival style. The building is symmetrical and is constructed of structural steel with brick walls. The imposing exterior of the building includes the Classical pediment above the main entrance which is supported by four Corinthian columns. The white Tyndall limestone used for the columns, sills and the window casement rim contains visible fossils. – Book 2
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
38-40 Cumberland Street South at the corner of Lincoln – The former Ottawa House hotel is a distinctive three-story business block constructed of red brick in 1888. There is a wooden cornice at the roof line, decorative brick brackets which visually extend the cornice, and rectangular areas of patterned brickwork between the windows. Splayed brick forms an arch between the pairs of windows and the single window on the third-floor windows, and there are brick voussoirs above the second-story windows. There is a second-floor balcony above the corner entrance. The hotel was advertised as having fifty rooms, baths, a steam furnace, and electric light. – Book 2
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
17 Cumberland Street North – The Prince Arthur Hotel was built in 1911. The rooms were well heated and lighted; each one had hot and cold running water. The cost of a room for the night was as low as one dollar. Most early visitors to the Lakehead arrived by steamship or by rail, and disembarked at the stations near the Prince Arthur. The hotel was constructed of brick and stone and had a marble staircase. Six stories high, the building has prominent lintels above all upper floor windows, impressive massing, and decorative brick work on the top story. There are slightly projecting pilasters on the stone portion of the building and a cut stone string-course between the fifth and sixth stories. The original lake side entrance had formal terraced gardens and lawns that cascaded down to the Canadian Pacific Railway Station. The hotel was expanded in 1912 and again in 1920. A dining room, barbershop, newsstand, washrooms, writing room, balcony and extra wings were added. – Book 2
Architectural Photos, Thunder Bay, Ontario
12-22 Cumberland Street North – The Lyceum Theatre was built in 1909 to accommodate traveling shows and then later it was a movie theatre; now it is several offices and stores. Some of the significant architectural features are keystones with bearded faces, segmented semi-circular windows, and a large stone panel in the center of the facade with the name LYCEUM in large letters. The building is steel framed with brick facing and stone trim. – Book 2

Lake Superior, Dryden, Kenora, Ontario – My Top 8 Picks

Lake Superior, Dryden, Kenora, Ontario – My Top 8 Picks

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, and the third largest in volume. If the coast of Lake Superior was unraveled into a highway, it would extend 2,939 kilometers (1826 miles). The deepest spot is 406 meters (1,322 feet). Lake Superior presented many challenges to shipping. As interest in the resources of the north grew, investors wanted a more reliable form of transportation and the Algoma Central Railway was built. It was intended to bring iron ore and pulp logs from Wawa and Hearst to the mills of Sault Ste. Marie. With the completion of the railroad in 1914, loggers, tourists and artists traveled to places that had been difficult to reach.

Before Lake Superior Provincial Park was created, a group of artists came to paint pictures of Canada. J.E.H. MacDonald found a multi-channeled falls which he painted showing the foam, the reflections, the colors and the magic. These artists were experimenting with new techniques that showed the ruggedness and beauty of the land. Each fall between 1918 and 1922, members of the Group of Seven painted the newly accessible landscape of the Algoma region as the railway was built. They lived in a rented boxcar and traveled up and down the railway in a three-wheeled handcart called a velocipede. A canoe took them to locations away from the track. The bold new style of painting used vibrant colors.

The Agawa River Valley formed a natural pathway through the wilderness; a section of the railway follows the route through the Agawa Canyon.

When the first Europeans traveled to the Wawa region in the late 1600s, they were introduced to a rugged landscape occupied by the Ojibway people. Wawa means clear water. Somewhere along the way wawa may have been mistranslated to wild goose instead of wewe which means snow goose. The wild goose story stuck and thus was born Wawa’s legendary Wawa Goose.

Kenora is a small city situated on the Lake of the Woods in Northwestern Ontario, close to the Manitoba border. It is about two hundred kilometers (124 miles) east of Winnipeg. Kenora’s future site was in the territory of the Ojibway when the first European, Jacques de Novon, sighted Lake of the Woods in 1688. Pierre La Verendrye established a French trading post, Fort St. Charles, to the south of present-day Kenora near the current Canada/United States border in 1732, and France maintained the post until 1763 when it lost the territory to the British in the Seven Years’ War. In 1836 the Hudson’s Bay Company established a post on Old Fort Island, and in 1861, the Company opened a post on the mainland at Kenora’s current location.

In 1878, the company surveyed lots for the permanent settlement of Rat Portage (“portage to the country of the muskrat”) — the community kept that name until 1905, when it was renamed Kenora. Gold and the railroad were both important in the community’s early history: gold was first discovered in the area in 1850, and by 1893, twenty mines were operating within 24 kilometers (15 miles) of the town. The first Canadian ocean-to-ocean train passed through in 1886 on the Canadian Pacific Railway. A highway was built through Kenora in 1932, becoming part of Canada’s first coast-to-coast highway in 1943, and then part of the Trans-Canada Highway. In 1967, the year of the Canadian Centennial, Kenora erected a sculpture known as Husky the Muskie. It has become the town’s mascot and one of its most recognizable features.

A dramatic bank robbery took place in Kenora on May 10, 1973. An unknown man entered the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce heavily armed. After robbing the bank, the robber was preparing to enter a city vehicle driven by undercover police officer Don Milliard. A sniper positioned across the street shot the robber causing the explosives he was carrying to detonate and kill the robber. Most of the windows on the shops on the main street were shattered as a result of the blast.

Dryden is the second-largest city in the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario. It is located on Wabigoon Lake. The Dryden area is part of the Ojibway nation, which covers a large area from Lake Huron in the east to Lake of the Woods and beyond. The Ojibway are nomadic with groups from family to village size moving over the land with the seasons and the availability of game or the necessities of life. The settlement was founded as an agricultural community by John Dryden, Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture in 1895. While his train was stopped at what was then known as Barclay Tank to re-water, he noticed clover growing and decided to found an experimental farm the following year. The farm’s success brought settlers from other areas and the community came to be known as New Prospect. Pulp and paper came to the town in 1910. Today, its main industries are agriculture, tourism and mining. The town was the site of the March 10, 1989 crash of Air Ontario Flight 1363 which killed twenty-four people. Dryden is known by people passing by as the home of “Max the Moose”, Dryden’s 5.6 meters (18 foot) high mascot on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Photos, Lake Superior, Ontario
Lake Superior
Photos, Lake Superior, Ontario
Lake Superior
Photos, Lake Superior, Ontario
To the Ojibway, this river of fine white sand was known as Pinguisibi.
Photos, Lake Superior, Ontario
Here in the shelter of the Lizard Islands, the waters are warmer and shallower. The sand beaches of Katherine Cove are a great place for relaxing and having a picnic.
Photos, Wawa, Ontario
The famous Wawa Goose gazes out over the Trans-Canada Highway as it carries traffic through the Magpie River Valley. The Magpie River travels about one hundred and thirty kilometers over a number of scenic waterfalls (Steephill Falls, Magpie High Falls, and Silver Falls) until it merges with the Michipicoten River half a kilometer from its mouth on Lake Superior.
Photos, Nipigon, Ontario
Nipigon Bridge at sunset
Architectural Photos, Kenora, Ontario
Kenora Post Office – A.D. 1898 – Second Empire style – mansard roof with dormers, dichromatic brickwork, banding, three-story clock tower
Photo, Dryden, Ontario
Dryden