Logging Chutes with a Difference by Back Roads Bill Before you read this story watch this heritage video by Dan Larocque, all part of his family heritage – wonderful heritage footage. Gillies Log Slide Then… There are “neat” things to see on the back roads, some are well hidden; most of the time they disappear with the passing of time. But not the steel logging chutes found near the Matabitchuan Generating Station (GS). Most logging chutes were made of hewn timber and were either dismantled or slowly decomposed. These are so different, a “diamond in the rough” when considering our industrial heritage. The use of chutes to transport logs...
Natural Navigation – Basic Signs Which Way? Getting Turned Around Two Experts – Near and Afar by Back Roads Bill Social scientists have some very specific ideas about what you’re really saying in your Facebook updates. In our age of technological overload, people are often tired of hearing and seeing too many photos of what others are doing every second of every day. Even your mom, at this point, probably doesn’t care what you had for dinner or after too many posters; video clips of “watch this,” moments; cats and dogs doing tricks. What are you left with? While scrolling, it is the outdoors experiences I look for and...
Tunnel Vision – More Last Spikes – Two Stories – Two Railways by Back Roads Bill Sometimes after reading superlatives like the biggest or best you get thinking about other things that may be as equal. We know the well-known black and white photograph featured in the introduction of Pierre Berton’s ‘The Last Spike.’ All those men with the long beards and moustaches and tall hats. It was the ceremonial driving of the CPR’s last spike into the rail bed in the Craigellachie Mountains within British Columbia’s interior. Some of the major figures of Canadian history are there, Donald Smith, William Van Horne and Sir Sandford Fleming. But there...
White Pine – Ontario Symbol – Meaningful to Us Snowshoe to Old Growth By Back Roads Bill You’ll be on your snowshoes, look out for the tracks! The Ontario Sasquatch organization is proud to feature the Eastern White Pine as one its distinctive symbols. Its members (www.ontariosasquatch.com) feel this tree, with the distinctive asymmetrical shape, aptly represents the many wilderness settings that are considered possible Sasquatch habitat. For all of us it is our provincial arboreal symbol. The tree identified botanically as Pinus strobus Linnaeus and popularly known as white pine, as is the trillium, became an official emblem in 1990. Artists, like the Group of Seven, have immortalized...
The White Otter Castle of Northern Ontario – Love Story and Dedication to Heritage Preservation by Back Roads Bill Within the why and how of non-fiction there is a story. And in the story there is usually a person who makes a real difference. A memorable story with feelings and emotions can only be told by a person who is intimate with the details. This person has to live and value heritage at a scale that inspires action and dedication, beyond the scope of a job. The White Otter Castle is a story that could have only happened in the wilderness of Northern Ontario. And it is a cabin...
Hudson Bay Co. Outpost Cemetery – Heritage Lesson of Research and Determination Abandoned – Not Forgotten Cemetery Genealogy – Tracing Heritage – One Person – Our Heritage by Back Roads Bill Found it. The first thing you notice as you climb the clay river bank is the rhubarb, lilac bushes and Forget-me-not plants, not native to the boreal forest. Someone once lived here for sure, an initial impression and sense of place. It is not far from a destination where you will enjoy a breathtaking vista, a towering gorge and revel in the sounds of the roaring water as it plunges into a pool many tens of metres below....
A Marsh that Matters – Continental Flyway Stopover Volunteers – Birders’ Paradise “Hummers” and New Species Bird Banding Centre – Photographers Dream Destination by Back Roads Bill Not sure if this is a story about a wetland that matters or listening to hummingbird’s heart beat? These are real “hummers” alright, not the once iconic, 4X4 luxurious off-road vehicle. And for the adage, “Birds of a feather flock together,” it is not necessarily true. If you are a “birder” or not, the Hilliardton Marsh just north of Temiskaming Shores (New Liskeard) comprises 728 hectares (1798 acres); it is designated as a provincially significant wetland and wildlife area. A marsh is...
