WILDHEART-VENTURES

Join David C. Whyte in professionally guided tour of Michipicoten Island by sea kayak in the summer of 2003. For details visit http://www.naturallysuperior.com

Michipicoten Island is tucked away in the northeast corner of the Canadian side of Lake Superior, approximately 54 kilometres west of Wawa and about 14 kilometres south of an uninhabited portion of Lake Superior's north shore. Wawa is about a 9 hour drive north of Toronto.

Michipicoten Island is uncompromising wilderness, and offers no services of any kind to the visitor. It is uninhabited except for a small seasonal community of summer cottagers clustered within Quebec Harbour on the island's southern shore. Those with the will and the skill to make the journey, will find lighthouses, abandoned mines, shipwrecks, wild surf, arctic plants, steep cliffs and volcanic rock. It is landscape rich in history and legend, surrounded by the vast, imposing expanse of Lake Superior. If this is the kind of place that appeals to you, read on.

The most usual means of reaching Michipicoten Island is by chartering a boat based at an adjacent mainland harbour such as Buck's Marinaon the Michipicoten River. Another option is to contact Anderson Fishery (705-856-4835). They operate diesel fishing tugs out of their own dock on Lake Superior near Wawa, and these can be chartered. The boats aren't fancy, but the service is friendly and reliable. Since passage to the island from the mouth of the Michipicoten River requires a 54 kilometre (34 mile) open water crossing of a portion of Lake Superior, accessibility is highly dependent on the weather. For those who prefer to leave planning and navigational worries to the professionals, fully outfitted paddling tours of Michipicoten Island, including vehicle and boat shuttles, sea kayak rentals, and paddling instruction, are offered by Naturally Superior Adventures.

A fly-in fishing camp, located on Michi Lake near the island's west end is operated by Hawk Air. Their packages include transportation by float plane and use of a boat on Michi Lake.

The majority of the island is a non-operating provincial park and is accessible to the public, but no facilities have been developed and no services of any kind are offered. More information about Michipicoten Island Provincial Park can be obtained from the Park Office, currently located at Lake Superior Provincial Park.: P.O. Box 267 Wawa, Ontario P0S 1K0, (705) 856-2284.

The first printed reference to the island appeared in the journals of Jesuit missionaries and explorers such as Dablon, Brule and Grenole, who travelled Lake Superior from 1617 until the time of the British conquest of New France in 1760. The island made its first appearance on French maps in about 1647. Missipacouatong (or according to one source Mishipikwadina) was the name provided to the French by the Ojibway, and is variously translated as "great bluff," or "land of the big bluffs," or "there is a big bluff," or "there is high land in the form of a large knob." The bluffs and knobs are thought to refer to the high cliffs characteristic not only of parts of the island, but also of the adjacent mainland shore. Indeed, Father Claude Dablon, writing in The Jesuit Relation of 1669-1670, does not assign the name "Missipicouatong" to the island. Rather, he states that it is an island opposite a location on the mainland of that name.

For a time, the island was known by the French as Ile de Maurepas, in honour of Jean Frederic Phelippeaux, le Compte de Maurepas who was the government minister in charge of the French navy during the final struggles with the British in Canada in the mid-17th century. The name Ile de Maurepas remained associated with the island until the capture of Quebec by the British in 1759, when the Ojibway name came back into favour. In accordance with their usual practice, the British rubbed off all the awkward consonants and the tricky set of triple vowels and anglicized the name as Michipicoten (with some minor variations in spelling).

Michipicoten Island was a mysterious and foreboding place to those native people resident in the Lake Superior basin at the time of the first European contact, and the chilling tales spun by the Ojibway found their way into the journals of the early European explorers. Consider the following report from the journal of Captain Jonathan Carver circa 1766:

"One of the Chipeways told me that some of their people were once driven onto the Island de Maurepas which lies to the north-east part of the lake and found on it large quantities of heavy shining yellow sand.... Being struck with the beautiful appearance of it, in the morning, when they re-entered their canoe, they attempted to bring some away; but a spirit of amazing size, according to their account 60 feet in height, strode into the water after them and commanded them to deliver back what they had taken away. Terrified at his gigantic stature and seeing that he had nearly over taken them, they were glad to restore their shining treasure; on which they were suffered to depart without further molestation. Since this incident, no Indian that has ever heard of it will venture near the same haunted coast...."

Some of Michipicoten's mystique may have arisen from the persistent fog banks that often cloak its forested slopes and shoreline in the summertime. When these fogs further obscure the already limited view of the island from the adjacent mainland shore, they give the impression that the island has wandered away from its usual position, returning from its occasional journeys upon the return of clear weather. Thus was born the tale of a floating island inhabited by spirits and strange beasts. The occasional thunderstorms that inhabit the island's cloud banks added nicely to the effect, providing voices for the spirits that lived there.

In addition to its density, vegetation on Michipicoten is known for its variety. On the one hand, the island's forests contain a southward extension of the boreal forest: that vast, brooding belt of conifers such as black spruce, interspersed with trembling aspen, white birch, balsam poplar and mountain ash, that stretches across Canada and extends southward from the tree line to Lake Superior. The boreal species are tolerant of cold; or more specifically, they are able to grow and reproduce in areas where summer warmth is limited in degree and duration. On Michipicoten, these species are generally found adjacent to the coastline and in low-lying valleys, where cool, damp air from Lake Superior suppresses summer temperatures. On the other hand, Michipicoten Island also contains a northern extension of the hardwood forests typical of the lower Great Lakes and the valley of the St. Lawrence River. Typical species include sugar maple, red oak and yellow birch. On Michipicoten, these species are generally found inland and at higher elevations, away from the chill and fog of the lake. It is these forests, more commonly associated with the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region, that provide carpets of wild flowers in the spring and much of the brilliant red and yellow foliage visible on Michipicoten Island in the fall.

It is pleasing to report that the Michipicoten Island caribou relocation program appears to have been very successful. Within three years of the relocation, the island's woodland caribou population had tripled to approximately twenty-four. An aerial survey completed in 1992 by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources suggested that the herd had grown to approximately one hundred. At present, woodland caribou are plentiful on the island, numbering in excess of two hundred.

The variety in Michipicoten's woodlands is reflected in that of its bird population. Approximately sixty species of birds have been observed on Michipicoten, ranging from ruby throated hummingbirds to bald eagles. A nesting area for great blue heron is located on Hope Island, south of Quebec Harbour.

The island's general appearance can be likened to that of a rocky fortress constructed in anticipation of a sea-borne invasion from the north. The topography is dominated by a series of steep, north facing cliffs, ranged along the northern shoreline. The steepest of these rise abruptly about 200 metres (650 feet) above lake level and are topped by hills, which greatly add to their overall height. The island's highest point, about 305 metres (1000 feet) above lake level, is known as "The Saddleback" and is located in the north-western corner of the island, north-east of Michi Lake and about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) inland from the island's north shore. The north-facing cliffs have relatively gentle south facing slopes, which dip gradually toward the island's south shore. This gentle southward dip is broken by a series of parallel east-west ridges formed by bedrock outcrops in the island's interior. The valleys between the ridges are occupied by a number of lakes of appreciable size. The largest of these is Channel Lake, which is about 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) long, with an average width of about 400 metres (1300 feet).

A prominent sea cave is located near the northwest corner of the island, formed by the action of waves cutting into the relatively soft volcanic rock.

A 9 kilometre (5.5 mile) long chain of narrow islands, formed by the top of a submerged ridge, extends along Michipicoten's south coast westward from the mouth of Quebec Harbour. The islands lie parallel to the Michipicoten shoreline at a distance of about 1 to 1.5 kilometres off shore. The largest of these is Davieaux Island (historically known as Long Island), which is about 2 kilometres (1.3 miles) long by about 150 metres wide.

Geology

Michipicoten Island is volcanic in origin and has been little affected by subsequent geologic activity. Some geologists have therefore referred to its rock formations as "fresh." Given that the rock was formed from volcanic eruptions that took place during the Late Precambrian era about 900 million years ago, this freshness must be considered a relative term. Michipicoten's volcanic rock includes Andesite, Rhyolite, and Basalt.

The southward dip of the island's topography is an expression of the southward movement of extruded molten rock (lava) and of underground intrusions of molten rock (magma), from vents and fissures thought to have been located near the island's north shore. Some rock formations contain lava "pillows," evidence of underwater release of molten rock and volcanic ash. Small amounts of sedimentary rock including sandstone and conglomerate are also exposed on the island. The relative freshness of the volcanic rock, the presence of formations that are not found elsewhere in Ontario, and the presence of chemical constituents not normally found in mid-continental volcanic rock, all work together to make the island a special place for some geologists. Small quantities of copper, nickel and silver have been found in the island's volcanic rocks, along with deposits of agates.

Mining History

The first human exploitation of Michipicoten copper is assumed to have taken place by early native inhabitants of the region. As an example, evidence of prehistoric mining dating back 300 to 500 years has been found on Isle Royale in western Lake Superior. As evidenced by the previously described legends, the native people of the region at the time of the European contact were certainly aware of the existence of copper on Michipicoten, although they did not appear to be making active use of it. Indeed, they appeared to have a deep aversion to visiting the island. One of the first specific European references to copper on Michipicoten, was made in 1710 by Antoine Raudot of New France. There are no records that suggest that the French made any serious effort to locate and exploit this copper.

After the capture of New France by the British, the English adventurer and trader, Alexander Henry, set up a base of operations at Michipicoten Bay, near the mouth of the Michipicoten River, in the late 1760's and early 1770's. He was apparently the first European to systematically search for commercially exploitable minerals on Michipicoten Island. His efforts were unsuccessful.

The initial modern discovery of a copper deposit on Michipicoten Island was made in May of 1846 during explorations by Charles Jones, a law student from Toronto, working in partnership with the Macdonell brothers (Angus from Toronto and Allan from Hamilton). In the fall of 1846, they joined forces with a group of Quebec merchants and lawyers to form the Quebec and Lake Superior Mining Association. By the mid 1880's, optimism on Michipicoten was still running high despite repeated failures to find profitable ore deposits. There were various reports of "mines" being established, but there was very little actual production. The main focus of mining activity was at the so called "Quebec Mine", opposite the Quebec Rocks near the island's northwest corner.

The known presence of copper on Michipicoten, combined with the overwhelming success of mines on the American side of the Lake, located in what was apparently the same geological formation, continued to draw capitalists and prospectors to the island like moths to an open flame. Following the demise of the Quebec and Lake Superior Mining Association, mining activity was resumed with new vigour by the Michipicoten Native Copper Company, an English owned venture in which Matthew Curtis, the Lord Mayor of Manchester, eventually became a major partner. Following the failure of this venture, ownership of the mine passed to Joseph Cozens of Sault, Ste. Marie Ontario, who continued to search for copper and new investors without success. Standard Oil of New Jersey expressed some interest in the property in the early 1900's, but again, nothing was found.

Thus, after numerous fruitless efforts spanning more than fifty years, the buildings and equipment of the Michipicoten Island mines were finally allowed to decay and the island spirits returned to their interrupted slumber.

Commercial Fishing

Commercial fishing on Michipicoten dates back to approximately 1839, when the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) set up a fishing station at Quebec Harbour on Michipicoten Island's south coast, to supply its Lake Superior trading posts. Most of the fish taken in these early days were dried, salted and consumed locally. The HBC fishing station was subsequently taken over by three successive owners: by Alfred Booth (Booth Packing Company of Chicago) in 1860, by James Purvis and his son, Ivan (of Gore Bay, Ontario) in 1934, and finally, by Ferroclad Fisheries (of Batchawana Bay, Ontario) in 1959. Each of these companies packed their catch in ice and marketed them to third parties. Fishermen in the employ of the Quebec Mine joined the commercial fishermen at Quebec Harbour in the early 1880's, and their portion of the catch was consumed on the island.

Prior to the arrival of sea lamprey in Lake Superior in about 1938, the most important commercial species harvested by the Quebec Harbour fishery were lake trout and whitefish. As the population of sea lamprey in Lake Superior exploded in the 1940's and 1950's, the fishery collapsed. At present, a small-scale commercial fishery based on the mainland still utilizes portions of the lake in the vicinity of Michipicoten Island, harvesting primarily whitefish. The battle to control sea lamprey in the great lakes continues.

The Lighthouses

Michipicoten Island boasts three lighthouses, the largest of these being the Point Maurepas, or East End Light, located at the island's eastern extremity. It was built in 1911 during a time of ambitious upgrading and expansion of Canada's system of navigational aids for shipping, under the direction of Colonel William P. Anderson, head of the Lighthouse Board of the Department of Marine and Fisheries. The light is mounted in a white hexagonal tower 21 metres (71 feet) high, constructed of steel-reinforced concrete in a "flying buttress" style. The East End Light was automated in 1983 and has been designated as a heritage structure by the Canadian government. The light, now powered by solar panels, is still in active service, though the foghorn has been deactivated.

Originally constructed in 1911, the Davieaux Island Light is an automated, solar powered light, mounted in a white hexagonal concrete tower 13 metres (44 feet) high. It is located on the north side of Davieaux Island, about 1 kilometre south of the main island, opposite the mouth of Quebec Harbour. The Davieaux Island Light replaced earlier wooden beacons located on Agate Island (in Quebec Harbour) and on Purvis Point (on the east side of the harbour mouth).

The West End Light is a utilitarian structure located on West End Island, near the south-west corner of the main island. This homely but efficient automated light is mounted on a metal mast 8.5 metres (28 feet) high.

Ship Wrecks

Rock-bound, foggy islands usually attract their share of shipwrecks and Michipicoten is no exception to this general rule. The remains of at least seven vessels lie in island waters; some deliberately scuttled at the conclusion of their usefulness, others driven ashore in the midst of their duties, their cargoes scattered, their journeys forever unfinished.

The largest Michipicoten Island wreck is the Chicago, a steel-hulled vessel, 99 metres (324 feet) in length, built at Buffalo, New York in 1901. Staffed by a crew of 31, she was driven aground off the island's west end during a snow storm, on October 23, 1929 while carrying a mixed cargo including paint, zinc ingots, flour and fence posts. She sank in December of the same year during an unsuccessful salvage operation.

The wrecks of two steam tugboats, formerly employed in the island's commercial fishery, lie in shallow water near the east end of Quebec Harbour. One of these was an old war-horse called the Captain Jim. She was built in Godrich, Ontario in 1902 and was scuttled in the harbour in the early 1940's, after springing a chronic leak in her rotting timbers.

A second harbour wreck is the remains of the early 20th century steam tug Billy Blake which caught fire and sank in the late 1940's. Owned by a cousin of the Purvis Family, she was the last of the steam tugs employed in the Quebec Harbour fishery.

Quebec Harbour also contains the remains of the Hiram R Dixon. This 45 metre (147 foot) long, propeller-driven coastal steamer was built at Mystic, Connecticut by the Mystic Marine Railway & Machine Company in 1883. She was owned by A. Booth and Company of Chicago and was employed in the conveyance of passengers and general freight. The vessel was written off after running aground on Dixon Reef, about 8 kilometres east of the Harbour. She was then towed to Quebec Harbour, scuttled and burned on August 18, 1903.

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Allan Macdonell was a key member of a group of southern Ontario lawyers and entrepreneurs who in 1845 received a license from the colonial government's Department of Crown Lands to explore for minerals in the Lake Superior region. At about the same time, Macdonell also negotiated a mineral lease of Michipicoten Island from the Lake Superior Ojibways. He felt sure that Michipicoten Island was a treasure trove of copper and regardless of whether the Island's owners ended up being the Ojibway or the British Crown, he wanted those mineral rights.

Things started looking good a year later when Charles Jones, a member of Macdonell's group and a law student from Toronto, discovered what was thought to be a major strike of copper on the Island. At this time in Canada's history most of the money and power in the colony lay in Quebec (what was then called Lower Canada).The group therefore immediately sought investors from Quebec to help develop their find. Thus, by the fall of 1846, the group had negotiated a partnership with some Quebec lawyers and merchants to form the Quebec and Lake Superior Mining Association.

The partnership was short lived. Just a year later the new consortium broke up, apparently because of Macdonell's dissatisfaction with the Quebec group's exploration plans. Perhaps he was used to running his own show and was frustrated by what he saw as interference from his distant financial backers. It also seems that the Quebec partners were interested primarily in selling the mining rights to the Island for profit, while the Macdonell group were interested in developing and mining the site. As a result of the break-up, both groups claimed to own the mining rights to Michipicoten Island. In 1847, members of Macdonell's group surveyed mining locations at either end of Michipicoten, while Macdonell himself surveyed locations on the mainland shore including Pt. aux Mines and Mamainse. Meanwhile, the former Quebec partners staked out claims of their own under the management of John Bonner, a Quebec City merchant.

In 1849 the pending treaty negotiations between the Government and the Ojibway of the Lake Superior region made Macdonell nervous. He had just negotiated a long term lease to the island from the Ojibway and therefore did not want them to sign away their rights to Michipicoten to the Government. His Ojibway lease was a strong bargaining chip in his dispute with his former Quebec partners. Macdonell's motives in becoming directly involved in the negotiations appear to have been two fold. On the one hand, he may have had a genuine humanitarian interest in protecting the rights of the Ojibway. On the other hand, he was also motivated to defend his own mining interests in the Lake Superior Region. Fluent in the Ojibway language, he began by poisoning the atmosphere; suggesting to the Ojibway that the government was not negotiating in good faith. Next he convinced the Ojibway to appoint him as their chief negotiator, claiming that he was in the best position to protect their interests. Accordingly, Shinguakouse (Shingwauk), the principal chief at Garden River (north of Sault Ste. Marie), and Chief Nebenaigooching of Batchawana announced that their bands would negotiate only through Mr. Allan Macdonell.

Government policy was to deal only directly with the Ojibway when negotiating land claims, so when Macdonell rose to speak at a treaty meeting, the government negotiators adjourned the proceedings. Undeterred, Macdonell continued to speak inciting the Ojibway to defy the Government even as the government negotiators filed out of the room. This eventually lead to a rift among the Ojibway, some of whom backed Macdonell and some of whom did not.

Macdonell also fought his campaign on another more direct front. In 1849 he used his connections with some of the Ojibway to strike a blow for native rights, and at the same time get some revenge on his former partners from the Quebec and Lake Superior Mining Association. In November, 1849, he lead a band of Ojibway and Metis north from Sault Ste. Marie along the eastern shore of Lake Superior for about 200 miles to Mica Bay, and there, attacked the mining installations of the Quebec Mining Company. This attack by an armed force (estimates of the numbers involved vary from 30 to 100) caused the company agent, John Bonner (for whom Michipicoten Island's Bonner Head is named), to surrender without resistance. The government was sufficiently alarmed to send a force of 100 rifles to suppress this "Indian uprising". The incident was easily ended. In December Macdonell and another white participant, Wharton Metcalfe, were arrested, as were two Metis and two Ojibway chiefs including Shinguakouse. All were sent to Toronto for trial, but were later released.

By 1850, treaty negotiations between the Ojibway and the Government were in full swing. Macdonell continued his attempts to stir up ill will, suggesting that John Bonner has planning to attack Michipicoten Island and seize it from the Ojibway. Perhaps at Macdonell's suggestion the Ojibway initially requested that Michipicoten Island and other mining locations on the Superior mainland, including those that had been leased to Macdonell, be retained by them as part of their reserve lands. Macdonell had an agreement with the Ojibway that he would employ them as miners and thus help train them work their own claims. But when the final treaty was signed in September of 1850, all the mining locations were ceded to the crown and control of Michipicoten Island passed to the Department of Crown lands in Toronto. Macdonell's lease is not mentioned in the treaty. But he continued to keep a close watch on the situation. He was present at treaty signing ceremony and even signed the treaty document as a witness.

Meanwhile the Quebec partners, in defiance of Macdonell, continued to exert claim to all of Michipicoten Island and even sent agents to England to try to sell their interests to British capitalists. Macdonell continued the fight to defend his claim to the island. He sent agents of his own to England. He also thwarted an impending sale of the island by the Quebec Group by intercepting some potential purchasers and personally warning them to back off. He was successful, and the would-be investors returned to England, scared off by the uncertainty.

Initially Macdonell may have thought that the Department of Crown Lands would honour the lease agreement he had made with the Ojibway, or at least would come down on his side in his dispute with his former partners, but by 1853, his fears we realized when the Department granted a mining license for all of Michipicoten Island to John Bonner, on behalf of the hated Quebec Company.

In light of the above, can it possibly be a coincidence that shortly thereafter in 1854, the Quebec Mine on Michipicoten Island was attacked by a group of Ojibway? Given Macdonell's involvement in the previous attack at Mica Bay, his perception that he was cheated out of his claims, and his influence over some factions of the local Ojibway, it seems reasonable to assume that he was behind this later attack, but contemporary records do not provide sufficient information to verify this theory. The attack is referred to in some documents as the Michipicoten Island Indian War, but use of the word "war" seems to be a bit of an overstatement. The miners on Michipicoten Island fled to Sault Ste Marie for safety but were back at work on the island by 1855.

Treaty Research Report - The Robinson Treaties, Robert J. Surtees, Treaties and Historical Research Centre, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 1986.

"The Mica Bay Affair: Conflict on the Upper Lakes Mining Frontier, 1840-1850", Nancy M.

Our story begins in February 1918, when the Canadian Car and Foundry Company in Fort William Ontario landed a large contract to build 12 minesweepers for the French navy. The company's main product was actually railway cars, but because of the demands of WW I, all shipbuilding plants were already fully committed to other projects. The company won the contract by promising to have all twelve ships completed by October 1918, so the entire contract would have to be completed in just 8 months. The first 6 weeks were taken up by building a ship assembly plant since all the existing facilities were being used to build rail cars. The assembly building was large enough to allow 6 ships to be built at a time. It was roofed over, but left open at the sides.

Work proceeded at a frantic pace. The first ship was launched in July, followed rapidly by the remaining 5 of the first set of 6. The schedule was so tight that work commenced on the keel the second set of ships within half an hour of the first 6 launches. Some men worked shifts as long as 36 hours. As each vessel was completed and equipped, her two 120 mm guns were tested in the harbour, adding to the din of ship construction. The ships were 44 metres (145 ft) wide by 7 metres (23 ft) wide with two 120 mm deck guns. They were state of the art, well designed vessels, each containing 6 water-tight compartments in their steel hulls. In keeping with the martial sprit of the times, each of the 12 ships was named after a French military victory.

Ultimately the crushing schedule was met, and the last hull was launched in October 1918. One reason for the tight schedule was the need to get the ships all the way from the Lakehead to the Atlantic Ocean before the canals at Sault Ste Marie, Welland, and Montreal froze up. Each ship therefore set out on its seaward journey the very day it was completed. It happened that the last three ships left the Lakehead on the same day, November 23, 1918. These were the Sebastopol, the Inkerman and the Cerisoles. Each vessel was manned by about 40 French sailors along with a Canadian pilot. As is often the case in November, Lake Superior did not offer a gentle passage. The Sebastopol lost sight of the other two vessels during a severe storm, but finally made it through to Sault Ste Marie with her engine room partly flooded. Neither of the other two ships reached the Sault. Some wreckage was spotted off Grand Marais in Northern Michigan, but the Inkerman and the Cerisoles were never seen again. The most widely believed theory is that both ships capsized because of the high waves combined with the weight of the deck guns.

So, how is all this connected with Michipicoten Island? Seasonal island resident Mort Purvis related the following story to the author in 2001:

"Shortly after they moved to the island Dad and my Grandfather were exploring with a small boat for potential shallow water shoals to set on. They went ashore at West Sand Bay and found two skeletons that had washed up. They had the remains of naval uniforms and French ID tags. They put the remains in a wooden fish box and buried them above the water line without a marker, feeling that someone would be digging them up as curios or ornamental skulls or something. They sent the ID tags in to the authorities."

The Purvis family heard nothing further about the matter, and the origin of the skeletons was never publicly verified.

Could these bones have belonged to crewman of the doomed World War I minesweepers ? According to contemporary reports, the Canadian-built vessels did carry a compliment of French sailors prior to their actual delivery to the French navy, but could skeletons have lain unreported at West Sand Bay for 16 years? Given the remoteness of the location, it seems possible. But there is a more important question: could bodies from ships that met their end at least 120 kilometres south east of Michipicoten have ended up washed up on the Island's shore ? For the answer to that question we have to go back even further in time to the year 1913 when at least one other grisly relic of Lake Superior's infamous gales of November found it's way to Michipicoten Island's lonely shores.

The journey began in November of 1913, during a the height of a violent early winter storm, when the 525 foot steel hulled bulk carrier Henry B Smith left the safety of the harbour at Marquette Michigan, eastbound for the Sault with 11,000 tons of iron ore and a crew of twenty-four men under Captain James Owen. Observers on shore remarked on the unusual sight of a lake freighter leaving port under such conditions and speculated that the vessel would soon return to the docks. But Captain Owen was behind schedule and had every confidence in the ability of his large 7 year old vessel and seasoned crew to handle any punishment the Lake could deal out. Unfortunately such confidence was misplaced. The observers on shore would never see the ship again.

Several days after the storm ended, fishermen discovered wreckage floating off Grand Marais, Michigan, about 105 kilometres (65 miles) east of Marquette. The flotsam included a ladder stencilled HENRY B. SMITH, a single oar, a piece of a deckhouse and two cabin doors. Later, three more oars were found , washed ashore on Shot Point, just east of Marquette. Nearly two weeks later , the body of Henry Askin, a cook on the Smith, was found in the same general area.

It wasn't until the following spring that Superior gave up a final pathetic remnant of the tragedy. On May 9, 1914, the badly decomposed remains of Chief Engineer John Gallagher were discovered on Michipicoten Island., 7 months after the disaster and 130 kilometres (80 miles) away from the probable site of the sinking. No trace of the other 22 crewmen was ever found and the location of the wreck of the Smith is still unknown .

So if the bones discovered by Ivan Purvis, really did belong to sailors from the French minesweepers, they were not the first remains to make the long, cold, final journey from Superior's Michigan shore.

Can-Car - A History, 1912 to 1922, Gordon Burkowski, Bombardier, Thunder Bay, 1995.

Photo Credits and Contributors:
Jacqueline A.Gordon
Michael Purvis
Mort Purvis
National Archives of Canada
David C. Whyte