Where would we be today without our electricity?  As Algoma’s  industrial  activities began to thrive and evolve at the turn of the 20th century, the abundant rivers and  plentiful waterfalls of the ancient Ojibway and fur trade river routes became the focus of hydro power developers. While Sault Ste. Marie becomes a centre for alternate forms of renewable energy sources, it is worth noting Northern Algoma’s long history of hydro-electric generation for over 125 years.

Attempts to harness the power of the rushing rapids on the St. Mary’s River began in 1875.  It was not until 1894 when Francis Hector Clergue arrived on the scene with his background in hydro development in the U.S. that Sault Ste. Marie had a reliable
source of power for the newly incorporated city.  Always one to want to maximize profit, Clergue knew that lucrative industrial development needed to go hand in hand
with an efficient and cost-effective power generation venture.

The formation of Algoma Steel in 1901 included ownership of water power rights on the St. Mary’s River and the current power canal was constructed.  In 1916, organization at Algoma Steel led to the emergence of Great  Lakes Power Company which took over the rights to water power development on the St. Mary’s. Twenty-four power generation units were installed at the station, many of which were still being utilized prior to the plants replacement by the F.H.Clergue Generating Station
in 1981.  
 
The dramatic succession of cascades over the 90 foot Michipicoten High Falls on the Michipicoten River was once the home of the infamous  Long Portage (2.8 kms) for centuries.  It also became the site of the first hydro operation in Northern Algoma. 
D. B. Deitweiler of Berlin (Kitchener), Ontario completed the “run of the river dam” in 1907 to provide power to the Helen Iron Mine and gold mines in the area. In 1906, the birth the Magpie Mine north of Wawa led to the construction of a hydro dam at Steephill Falls on the Magpie River.  Steephill produced electricity for the 100’s of miners and their families at both the  Magpie and the Helen Mine until 1924.  The dam was abandoned and can still be viewed today as one of the only remaining sites of a flat buttress style dam in Canada.

In 1927 the Michipicoten High Falls hydro plant was purchased and upgraded by the
Algoma District Power Company Limited.  In 1929, a 112-mile transmission line was completed from High Falls to  Sault Ste. Marie so hydro could be purchased by Great Lakes Power to supply the growing needs of the Sault and area.  
 
The impressive scenery along the Montreal River depicted by the Group of Seven provided the backdrop for the construction MacKay and Andrews power generating stations in 1937 and 1938 respectively.  The MacKay station today has the largest generating capacity of all the Northern Algoma plants at  62 mega watts (mW) and has a reservoir upstream which extends approximately 40 kilometres.  
 
Below normal water levels and increased industrial growth and development throughout Algoma in the 1950’s heightened the need for expansion of  hydro generation abilities  throughout the district. The Scott Falls plant, located 1.5 miles downstream from High Falls on the Michipicoten was producing power by 1953. Two miles upstream from High Falls, the McPhail Falls hydro plant was completed in September of 1954.  Four years later, the last dam on the Michpicoten at Hollingsworth was constructed 9 miles upstream from the McPhail location. 
Downstream of the MacKay, the Gartshore (1958) and the Hogg (1965) completed the collection of hydro generating stations on the Montreal River.

Lucrative developments in the big business of power generation  led to the redevelopment of facilities at Steephill Falls as well as 2 brand new operations on the Magpie River at Scenic High Falls and the Mission Generating Station at Silver Falls.

In  2011 the flow of hydro power pulsing through our homes and communities seems to  have become as necessary to our everyday existence as the blood flowing through
our veins.  The history and health  of the water flowing through the St. Mary’s, Montreal, Michipcoten and Magpie Rivers is just as essential.

Have you mailed a letter lately? How did it travel? How long did it take?  In an age of instant messaging and virtual chat rooms, are there any among us who think of the early mail routes and carriers of Northern Algoma a century ago?

In the mid 1800’s the Hudson’s Bay Company had taken up the charge of carrying mail along their wide-ranging network of trading routes between posts.  The Michipicoten Post near Wawa was a trans-shipment centre for mail between 1840 and 1858.  In that year the Canadian Postal Service contracted the steamer RESCUE from Collingwood to carry mail on Lake Superior which included Sault Ste. Marie, Batchawana and Michipicoten.  The steamer MANITOBA took over the route from 1875 to the mid-1880’s.

During the winter months mail was handled by dog sled.  The “Hudson’s Bay Trail” from Sault Ste. Marie to Michipicoten followed a well worn path to Batchawana, skirted the shore at Mamainse Harbour, travelled overland to Agawa, then headed north in virtually a straight line to the mouth of the Michipicoten River.  The Agawa Post was 2 days travel by dog team from Sault Ste. Marie and another 2 days to Michipicoten.  From here the route then split with one heading northwest 80 kilometres to the logging operations on the Pukaskwa River, and the other cut northeast across Wawa Lake to follow the 60 kilometre “Grasset Trail” to the Canadian Pacific Railway.

And who were these mail carriers?  Jack Legarde was a resident of Michipicoten Harbour at the turn of the 19th century, but he was more often likely to be found on the trails between the Harbour, Pukaskwa and Franz.  It was said that Jack could drive anything with hair and his dog team was always an interesting collection of breeds.  His days and nights were often spent with his dogs, no matter what time of year and no matter how close to civilization and a warm bed his work day ended.

Bill Ennor was a Scottish immigrant who found work in Michipicoten between 1906 and 1912 as a miner, logger and mail carrier.  Bill beat the fates twice while sledding through our Northern Ontario blizzards.  The first experience was during a 3 day mail route which would have ended in disaster if not for the rescue efforts of a Michipicoten Ojibway named Kimmieshaw.
 
The second incident occurred near the Algoma Central Railway junction to one of Wawa’s iron mining operations.  Due to a blinding snowstorm, Bill was unable to gauge his sleds distance from the rail line.  A train suddenly appeared, struck his sled and killed his lead dog.  Bill managed to bury his dog and reharness the remaining team, but could not locate his packages.  He carried on in the direction of the train only to meet it again.  This time it was blowing its whistle and a crewman was hanging out the side swinging a lamp.  Apparently the train crew was completely unaware of the collision until they got to their destination and discovered Bill’s mailbags tangled in the cow catcher at the front of the engine.  The bags were intact, returned to Bill and the mail was delivered to their rightful owners.

As you speed along the Trans-Canada Highway connecting the remote communities of Superior’s east shore, you are no doubt travelling some of the same rugged routes covered by the early mail carriers and their noisy dog teams freighting supplies, catalogues and messages from home to the early settlers and residents of Northern Algoma.