J. Rowe Heritage Consulting
Visit me at
  • Home
    • Books for Sale
    • Favourite Links
    • Contact Me
  • Services
    • Previous Clients
    • Previous Projects
  • Wawa Heritage Doors
    • William Teddy
    • Louise Towab
    • Bernard Alphonse (Al) Turcott
    • Agnes Turcott
    • Sir James Dunn
    • Lady Dunn
    • Glenn Gould
    • Operation Michipicoten
    • Angus Bethune
    • Joe Ball
    • Aime Breton
    • Tom Surluga
    • Francis Hector Clergue
    • Atillio Berdusco
    • Rod Morrison Sr.
    • Mickey Clement
    • Keith Messenger
    • Alex Ross
  • Photo Gallery
  • 1910 Log of the North Shore Club
  • Northern Chronicles et al
  • Blog - Unearthed Treasures
  • Finding A.Y. Jackson in Wawa

Sault Star - January 29, 2011 "Neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night..."

5/7/2011

3 Comments

 
Picture
Mail carriers (l to r) Jack Legarde, Bill Ennor and Ben Wyatt, at the Helen Mine, 1908
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.

3 Comments
Craig
5/9/2016 11:55:26 pm

I realize I'm years after the fact, but I've been reading these stories, imagining the people and places of the past, utterly lost in a world long since gone. Thanks for keeping me up way past my bedtime! It's a very good read.

Reply
Rob Ennor
8/22/2020 10:34:47 am

William Trehane Ennor, my Grandfather, was born in Sittingborne in England in 1888, rather than Scotland. When he left Algoma, he went to Grand’Mere Quebec working for Laurentide. He was involved in the removal of the Grand’Mere rock from the river to accommodate a power plant they were building. From there, to France, Vimy, Passchendaele, Port Dalhousie to build Lock 1 of the current Welland Canal, then back to England in 1921 due to my grandmother’s health. The boy got around and told me that he would have stayed in Canada but for my grandmother’s health needs.

Reply
Dana link
6/16/2022 05:23:04 am

Thankss for sharing this

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Johanna Rowe

    Archives

    May 2020
    May 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    October 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    February 2011

    Categories

    All
    Acadia
    Agawa Bay Visitor Centre
    Agawa Rock
    Agawa Rock Pictographs
    Aime Breton
    Alex Michaud
    Alex Ross
    Algoma Central & Hudson
    Algoma Central Railway
    Algoma District Power Company
    Algoma Ore
    Algoma Steel
    Andrews Generating Station
    Balmoral Motel
    Ben Wyatt
    Bill Ennor
    Blueberry
    Brookfield Power
    Canamax Mine
    Captain Boult
    Caribou Island
    Caribou Island Lighthouse
    Cgs Lambton
    Chief Shingwaukonce
    Citadel Gold Mines
    Citadel Mine
    Clergue Generating Station
    Darwin Mine
    Davieaux Island
    Davieaux Island Light
    D.B. Deitweiler
    Dr. Grimshaw
    Edwards Mine
    Elliot Lake
    F.H. Clergue
    Fume Kill
    Gales Of November
    Gargantua Harbour
    Gartshore Generating Station
    George Johnston
    George Penefold
    George Reid
    Gold Park
    Golspie
    Grace Mine
    Grasset
    Grasset Trail
    Great Lakes Power
    Grindstone Point
    Hal Holbrook
    Hawk Junction
    Helen Mine
    Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
    Hogg Generating Station
    Hollingsworth Generating Station
    Hudson's Bay Co.Trail
    Indian Pictographs
    Jack Legarde
    Joe Ball
    Joe Legarde
    John Andre
    Joseph Michaud
    Jubilee Mine
    Kitchie Gami Mine
    Kozak Mine
    Kremzar Mine
    Lake Superior Provincial Park
    Lakeview Hotel
    Lambton
    Louise Towab
    Mackay Generating Station
    Magpie High Falls
    Magpie Mine
    Magpie River
    Magpie River Terraces
    Mail Carriers
    Mcphail Falls
    Michipicoten
    Michipicoten East End Light
    Michipicoten Harbour
    Michipicoten Harbour Light
    Michipicoten High Falls
    Michipicoten Hudson'S Bay Company Post
    Michipicoten Island
    Michipicoten River Village
    Mission Generating Station
    North Star Boarding House
    Norwalk Mine
    Old Woman Bay
    Pango Gold Mines
    Parkhill Mine
    Perkovich
    Perkwakwia Point Lighthouse
    Pursides Gold Mines
    Quebec Harbour
    Richmont Mine
    Rituals
    Scenic High Falls
    Scott Falls
    Selwyn Dewdney
    Shipwreck
    Siderite Junction
    Silver Falls
    Steamer Manitoba
    Steamer Rescue
    Steephill
    Steephill Falls
    St. Mary\\\\\\\\
    Sulphur Fumes
    Sunrise Mine
    Superior
    Surluga Mine
    Surluga Road
    The Sault Star
    Tom Surluga
    Tribag Mining Company
    Uranium
    Wawa
    Wawa Blueberries
    Wawa City
    Wawa Wolves
    Wesdome Mine
    William Kimball
    William Reid
    William Sherlock
    William Teddy
    Wolves

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.