Last of the Northern Canadian Shore

Most unique rock formations are given a name, typically based upon what they look like.  The problem here is that rock continues to erode, and we end up with a name that no longer fits.  Examples of this include New Hampshire’s Old Man of the Mountain, which lost its face in 2003, and Lake Superior’s Sea Lion, which lost its lion face over 100 years ago.

The Sleeping Giant, however, is one rock formation that may be true to its name for eternity.  The beginning picture for this blog is, from right to left, the head, Adam’s Apple and chest.  Other pictures are below:

Approaching the Sleeping Giant from the east.

The Sea Lion is in the shadow of the Sleeping Giant.

The Sleeping Giant viewed from Thunder Bay to the west.

Ron and I climbed the Giant’s knees (see left image below), and Ron, Dick and I all climbed the head (see image at right).

 Below is a map of our Lake Superior cruise to date.  Our location, route and even speed can always be accessed by going to https://share.garmin.com/CruisingonSaltyPaws .

Salty Paws out of the water

After climbing both ends of the Sleeping Giant, our boats sped across Thunder Bay to the city of the same name.  Here the boats were pulled out of the water for 100-hour servicing.  Our cruise then continued south, reentering the USA outside of Grand Portage, MN.  The reentry process was very easy using the CBPRoam app of the US Customs and Border Patrol. 

Ron and Dick check out early
transportation on Battle Island.

Battle Island Light.  The whole island is well-
maintained by a nonprofit and includes a dock,
campsites and historical markers.

Earlier we also cruised to a number of interesting places between Rossport and Thunder Bay.  The first one was Battle Is.

As I blogged earlier, the Ojibwe had been very successful in their diplomacy with the British, and seemed to be protected.  In 1885 other First Nation forces initiated a fight against the British/Canadian government due to multiple grievances .  The conflict became know as the Red Rebellion.  Battle Island was named for one of the skirmishes, even though it is unlikely any fighting took place there.

The Ojibwe remained neutral during the rebellion, knowing that the fight would not be successful.  Yet, at the conclusion of the 5-month conflict, the victorious Canadians increased their dominance over all the tribes, including the Ojibwe.  All indigenous peoples were restricted to approved reservations dictated by the government.  I will cover the fate of the Minnesota Ojibwe clan in another blog.

In Red Rock we saw the oldest pictographs on the Lake.  The 1000-year-old paintings by Ojibwe predecessors are barely discernible, however, and may disappear for the next generation of boaters.

We cruised along the cliffs trying to find the
pictographs.

Pictographs found!

POW Camp photo under the Red Rock cliffs.
Source: powsincanada.ca

The history of Red Rock included a WW II POW camp.  Canada agreed to a British request to house undesirable civilians that included Jews, Germans and other “concerning” nationalities.  In July of 1940 over 1,000 prisoners were moved to Red Rock.  Camp infighting among the various groups along with a severe winter led to an early closing of the facility in October 1941.  Prisoners were moved to other camps throughout Canada.

Same viewpoint today of Red Rock cliffs

The housing of Jews reminded me of our earlier visit to Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York while doing the Great Loop.  The US reluctantly allowed 900 or so Jews, including children, to live there during WW II provided that they returned to where they came from prior to the conflict.  Fortunately, that stipulation was reversed before the end of the war.

Interestingly, thousands of POWs held in both Canada and the US ultimately became citizens of their former captors.

The Silver Islet mine (picture of a Parks Ontario image)

Our cruise took us by Silver Islet, a very small island that was once one of the largest silver mines in the world from 1868 to 1884.  At its peak, workers numbered over 400.  The mine shaft went down 1,200 feet and was protected by pumps that ran around the clock.  Unfortunately, a coal shipment arrived too late in 1884, resulting in the mine flooding and its closure.

Model of the mine shafts.

We docked in the mainland town by the same name that was created a year after the mine opened so married miners could be with their families at night.  The village remains a vibrant summer community.

The General Store in the late 1800s.

The General Store with our boats in
the background.

The Silver Islet General Store, opened in 1871, continues in operation today and satiated us with pizza and various savories while the skies began to clear.  We then hiked 7 miles round trip to visit the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park visitors’ centre to learn more about the area and pick up a trail map.

So far, the weather has been mostly excellent and not impeded our cruising plans at all.  Our arrival at Silver Islet was very well-timed as less than an hour after docking, a squall ripped through the area with heavy rain, thunder and lightening and 40-mph winds,  Salty Paw’s small bow flag and pole was blown flat!  

Dick got a little wet!

Tomorrow we motor to Isle Royale National Park, only 25 miles away!