Blind River 100 Years of History and More - Part 2 - The Standard, 2006

Page 12 • The Standard

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Blind River - 100 years of history and more Part 2

This is the second part of a two-part series on the very early days of what would become Blind River.

By ROSALIND RABY Of Osprey Media Network

The growth of Blind River was also heavily influenced by the communities around it. established throughout the Mississagi River Valley, including Bruce Mines, Thessalon and others.

In 1783, the North West Company, a fur trading company, was developed to stop furs being brought to the Hudson Bay Company. They sent traders out to deal with the Natives. Trading and supply posts were established in many areas, including Sault Ste, Marie, St. Joseph Island and the Mississagi River. When liquor was introduced to the Natives involved with fur trading, they became increasingly absorbed into the American and British cultures. After the war of 1812, the Ojibway were treated badly by the Americans because the Ojibway had sided with the British.

As a result of an Indian legend of copper in the Bruce Mines area, that community became the first Ontario mining town when copper was discovered there in 1840. The Ojibway began to be pushed out of the area by treaties.

New industries began to infringe on the Ojibway's traditional lands. The Sault locks in Sault Ste. Marie destroyed homes and fishing areas.

Agriculture was introduced in Algoma, and by 1901 there were 4,673 farms. Logging, fishing and shipping all helped to change drastically the Ojibway way of life.

Around the early 1900s, the Mississagi Forest Reserve was created for the Natives of the region, and there are now several reserves in this area.

Over the years, many events helped to establish the communities in the Mississagi River Valley. Whether these events were on an international or a local scale, they were very important in allow¬ing the communities of the Mississagi River Valley to become what they are today: small, friendly and economically successful.

Logging in the Mississagi River Valley began in the late 1870s. The area was an excellent location for logging because of the Mississagi River, the Blind River and tributaries, which made transportation of logs much easier. Also, the Mississagi River Valley had an abundance of' white pine, the wood that was used for almost every building purpose in the early 1800s. These advantages made the Mississagi River Valley one of the choice lumbering areas in Ontario from the late 19th to well into the 20th cen¬tury.

Blind River was the centre of the North Shore logging industry.

However, there were a few mills built around the Mississagi River Valley, such as a steam-powered mill - the Dyment Lumber Company built in Thessalon, in 1877, by Nathaniel Dvyment. Other mills in the area through¬out the years included the Saginaw Salt and Lumber Company, the Hope Lumber Company and the Crane Lumber Company. Many men from the Mississagi area were employed by Blind River lumber companies. There were several JJ McFadden lumber companies, smaller posts of the large company in Blind River, one of which was located on Tunnel Lake across the road from Grand Falls Camp.

Logging was one of the most important industries in the Mississagi River Valley, and greatly helped with development of the area. However, there were also some damaging effects of the logging business. A lot of wood was wasted, because any wood that was not to be used by the lumber companies was left lying on the wet skidways, making it use¬less even as firewood. River drives could some¬times damage ecological systems in the rivers in which they took place. Forest fires were also a great concern, as was the loss of wood as a natural resource. This is where forest management came in.

Blind River is now a thriving community of around 3,300 people. It is a commercial gathering point, selves as a regional centre for the communities of the North Shore of Lake Huron, provides a natural environment, accessible wilderness, and easy access to complete urban amenities. It is also a prime tourist destination, including both motorists and boaters who come to take advantage of the amenities in the community, With direct access to Lake Huron and access to over 4,000 regional inland lakes and rivers, Blind River is an ideal destination for outdoor enthusiasts, The town now offers multi-trail users access to the Boom Camp Trails, which opened in 2004.

As well, there are plenty of snowmobile trails in the winter and sand beaches on Lake Huron to explore in the summer.

There is plenty of fishing and hunting to be had, an 18-hole championship golf course, full- service marina. Timber Village Museum, even a skateboard park for the younger set.

Blind River might be celebrating its 100th anniversary of incorporation as a municipality, but its history goes back much further than that, a history that reverberates throughout the community today.

Photo Caption: Supplies were transported to camps from the Matinenda depot in Blind River. The Mississagi and Blind rivers were the main gateways to the bountiful forests to the north of Lake Huron.

Photo courtesy of Timber Village Museum

Photo Caption: The steamer James P. Donaldson loads up on lumber at the Blind River dock, circa 1920. The harbour at Blind River was a busy place in the early part of the last centu¬ry, bringing the world to this community, which began as a small lumber mill.

Photo courtesy of Timber Village Museum