TO AGAWA CANYON by Ralph Bice

              From June 20, 1979

Edna and I had a very pleasant trip last week. We went with the busload of seniors to Sault Ste. Marie and then up the Algoma Central to Agawa Canyon and returned. There were two nights spent at the Sheridan Caswell. We were asked to be at the station well ahead of departure time and everyone was up well before the time we were supposed to leave the motel. There were other busloads of people going on the same tour.

I had spent three winters in the Soo just after world war one and while I did spend most of my time in the woods I did get well acquainted with the city. That was a long time ago and it was hard to find any places I could remember.

We were to have breakfast on the train as well as lunch. Good breakfast and most of our crowd was finished before the train started to move.

We did see one old familiar landmark. The old A.C.R. station. Only it is not used now as a station; I believe just offices. But in the days I remember there would be large crowds boarding the train in the morning. Then the evening train returning to the Soo nearly always had a full load of passengers. Now that there is much less woods operations and most reached by road passenger traffic is much less. But I can remember when the three passenger coaches were crowded. I can remember several times after a heavy snowfall and when the snow was mostly moved by hand that there would be huge piles of snow on the platform and paths leading from the waiting room door to the train.

The scenery was really good. I had travelled the A.C.R. only in winter and it was so different with the leaves on the trees. I was very interested when we approached Searchmount. That is where we had made our headquarters the two winters we trapped there and where I spent most of the time the winter I bought fur. It is also the place where Brennan’s Mill was taken when it was moved from Kearney in 1918. But everything looked so different. Not even one old building; just the Goulais River and so many new houses.

The ski hill was easily seen from the train. Weldwood has a mill there and it looked like it was about the same location as the old Canada Pine (Brennan’s) mill so many years ago. (It seems that the G.W. Martin lumber company of Bancroft closed this site in 1990. –Ed)

Just a few miles west or north-west there was a small place I remember as Waboose but the name on the sign spelled Wabos (rabbit). Only I was more interested in the small river and I forget its name that showed quite a bit of white water close to the track. That is where, years ago, the train would stop for a few minutes, dispending on how the fish were biting, and catch their supper. With the river and white water and those enticing pools still there I wondered if people still caught trout there.

I noticed that most lakes had cottages on them and even saw boats with people fishing. As it was such a pleasant day you could only envy those who were out in the boats.

The high trestle over the Montreal River was the main attraction. I remember it being a wooden trestle but now it is a fine steel structure built on a curve. There is a power plant just below the bridge. Just beyond the Montreal River the railroad starts to descend to the level of the Agawa River. It is quite a grade and you can watch ahead and see the river in the distance. The announcer on the train told us the altitude of the highest point and it is a few hundred feet less than the summit grade between Islet and Brule Lake which was 1407 feet at rail level.

Soon we reached the end of the trip at the little park, a lovely spot and many passengers opted for a box lunch and most of the tables were occupied. The flies were not so bad but those that attempted to climb the look out encountered flies. A few tried their luck at the river but I did not see a fish. The two horse shoe pitching courts were kept busy. A trainman told us that on this trip there were eight coaches; sometimes they had more than twenty.

For the return trip the engines simply got on a siding and moved to the other end of the train. Seats were movable and most changed sides. The trip back was uneventful. While waiting for the souvenir crowd I watched some boats go by and could not help but think how nice it would be to be able to sit in the shade with a good book or typewriter and just watch the boats go by.

Last time I drove to the Soo the roads were in very poor shape but now they are really good. One thing, I was a bit worried as to how I would get along with that many old people but as it turned out I was the oldest person on that trip.