Not far from our campground is the Fort Creek Conservation Area. This area was purchased to address flood control concerns experienced by businesses and residents living downstream. The Fort Creek Dam was constructed between 1968 and 1971 creating an 8 acres reservoir. Here is our first look at the reservoir.
For the first part of our walk in the woods, we would be following part of the John Rowswell HUB Trail along the south side of reservoir. This 22.5 km bike and walking trail provides access to all areas of the City of Sault Ste. Marie. The trail circles the whole city and boasts several large bridges like this one.
There were still small sections of the original trail on this side of the reservoir. Here Kathy climbs a series of log steps on her way to the top of the plateau.
Dave found a field of flowers to frolic in.
We soon found ourselves back on the HUB trail as it crossed over Fort Creek on another impressive bridge. This one wasn't as long as the other, but the views up and down the Fort Creek Valley were spectacular!
We left the paved HUB Trail to make our way back to the parking area by hiking the red and yellow trails on the north side of the reservoir. No sooner did we enter in to the woods than we had to stop and apply bug spay. The skeeters were out in force. As we were finishing our application of bug dope, a friendly fellow and his dog caught up to us. He was from the area, so we got to chatting about life in Sault Ste. Marie. Since he hikes these trails all the time, he knew there were two active beaver lodges nearby. He took us on a couple secret side trails. We could see the evidence of the beavers' handiwork all around us. Those are three inch long wood chips made by the beaver biting into the tree.
The lodges were a little harder to see. We did look about for the furry little fellows, but were unable to spy any activity. Beavers like to do most of their work at night, so it was probably too sunny and hot for them to be out and about.
Our impromptu tour guide, Dennis, just happened to be from Wawa, Ontario - the next stop on our RV adventure. We had a lovely discussion about the history of the town, the iron mines and the steel industry. The mine in Wawa is now closed and many of the workers were transferred to Sault Ste. Marie's relatively recently reopened steel mill, which was under common ownership with the mine. Dennis reported that the town of Wawa is slowly dying as a consequence of the loss of those jobs. That said, the blueberry fields are still there and so are the mountain hikes and the Lake Superior beaches. It should still be an interesting stop - made more so, by learning first hand what it was like living and working in the area. Here is Kathy with Dennis and his trusty sidekick, Buddy. Buddy has some herding instinct in him, because, as we hiked the trail, Buddy took the rear and made sure that each of us kept up with Dennis.
After bidding our new friends a fond farewell, we drove downtown to have lunch at Embers Grill & Smokehouse. This restaurant was highly recommended by the Visitors Center and did not disappoint. As with most of our dining experiences, there was beer involved. Two thumbs up for Union Jack California Common!
Having sated our hunger and quenched our thirst, it was on to the museums.
First stop was the Ermatinger-Clergue National Historic Site. The brand new Historic Discover Center houses the reception area, gift shop, exhibit hall and movie theater. After watching a 20 minute film on the early history of Sault Ste. Marie, we were greeted by a young college student working as a tour guide. He offered to take us on a guided tour and we eagerly accepted. Here are Kathy and our tour guide leading us to the "Old Stone House."
The Ermatinger Old Stone House has been fully restored to depict the domestic and professional life of Charles Oakes Ermatinger, one of the first settlers of Sault Ste. Marie, a prodigious entrepreneur, and one of the few Loyalists who was successful at scamming the Yanks that he played no part in the raid on Fort Mackinac during the War of 1812 (which, in fact, he organized and led). After he retired to Montreal, other respected residents lived in the House between 1808 and 1896.
The home was built with local red fieldstone and the exterior walls range from 30” to 36” thick. The house was filled with lots of cool historic relic from the early 1800s. It was great having the tour guide with us because he could explain what everything was and how it was used. For example, we learned that the wings at face height that are on colonial armchairs were designed to protect the beeswax makeup of ladies (and gentlemen) from melting in the heat of the fireplaces of the time. Never knew that!
After the Old Stone House, we walked over to the Clergue Blockhouse. Francis Hector Clergue arrived in Sault Ste, Marie in 1894 when he went to work for a group of Philadelphia financiers and investors. Clergue recognized the potential that the areas natural resources possessed and capitalized on it developing multiple industries in Sault Ste. Marie and the surrounding area that have left a lasting impact on the community. Despite the fact that Clergue’s outlook was both modern and forward-looking, he chose to restore and expand the Blockhouse, the last remnant of the Hudson Bay Company Post, rather than build or purchase a modern home. Here is Kathy and our guide in front of the Blockhouse.
The lower stone story of the Blockhouse dates back to 1819, making it the second oldest stone building northwest of Toronto - second only to the Ermatinger stone house we had just toured. The bottom stone portion of the Blockhouse was originally a powder magazine built in 1819 by the Northwest Company. Clergue added the finishing touches. He built a wall in the middle of the room to divide the magazine into two parts. The back room was used as a kitchen and the front was used for a reception area. Clergue pierced the walls and put windows in to allow natural light to enter the building. The upper story is comprised of solid cedar logs that are of a thickness great enough to support the living quarters of a cantilevered architectural style. This style was chosen by Clergue and represented a style of the Indian War forts (circa 1760s). The over hanging portion allowed for larger living arrangements, which Francis used to his advantage. The Blockhouse during the Clergue years had a washroom, two bedrooms and a large living space on the upper-middle section. On the upper level there is a small, secret, private office concealed in a third story. Clergue completed construction in 1895 and used it as his home for himself and, at times, his brother Bertrand from 1895 to 1902.
Right across the street from the Historic Discover Center, is Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center. The CBHC preserves and tells the story of Canada’s bushplane and forest fire protection heritage and
how it has shaped life in northern and remote parts of Canada. Much of the story concerns the Forestry Branch of the Ontario Provincial Air Service (OPAS), which was based here, and we infer that the museum was established here as a consequence.
We started our visit off by watching a couple of short films. The first one was a 3D movie on putting out forest fires with large tanker planes. The second film was a cute little video about the history of bush pilots - complete with video host. (Can you spy him in the pilot seat of the bushplane to the left in this photo?)
After learning about the different bushplanes, it was fun getting a chance to actually climb into them. We have visited a number of museums across the country and most of the exhibits elsewhere are "DO NOT TOUCH." Here we got to climb aboard and look about.
Dave even took a turn in the pilot's seat of the Saunders ST-27. This plane could haul 23 passengers and was suited for use on gravel and dirt airstrips in remove areas of northern Canada.
Kathy preferred to try her hand flying something a little more her speed.
We love finding these little museums and learning about the places we travel through. Tomorrow will be our last day in Sault Ste. Marie. It has been a great stop.
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