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Thunder Bay, Ontario - Canada Sleeping Giant Provincial Park Sleeping Giant Marie Louise Lake - Sleeping Giant PP Silver Islet - Sleeping Giant PP Thunder Bay Point - Sleeping Giant PP Thunder Bay Point - Sleeping Giant PP Old Fort William Historical Park Main Gate The Great Hall Inside the Great Hall Portrait of William McGillivray Dairy Main Square The Wharf The Wharf Farm Powder Magazine Fort William seen from the observatory Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park Kakabeka Falls Kakabeka Falls Kakabeka Falls Kakabeka Falls The Sleeping Giant rests, cradled by the waves of Lake Superior. In scientific terms, the Giant is a series of mesas composed of sedimentary rock and capped with erosion-resistant diabase. According to popular legend, when Nanabosho (the Giant), son of Kabeyun the west wind, discovered silver, he made the Ojibwe, his people, bury it and swear never to reveal its whereabouts : if the white man heard about it, he knew he would take their land. The secret was out when a chieftain made himself silver weapons, and was soon after killed by their traditional enemies, the Sioux. When Nanabosho saw a Sioux warrior canoeing across Lake Superior, leading two white men to the silver source, he disobeyed the Great Spirit and raised a storm which sank the canoe and drowned the white men. As a punishment, he was turned to stone and still lies in the place the Great Spirit struck him, majestic in his repose, his heart stilled. Having a nap after a good picnic... and just before it began to pour ! Named after silver was dicovered in 1868, the famous mine produced $3,250,000 worth of silver ore before it was closed in 1884. "Welcome to the world's largest fur trade post !' Tepee made of birch bark. Furs drying in the sun. In 1803, the instauration of the American border along the Pigeon River forced the North West Company to move towards the North, on the British territory. This new location contributed to the success of the NWCo : using Fort William as a meeting point permitted to transport the furs from west to east in a single season. It served as a dining room for North West Company traders, clerks, guides and interpreters. On the contrary, common voyageurs were strictly forbidden. "The drama unfolds" : in 1816, the rivalry between the NWCo and the Hudson's Bay Company resulted in the death of 22 settlers. Lord Selkirk, a shareholder in the HBC, blamed the NWCo and decided to seize Fort William. Here, Jack MacDonald, a Nor'Wester, agrees with the chief director to burn letters incriminating the Company. Chief director of the NWCo, in honor of whom Fort William was named. The working dairy provided milk and butter for the company employees. A carpenter The central grounds of the Fort were a focal point for many outdoor activities. "The invading forces" : arrival of Lord Selkirk. Arrival of the de Meuron soldiers. "The plot is exposed !" : the Fort-wide search reveals hidden weapons and evidence. Martin and Jadot are taken prisoner. With a crest-width of over 61 m. and a near-vertical drop of 39 m., Kakabeka Falls deserves its reputation as one of the most spectacular physiographic features in Northwestern Ontario. The flow of water over the falls has been controled by hydro development since 1906 and is greatly reduced in dry weather. Also called the "Niagara of the North". The formation of the spectacular gorge below the falls began at the end of the last ice age when glacial melt water surged down the Kaministiquia River. The fall then was much close to Lake Superior. Over the past 10,000 years, flowing water has been eroding the soft shale at the base of the falls, causing the hard protective layer of rock above to break off under its own weight. Through this process, the falls have been slowly moving upstream, always maintaining a near-vertical escarpment.
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park The Sleeping Giant rests, cradled by the waves of Lake Superior. In scientific terms, the Giant is a series of mesas composed of sedimentary rock and capped with erosion-resistant diabase. |
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