Nipissing. Françoise Noël

      There, visitors would truly find the revitalization they sought in a wilderness holiday:

      … [a] climb upon some of the mossy rocks, where the moss forms a resting place fit for a king, gives pleasant relief from the confinement of the skiff, and one can lie here in dreamy comfort, and really find that peaceful rest which is such a delusion upon many holiday trips. Fairer spot could not be chosen for a week or so in camp, and in a short time we hope that the attractions of this neighborhood will be better understood.[34]

      Although Northern Lakes mentioned the game available in several places, it is in Fishing and Shooting Along the Line that the abundance of game got the most attention. Along the Mattawa, game included moose and deer, the occasional bear, and birds such as partridge. In the Upper Ottawa River, reached via the CPR’s Colonization Road to Lake Temiskamingue, both caribou and moose could be found. For shooting, the area around Lake Nipissing was considered good, with deer and grouse plentiful and moose, caribou, and bear less so. On the “long arm” of the lake, there was duck shooting in the fall. The area around Sturgeon River, also reached by the railway, was highly recommended. The following account was used to make the point:

      A party of Toronto gentlemen, perfect strangers to the place, went in there in the fall of 1887, and got all the deer they wanted, a great bag of grouse; and one of them, who had never seen a moose before in his life, killed two of these grandest of all Canadian deer in one day. In the fall of 1888 some of these gentlemen went again, making their headquarters near Sturgeon Falls, and got five deer the first week, a lynx, and a large number of ruffed grouse, and could have killed a great deal more game had they cared to do so. They broke camp twice, and in changing locations lost time; otherwise, the total of killed would have been much more. In 1889 they were again on the old grounds, and repeated former successes, getting nine deer, to four rifles, in eleven days, and a heavy bag of grouse. Moose signs were plentiful, but, as the big fellows were protected by law, no effort was made to kill one. From this the sportsman can form a rough idea of how plentiful the game is in this highly favored section.[35]

      Hunting in the Trout Lake area was praised as well, and articles that had appeared in sporting journals were used to substantiate the claims made: “[T]he tourist can go there satisfied that wonderfully attractive scenery and plenty of sport will make the trip a memorable one.” The guide also noted: “Visitors to the World’s Fair will be able to judge of the wide range of game to be found in this locality. A collection of heads and skins of animals shot in the Nipissing district has been made by Mr. George Lee, of North Bay, and sent to Chicago.”[36] Displays such as this were common at the time and helped to spread the message that a sportsman’s paradise awaited visitors.

      After 1900

      The early twentieth century saw a flurry of activity in railway construction as the major players vied for transcontinental status. Ontario decided to support the settlement of northern Ontario with its own railway, and in 1903 began the construction of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway (T&NO); at first, the railway extended from its terminus in North Bay to Cochrane, but it was later extended to Moosonee. This enhanced North Bay’s position as the “gateway” to northern Ontario. In 1908, however, it lost some of that traffic to the competing lines of the CPR and the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR), which linked southern Ontario with northern Ontario along a route that crossed the Nipissing Passageway at the narrowest point of the French River, thereby bypassing North Bay.[37] Railway construction slowed during the Great War, but the CNoR opened a new line through Algonquin Park and North Bay in 1915. The Canadian economy could not support such an extensive railway infrastructure, however, and from 1916 to 1918 the lines of the Grand Trunk and the CNoR were incorporated into the new amalgamated government railway, the Canadian National (CNR).

      By 1900, the French River area was increasingly popular among sportsmen and known primarily for its muskellunge. The Grand Trunk, having taken over from the NRC, was the chief promoter of this area. When it opted to separate the guides for its eastern district into a series of separate brochures, one of these was devoted entirely to the Lake Nipissing and French River area.[38] The large fold-out map included was double-sided, with the Highlands of Ontario on one side and Lake Nipissing and Temagami on the other.[39] Relative to the Muskoka area, Lake Nipissing remained the furthermost lake of Highlands, but relative to the Temagami Forest Reserve, accessed via the Grand Trunk and the T&NO, Lake Nipissing was the most southerly point. An inset on the Temagami map indicates that visitors from the neighbouring American states, from St. Louis to Boston, were targeted. The guide listed agencies throughout the United States on the back cover, and provided instructions for those travelling from every direction.

      In the twentieth century, tourist guides made increasing use of photographs reproduced as half-tone images.[40] These images increasingly showed people interacting with the landscape. This helped to shape readers’ perception of the area and made it easier for them to visualize themselves participating in the same activities.[41] The Grand Trunk’s new guide made effective use of this technique. The cover of Lake Nipissing and the French River, for example, displayed an idyllic fishing scene on the French River, with three males fishing from the rocky shore. With a plentiful catch visible and one of the fishermen dipping his net to take another, it suggested not only successful fishing, but the companionship that fishing provided, and the serenity of an otherwise undisturbed landscape. Images of successful hunts were used to relay the message that game was plentiful, alongside information about the railways’ ability to bring these trophies home at a reasonable cost.

      Much of the text for the Grand Trunk guide was taken from a first-hand account of a trip to the area by Matt Hoover, described as part of a sportsmen’s party who “annually spend their Summer Outing in that District.”[42] The emphasis was on fishing, the many different excursions available, and points of interest in the French River area. This guide began the process of creating the nodal points that were a “must” to visit when in the area. These included the Wolseley River, the “Gull Rookery,” Fivemile Rapids, the Masogmasing (the “river where the woodpecker sings”), the Little Chaudière, and Indian Rock, a place where ancient native images are preserved on the rocks. The account also indicated that there had been a chance to explore some “Sequestered Lakes,” one of which was a lake “occupying a perfectly round basin on top of a rocky summit.” Combined with its many stories of plentiful fishing, the Grand Trunk guide painted a very positive image of the French River as a destination for both the seasoned and aspiring sportsman.

      This cover image for a Grand Trunk guide advertising the French River area shows sportsmen actively engaged in fishing, as well as a picturesque landscape. This helped viewers to imagine themselves engaging in that activity there as well.

       Grand Trunk Railway, Lake Nipissing and the French River, 4th ed. (Montreal: Grand Trunk Railway, 1905).

      When the CPR opened a new line between Toronto and Sudbury that passed right through the French River District, it increased its advertising on that area. A short item in Rod and Gun in April 1908 noted that the new line would greatly facilitate access to Georgian Bay, and the Magnetawan and French Rivers:

      There are stations on the east side of the Pickerel and the west side of the French River. This will enable lunge or maskinonge, and bass fishermen to get into the heart of the very best fishing. Wanup is a station a half mile north of the Wanapitei River. A canoe trip down the Wanapitei River will bring fisherman to where it falls into the French river. There is some splendid fishing there.[43]

      The following year, the CPR advertised that it had arranged for an outfitting depot at Pickerel. A motor launch would also be kept there and would be able “to tow visitors and their outfit to various selected points for camping or fishing purposes.”[44] In 1912, they published a map promoting the Murdoch River as a canoe route well worth exploring.[45] This map provided a detailed view of the two branches of the French River and the Pickerel River. Portages, rapids, and campsites were all indicated. Instructions were given on how to follow the Murdoch River upstream and descend the Wanapatei River, but the entire route was not included. In 1922, the General Publicity Department of the CPR prepared a map of the entire area suitable for promoting the area and sending