Sioux
Lookout (Highway 702) and Savant Lake (Highway
599) are located west of Wabakimi on the CNR line, while Saugeen
First Nation and Mishkeegogamang (Osnaburgh
House) are situated on Highway 599.
Eabametoong (Fort Hope) is located
northeast of Wabakimi, adjacent to the Albany River.
For more information on the Armstrong/Wabakimi area,
contact the Armstrong Resource
Development Corporation (ARDC) or North
of Superior Tourism Association (NOSTA). For information on
areas west of the park, contact the Patricia
Regional Tourist Council.
Thunder Bay... the Gateway
to the Northwest
Before you head out to Wabakimi to canoe to a lake or lodge in
Northwestern Ontario, you may wish to spend some time in Thunder
Bay!
Thunder Bay is a wonderful place, with many interesting things to
see and do. A short list of Thunder Bay “musts” might
include a sauna and meal at the incredible Kangas Sauna, a musical
at the Community Auditorium (one of the finest acoustical halls
in Canada), breakfast at the famous “Hoito” Finnish restaurant,
or a stroll along Marina Park by Lake Superior. Meet the locals
or experience the flavour of native culture at a local pow wow.
Relax in one of the many fine hotels, lodges, cozy Bed and Breakfasts
or campgrounds. The great outdoors is only minutes away from the
city which hosts great shopping, restaurants, scenic views and many
more reasons to stay a while. A full-service community with a busy
international airport, Thunder Bay is the biggest city (pop. 116,000)
on Lake Superior and your gateway to a multitude of northern experiences.
Thunder Bay’s central location in the middle of a continent
and at the head of the Great Lakes made it a natural meeting and
trading site, as far back as the Paleo-Indian civilization 11,000
years ago. The first Europeans arrived in the 17th century and established
a series of fur trading outposts at the place they named Baie de
Tonnerre, or Thunder Bay. In 1798, the North West Company built
Fort William near the Kaministiquia River, which quickly became
a lively community of Scottish traders, French voyageurs and native
trappers.
You can see just what life was like back then at Old Fort William,
one of the world’s largest historical reconstructions. Step
into the year 1815 and join the fun as a cast of colourful characters
relives history. The site includes authentic period homes, North
West Company offices, artisans’ and tradespersons’ shops,
a working farmstead, native encampment and much more.
By the mid-19th century, the fur trade was fading and mining became
the focus. Finds of copper, silver and gold drew prospectors from
around the world. Another gem still found in this area is amethyst,
Ontario’s official gemstone. You can search out your purple
treasures at several nearby mines that are open to the public.
Later, the final links in the nation’s railroad and the opening
of the St. Lawrence Seaway helped make Thunder Bay the principal
port for grain shipments from the prairies to the rest of the world.
More economic development followed, as manufacturing, shipbuilding
and pulp and paper industries grew.
The coming together of diverse cultures, including Finnish and Aboriginal,
is reflected in the formation of the city itself. Two towns that
developed side by side: Fort William and Port Arthur, were amalgamated
in 1970 under the name the first settlers had chosen centuries before:
Thunder Bay!
For information & assistance planning your visit to Thunder
Bay, call toll-free: (800) 667-8386or visit the
Tourism Thunder Bay Website (http://tourism.city.thunder-bay.on.ca)
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