The Story of Pog in a Slide Show

Lake Pogamasing is a unique lake within the Sudbury District of Northern Ontario.  Few lakes in Northern Ontario can claim to have been the:

• site of a Hudson’s Bay Company post managed by an Anishnabe Chief,
• centre of a logging and sawmill operation during the challenging Depression decade, and
• home of a flotilla of WW II dukws

These uncommon attributes are only a few examples of what makes the history of Pogamasing so compelling. Its story is also a microscopic view of what happened in many places, not just in Northern Ontario, but in Canada, from the mid 19th century to the present.

As part of the Spanish River watershed that empties into the North Shore of Lake Huron, Pog developed from a self-reliant Anishnabe community to become an area dependent on the industrial economy. It also attracted unusual characters who enlivened the tragic and humorous stories. To get an overview, have a look at this slide show by clicking on each photo slide show. Click on first photo for description of slides.

The Pogamasing post was the ‘canary in the coal mine’ for the Lake Huron District of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The post was opened in 1869 to confront serious competition facing the HBC in the district. For 20 years Pogamasing was one of the more successful posts because of its pivotal location, and because it was managed by Louis Espagnol, a chief of the Spanish River First Nation. Espagnol was exceptional in that he was highly respected, both by his district managers for his results, and by his people for his advocacy on their behalf.  The building of the CPR through the area, however, led to the demise of the fur trade, first at Pogamasing, and within a decade, the district.

 

 

After the rail line was completed the government initiated surveying along the rail corridor and subsequently opened up the Pogamasing area for logging, especially after a massive forest fire along the CPR and the Spanish River. It was either cut or let the bugs destroy the timber. Several companies logged the area from 1891 until 1929 when W. B. Plaunt bought the timber licenses and built a sawmill between the Spanish River and the CPR. He managed to keep this operation going during the 1930’s, despite the Great Depression until the pine was depleted in 1940.

This section of the book is highlighted by a colourful description of life in the bush camps and of the logging to milling process as told by Bill Plaunt Jr.(see video on lumbering), the walking boss of his father’s operation; the life in the village of Wye from the eyes of the inhabitants; and the character of W. B. Plaunt, a self-made lumberman.

 

The third phase of development overlapped the logging period and recounts the stories of people who were attracted to Pog: from men who preferred the solitude of the wilderness, to fishermen who were coming for the great trout fishing that Pog was known for. A few built camps and then, after WW II, two groups of veterans built fishing lodges. Eventually the fishermen brought their families to enjoy the pristine wilderness and a new era began.

Getting to our camps on Pog has always been an adventure because of its remoteness. Initially, the railway was our only way to get to Pog, however, between the railway stop and the lake sat the Spanish River, making our access to the lake difficult. As a result transportation is a major challenge and residents have employed an ingenious variety of means to get to their camps.

The book will include over a 130 photos, illustrations and maps, especially of the logging and contemporary eras. More of these photos will be seen on these web pages as the site develops.

 

 

Table of Contents
1. The Importance of Pogamasing
2. The Anishnabe, the First Inhabitants of Pogamasing
3. The Impact of the Newcomers
4. The Espagnols: the Leading Family of the Spanish River
5. The Pogamasing Post and the Lake Huron District
6. The Coming of the Iron Snake
7. Pogamasing: the Canary in the Coal Mine
8. The Surveyors: Assessing the Potential of the
Timber Resources
9. A Forest Fire Sparks Logging
10. The Charlton Limit
11. W. B. Plaunt Establishes a Sawmill at Wye
12. Lumbering in the Thirties: Interview with Bill Plaunt
13. Life in a Company Village
14. Beyond Lumbering
15. From Logging Camp to Fishing Camp
16. Families Eclipse Fishing
17. Billy’s Bay to Plauntation
18. Summer Camp to All Season Camp
19. Going to Pog
20. Mishaps and other Adventures
21. At the Turn of the 21st Century
22. Journey’s End