Halifax: August 27, 1912 <<< >>> Victoria: October 17, 1912
| Today's Statistics: | Travelling from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, to Wawa, Ontario | |||
| Distance: 233 km | Driving Hours: 4.5 h | Fuel: 58.5 l | Weather: Cloudy | Temperature: Min. 8 Max. 16 |
The day began early as the Findlays and John Nicol checked out of the lovely Glen View Resort, just north of the Sault. The route was winding and hilly as it followed the rugged shoreline. The hills slowed the Reo somewhat, but the highway was good and had many pullouts for slow traffic. Many passers-by waved and honked their approval, having previously heard of the Reo's cross-country trek in newspaper, radio, or television reports. Early in the drive, at Chippewa Falls, the Reo passed the mid-point of the Trans-Canada highway, which stretches over 7500 km from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Victoria, British Columbia. It is the longest paved highway in the world.
At Montreal River, a short detour led to the edge of a steep gorge with the river below. The river is very picturesque and was painted several times by Group of Seven Painters. The Group of Seven artists used to ride the Agawa Canyon train to paint the dramatic Northern Ontario landscapes.
Farther along, in Lake Superior Provincial Park, the Reo took another short detour to find the Agawa Rock Pictographs. The Findlays and John Nicol left the Reo in the parking lot and descended the steep trail to the lakeshore. Once there, they walked precariously out on the rock ledge to view the ancient drawings. The 35 pictures, which include fish, serpents, canoes, caribou, and bear, are believed to have been drawn over a period of many years.
Curiously, these pictographs seem to form the basis for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Hiawatha without Longfellow himself knowing it. In 1851, Henry Schoolcraft wrote down a collection of native myths and legends. These stories were based on the pictographs, although Schoolcraft didn't know of their existence. Longfellow received Schoolcraft's work and was inspired to write Hiawatha. The pictographs were "re-discovered" in 1958 after a 14 month search by Selwyn Dewdney.
About mid-afternoon, the travellers reached their day's destination - Wawa. Wawa is the Objibwa word for "wild goose" and visitors to the town are welcomed by the massive sculpture of a Canada Goose. The sculpture stands over 8 metres tall and weighs over 2000 kilograms. It was placed there to commemorate the opening of the Trans-Canada Highway in 1960, almost 50 years after Wilby and Haney made their historic trip.
The Agawa Rock Pictographs are believed to be many centuries old.
... To view the Agawa Rock Pictographs, John Nicol climbed out on a rock ledge
over Agawa Bay
On this day in 1912 ...