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Manitoulin Island

Manitoulin Island (The Great Sprit Island, Ojibwa) lies in the northwest section of the Georgian Bay. It is separated from the north, or mainland, by the North Channel. In the south, it is outlined by Lake Huron. The composition of the island include the main island--- Manitoulin Island, and two larger islands, and a series of smaller islands dotting the vicinity of the main island. All of the islands in total cover a total land area of 3597 square kilometres. The main island itself covers an area of 2766 square kilometres. Therefore, Manitoulin is often referred as the “world’s largest inland island” (Bird). The locals often refer to the Island as “the rock”. Understandably, the island has both a rich geographical, and geological perspective.

From these perspectives, Manitoulin Island’s rich history stems primarily from the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic basin sequence. The Palaeozoic sequence, or commonly referred to as the Palaeozoic era, occurred approximately 575-66 million years ago. This era can be broken down into six periods: Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian. The Palaeozoic era was characterized by a number of seas that engulfed the North American lands, and presented an early aquatic life form. This stage in the geological time scale occurs right after the Proterozoic stage. Some geologists refer the Proterozoic stage as the very first stage. Continental sheets of ice that cover most of the world characterized the first stage. In a long timeframe afterwards, with the retreat of the oceans, basins were created by active periods of plate movements, and as this process continued, a series of mountain ranges erected along the eastern coast of North America:

The first collision created the Appalachian Basin. Sheets of crust from Europe were thrust over North America, weakening the crust just ahead of the collision and bending it into a long trough. The force was also strong enough to form sages and ridges in the Canadian Shield far from the mountain-building activity. These sags are the Michigan, Hudson Bay and Moose River Basins (Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines).

From this geological process, sediments were eroded from the mountain areas and deposited towards the lower elevations. For example, the Michigan Basin deposits includes the materials most commonly found in and around Manitoulin Island and extending into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan which includes: dolomite, limestone, shale, salt and other traces of minerals. These minerals are the common make-up of Manitoulin Island’s deposit. Thus, these minerals heavily influence the soil conditions on the Island. In some areas of the Island, the soil is very acidic. In other areas, the soil content is rich in limestone. For most parts, the Island is composed of a shallow deposits of soil, usually less than a foot of loam, overlain a flatbed of limestone (Sloss).

About wikwemikong

Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve occupies the large peninsula on the eastern end of Manitoulin Island, accessible across the isthmus between Manitowaning Bay and South Bay.

How this area became Canada's only "unceded" reserve is a story with ancient beginnings. Manitoulin Island is the ancestral home of the Odawa people whom Champlain met in 1615. In the seventeenth century, Jesuit missionaries lived among the Island's Odawa inhabitants. Tales handed down through local families tell of a Christian chapel built in the late 1600s near the site of the present village of Wikwemikong.

The first modern missionary to visit the Island was the Rev. J. B. Proulx, a secular priest. In 1838, Proulx established a mission in Wikwemikong where some Odawa families had been living since 1825. Many more Anishnabec (Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi) moved to Wikwemikong after the treaty of 1836 which promised Manitoulin as a refuge for native people.

In 1845, the Holy Cross Mission at Wikwemikong was entrusted to the Jesuits under whose supervision the mission developed to include schools, a training centre in agriculture and the trades, a grist mill and a church. As the community grew, some families moved to what is now known as M'Chigeeng, and to Sheshegwaning, an Odawa settlement on western Manitoulin.

With pressure to open more land for European settlement, the government reopened negotiations for the Island. In 1862, the native people of Manitoulin were offered a treaty by which they would assign or "cede" their lands to the government. In return, each family head would receive 100 acres of land to be located in settlements. Money from the sale of the remainder of the Island lands would be placed in a special Indian fund. Although the inhabitants of the western settlements agreed to the proposals, those of the eastern peninsula did not wish to give up their ancestral lands. They refused to sign the Manitoulin Treaty of 1862 and, to this day, Wikwemikong remains an "unceded" reserve.

Now this peninsula, over 300 square miles in area, is home to 2,772 people of Odawa, Ojibwe and Potawotami descent. The population of the village of Wikwemikong is 1,628, making it the Island's largest community. Others live in the smaller communities of Buzwah, Murray Hill, Kaboni, Rabbit Island, Wikwemikonsing and South Bay. Four churches, two elementary schools and Wasse Abin High School serve the young people of Wikwemikong. Wikwemikong (the name is usually translated as "bay of the beaver") presents a striking mix of traditional culture and modern convenience. In a community where many people continue to speak their ancestral language, modern facilities offer high-quality medical and community services. Visitors find stores for groceries and general merchandise, eating spots, and galleries and gift shops featuring the fine work of local artists and craftspersons.

M'chigeeng

West Bay First Nation has recently undergone a name change to M'Chigeeng (pronounced shih-geeng), which means "village enclosed by stepped cliffs". The second-largest reserve on Manitoulin, it was settled in the middle of the 19th century when natives from Wikwemikong relocated there, and has since flourished.

Located centrally on the Island where Highways 540 and 551 meet, at the base of the bay for which it was named until recently, the town is still very rich in the Ojibwe culture and home to many renowned native artisans.

THE THREE FIRES

The Ojibway have a 3 Fire confederacy composed of the Potawatomi (the fire people; keepers of the Sacred Fire), the Ottawa (the trader people), and the Ojibway (the faith keepers; keepers of the sacred scrolls and the Waterdrum of the Midewiwin (the organized shamanic society for healers). All of the Anishinabe people are the nation of the Three Fires. Benton-Banai thinks the people were mistakenly referred to as the Chippewa. Densmore said that: "The meaning of the word Ojibway has been the subject of much discussion. The derivation of the word from a root meaning "to pucker" has been conjectured. Many attribute this derivation to a type of mocassin formerly used by this tribe, which had a puckered seam extending up the front instead of having a tongue-shaped piece, as in present usage" (Densmore 1979:5-6). The Three Fires nation was attacked along the migration by the Sauks and Foxes and never fought the whites. They fought battles with the Dakota when they got to the Midwest. Benton-Banai thinks the migration started around 900 AD and took about 500 years to complete (1988:102). He believes the Sacred Fire was kept alive that long and the dream of the original 7 prophets was carried by many generations. Rock art research

SHEGUIANDAH BAY

Sheguiandah First Nation, located near the site of an early nineteenth-century Indian encampment on Sheguiandah Bay. Sheguiandah mean "home of the stork", "place of the grindstone", or "bay of grey slate", . The Strawberry Channel was an important native travel way and "Shegui's place" may have been a stopover on the route.

Sheguiandah has long been a site of human occupation. Tools, spears and arrowheads, manufactured by prehistoric people and dating back over 9,000 years, have been found at an archaeological site, an ancient quarry near the village. An Indian reserve was established here in 1866, a road connected Sheguiandah with Little Current by 1868, and settlers began to take up land in the 1870s. Within 20 years, Sheguiandah had become a prosperous village, with busy industries: a sawmill, box and barrel works, sash and door factory, flour mill, cheese factory and the Island's only woollen mill.

Sheguiandah Bay, is home of ten mile point the best view of northern manitoulin all at once, and is one of the best among Manitoulin's many fine fishing places, yielding northern pike and small mouth bass. There are trailer parks Like the batman trailer park and house-keeping cottages, all with access to sandy swimming beaches. The dock has day spaces for small boats, a loading ramp, and picnic tables and ramped washrooms. Bass Lake, on the community's western side, is justly noted for its muskellunge fishery. (MANITOULIN.CA)

Mindemoya

The name Mindemoya (Mndimooyenh) refers to the island located [in the lake] as viewed from the east shore by the Picnic Area, which resembles and old woman on her hands and knees. Several native legends explain the presences of this old woman. Kitche Manitou (the Great Spirit), creator of the universe, sent Nanabush, the son of a human mother and spirit father, to teach the Anishnaabeg. Nanabush, who was readed by his grandmother, possessed supernatural powers including the power of transformation. Nanabush was running from south, according to one legend, with his grandmother over his shoulder. She was heavy, but he got this far when he stumbled and lost his balance. His grandmother flew thru the air, landing on her hands and knees in the middle of the lake, were she remains. He continued on his jouonrney, stopping at the Cup and Saucer Hill to rub the magic alder bushes against his cuts and bruises. The alders turned red from his blood and remain red to this day

The Great Spirit Circle Trail

The Great Spirit Circle Trail encompasses a family of First Nation communities who share a common language, culture and heritage. The name "Great Spirit Circle Trail" represents the physical and spiritual history of the ancestral home of the Three Fires people.

The Ojibway – Keepers of the Ceremonies

The Odawa – Keepers of Commerce and Trade

The Pottawatomi – Keepers of the Fire

The name embraces the spirituality of all First Nations people, specifically the "Great Spirit" of pride within each individual, which is expressed through our culture, language and traditions.

The "Circle" represents one's path in life, the circular path of our journey.

The "Trail" represents the journey to our communities, a journey that touches the essence of Mother Earth, as natural as a trail through the forest.

Little Current - Swing Bridge

>The Swing Bridge between Goat Island and Manitoulin Island is one of the few remaining structures of the original AER. Happily it will probably be with us for a long time as it is both the only land means of access to Manitoulin Island and has also been declared an Ontario Heritage Site giving it some measure of protection from those who would modernise access to the island. The bridge was started in late1912 when the Foundation Co. was given the contract to build the piers and abutments. The foundation work was completed by May 1, 1913 and in the words of R.S. McCormick, Chief Engineer of the AER, was "a very fine job of pier work.

Sagamok First Nations

Sagamok First Nation, located along the North Channel of Lake Huron, is known as a wilderness paradise. Boaters and fisherman rank the North Channel as among the world's most beautiful waterways where views of rocky islands and twisted evergreens are reminiscent of a Group of Seven painting. Sagamok located at the foot of the Lacloche Mountain range is a haven for wildlife including bears, cougars, eagles, foxes, wolves and many other animals.

Despite its location on the north shore of the North Channel, the native reserve of Sagamok is very much a part of the Manitoulin area. The community forms part of the Great Spirit Circle Trail, and is accessed by Manitoulin boaters in the summer and snowmobilers in the winter. Its location, just south of the Spanish River, is among the most spectacular of the area's communities. The ancient quartzite hills of the LaCloche Mountains stand to the east and west of the village. To the south, the historic Fort LaCloche (once an outpost of the North West Company and later of the Hudson's Bay Company) straddles the LaCloche River leading to Lake LaCloche. The site of the old fort is now home to a summer art camp, as well as the start to a series of excellent hiking trails.

History tells of a time when our people traveled Northern Ontario=s intricate network of lakes and rivers. Remnants of our Aboriginal ancestry can still be seen 142 kilometers up the Spanish River and deep into the Lacloche Mountain range. Historic pictographs depicting the Anishnaabe clans of the area can still be seen today. In the early years of Canada’s development, the French relied on Sagamok=s strategic location to trade with the local Anishnaabe people of that time. Travel the routes our ancestors once frequented on one of our fully guided interpretive tours. Experience the ultimate in recreational and educational learning adventure.

Espanola

Espanola the Head of manitoulin. The name "Espanola" is thought to have arisen from the fact that in the eighteenth century a band of Ojibway Indians who lived in this area bought back a Spanish woman after a journey south into the United States. Later, French explorers were amazed to discover some of the Indians speaking Spanish and so named their village "Espagnole" which over the course of time has became corrupted into the present-day name of Espanola. The nearby town of Spanish was presumably named for the same reason. At the junction of Hwy. 6 & 17 you will find motels for the weary traveler and wonderful family dining to break up the long drive. Espanola is located on Hwy. 6 heading toward Manitoulin Island and is home of the Domtar paper mill which offers tours. The community also offers a wide variety of amenities.

Lake Huron

Lake Huron is the third largest of the lakes by volume, with 850 cubic miles of water. Lake Huron is hydrologically inseparable from Lake Michigan, joined by the wide Straits of Mackinac. The Huron lakeshore extends 3,827 miles, and is characterized by shallow, sandy beaches and the rocky shores of Georgian Bay. The lake measures 206 miles across and 183 miles north to south, with an average depth of 195 feet (approximately 750 feet, maximum). Lake Huron's drainage area, which covers parts of Michigan and Ontario, is relatively large compared to the other Great Lakes. It's more than twice the size of Huron's approximately 23,000 square miles of surface water. The Saginaw River basin is intensively farmed and contains the Flint and Saginaw-Bay City metropolitan areas.

References: Great Lakes Atlas, Environment Canada and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1995

Georgian Bay Composed of 59 islands and shoals, this tiny park is part of the largest group of fresh-water islands in the world. As part of a 30 000 island archipelago, the park stretches along 50 kilometers of the eastern shoreline of Georgian Bay in what is truly one of the most picturesque of vacation wonderlands.

Entirely water-based, it plays host to a wide variety of wildlife species including the Massasauga Rattlesnake, while weather and terrain have created a transitional zone for diverse forest and plant life. Evidence of a great mountain range and tropical sea and the devastating effects of the ice age can be traced in the rock of its smooth low-lying islands. Indian legend and artifacts from archaeology digs on Beausoleil Island enrich our awareness of its history dating back 5000 years.

<Chi-Cheemaun

Stretching 365 feet in length at a weight of nearly 7,000 tons, the Chi-Cheemaun is the largest ship of its kind on the Great Lakes. In operation since 1974, the Chi-Cheemaun, meaning ‘Big Canoe’, can carry 143 cars and 638 passengers between Tobermory and South Baymouth. The ferry can make the 30-mile trip in less than two hours at an average speed of 18 miles per hour.

Norisle-Manitowaning >The Norisle was built specifically for the Tobermory/South Baymouth passenger ferry service and made its first run in 1947. The impressive ship could carry 200 passengers and up to 50 vehicles, doubling the capacity of prior vessels. In 1975 the ship was sold to Manitowaning, Ontario and converted into a floating museum/restaurant.