Some Canadian cultural experiences

Monday 8 September

Leaving Ottawa we were surprised by the number of cyclists pedalling along the bike paths beside the freeway.

Once out of Ottawa we headed towards Toronto and then turned north and the Algonquin Provincial Park.

Algonquin is a large track of land which is still logged however this is managed in a very controlled manner. Much of the park is only accessible by canoe or foot. A road runs through the south west of the park for some 56 kms and this provides more general access to trails for visitors.


Our first stop was at the Algonquin Logging Museum. There was a short film on the role of logging in the development of Canada. At one stage more than 50% of the population was involved in logging. It was really a tough life particularly during the harsh winter.

The museum has an interpretive trail depicting the living and working conditions of the loggers.

Inside one of the huts (called a camboose) which housed, I think, 40 men. The fire was the only heating

Two men shared each "bed"

A typical log cabin

Timber was squared by hand prior to sending it down river to be shipped back to England

Horses were used for a range of activities

Eventually, mechanisation took over some aspects of the loggers work and the horses were replaced by trucks and tractors.

It was an interesting insight into a significant industry that obviously played a huge role in the development of Canada.

Travelling further into the park we reached the Visitors Centre where we had lunch. There were some good views from the verandas.

One of the lakes visable from the Visitors Centre

Trees are already starting to turn brilliant colours

After lunch we headed off to walk the Beaver Lake Trail. This trail took us past a number of lakes that had been created by beavers. Unfortunately beavers tend to be both shy and nocturnal so we did not see any during our walk however we did see their handiwork.

The lilies in this pond were still in flower

The wall created by beavers to form the lake.

The dam wall from the lake side

A view along the lake created by the beavers

Looking across the lake to the beaver hide.

The walk took us through some lovely shaded forest as well as along the shores of a number of lakes. It was a very pleasant stroll.

Back on the bus we had quite a long drive to our overnight stop at a small town called Midlands.

Tuesday 9 September

Today was another cultural experience where we had the chance to see a reconstructed Jesuit mission from the 1600s.

But before the history lesson we were treated to a very nich breakfast followed by a short film which provided background for the site.

The site is known as Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons. The Hurons were the local people who lived in the area before the arrival of Europeans. They farmed the land and traded with other tribes. from the perspective of the Jesuits they were good candidates for conversion to christianity as they remained in the one spot for a number of years while many other tribes were nomadic. The mission lasted a mere 10 years before it was abandoned. In the meantime the native population had been hit by measles, chicken pox and flu which had killed more than 50% of the population.

We were treated to a guided tour of the 3 acres site which has been reconstructed from a combination of archeological research and contemporary documents that described and depicted the buildings and their use from the time that the mission existed.

It is worth noting that the nearest settlement was in Quebec, a very difficult trip through hazardous waterways to reach the site of the mission.

Our guide, Marilyn, was very informative and made the experience a lot of fun, especially when she had people dress up in clothing similar to what was used at the time. Trevor was selected to be a Jesuit.

Here is a selection of photos from the visit.

Marilyn leading us in through the mission gate

The chap on the left depicted one of the natives, they were generally quite tall, while Trevor was a Jesuit

What a motely crew. From left to right: Marilyn, our guide; Jesuit priest, a french volunteer who supported the mission, two native women and a naive man

To demonstrate the difference in stature of the frech compared with the Hurons, marilyn got the two "frenchmen" to kneel down. The french, there were only men and no french women, were quite short in contrast to the Huron.

Inside a long house. The huron were a matricarchal society who resided in long houses. The houses are known to have reached 150m long. When more space was required in a long house the end wall was taken out and additional bays added then the end wall replaced.

The long houses were not only living quarters but also served as store houses for food and skins

The Jesuit sleeping quarters. These beds were very short

The tour of the site was fascinating, informative and a lot of fun.

Back on the bus we headed for Niagara Falls. Along the way we were reminded on one of the Canadian summer festivals. During the summer there are countless festivals held in Canada however the longest one is the festival of the yellow cones. What is this festival, you may well ask. During the summer there is always an enormous amount of roadwork undertaken. Firstly there are the repairs to roads that have been damaged by the snow then there is all the regular maintenca and, of course, new work which includes widening of roads and bridges. The yellow cones come out wherever roadwork is being undertaken and we certainly encountered a significant amount.