Points of Interest around the Island

Boat Wreck

Behind our island and pulled up on the mainland shore, are the remains of one of the original Temagami launches. Before private boat ownership became widespread, and before there was the Access Road, the main means of ingress to the lake was via a fleet of boats operated by the Ontario Northland Boat Lines (ONBL), a subsidiary of the Ontario Northland Railway. These large vessels made daily runs, on schedules like we see today for trains, airplanes and buses. Following the development of a copper mine on Temagami Island around 1960, a road was built through the bush, passing right beside our back bay. It was not long before ONTC sold its boatline operation to Shell Canada, who moved the entire operation to this bay in a futile attempt to reduce costs. Due to declining ridership and poor maintenance, one by one the boats either sank, blew up, or were sold off. This wreck was one that burned and was towed over to this spot to be forgotten. The one large brass mooring cleat on our main docks was salvaged from this wreck.