FISHING DAVE BROWN RAINBOW COUNTRY


Fish and serenity in


Every summer my wife, Ann, and


I attempt to visit and stay someplace in Ontario that is unfamiliar to us. We do this to research and learn something about its history, to experience its local customs, to investigate some of its geography, and just to relax. This past summer we choose to


THE AREA AROUND WILLISVILLE AND WHITEFISH FALLS IS BREATHTAKING.


visit the Willisville and Whitefish Falls area for a couple of weeks. Both villages are situated on Hwy 6 between the town of Espanola and Georgian Bay’s Manitoulin Island. Why here, you ask? Well, one reason is that Whitefish


Falls and Willisville are located on the Whitefish River, Charlton Lake, Frood Lake and Cranberry Bay watershed, and can satisfy some of my fishing curiosities. They are also situated right in the


heart of the La Cloche Mountains, which is one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America. Between two and three billion


LA CLOCHE IS ONE OF THE OLDEST MOUNTAIN RANGES IN NORTH AMERICA.


14 BOUNDER MAGAZINE


years ago, and before glacial erosion and weathering reduced them to their present day form, these quartzite and granite mountains would have


rivalled the present day Rocky Mountains as being one of the highest and most rugged ranges in Canada. According to local legend,


when struck, these mountains became “warning bells” by First Nations peoples to signal danger between local communities. As the “bell rocks” could be heard for a considerable distance, the hills were named the “La Cloche” mountains after the French word “bell” by North West and Hudson’s Bay company fur traders when they first explored the area in the 18th


and 19th centuries. Geographically, they roughly


extend from La Cloche Provincial Park south of Massey to Killarney Provincial Park southwest of Sudbury. It is also in this area that many of


the “Group of Seven” artists painted, including A.J. Casson, Franklin Carmichael, A.Y. Jackson, and Arthur Lismer. In fact, Carmichael owned a


summer cabin in Cranberry Bay that was often frequented by his colleague, Casson. Carmichael Mountain, which is part of the “La


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THE GROUP OF SEVEN ARTISTS OFTEN FREQUENTED THESE LAKES.


Cloche” chain, and Carmichael Lake, situated in Killarney Provincial Park, are both named after the artist. Casson and Jackson have lakes


named after them in the area. It is the unique landscapes of giant wind-swept jack and white pines, imbedded in granite-like rock formations, that first attracted the artists to the region. If you visit the area, you will understand why they were there. The scenery is simply amazing. Three different geological


zones merge near Whitefish Falls so rock collectors can see and find interesting specimens. In 1942, INCO (International Nickel Company of Canada - now Vale Inc.) began quarrying quartz at the Lawson Quarry near Whitefish Falls. Scattered in with iron ore pellets are bits and pieces of collectable quartz along the old Algoma Eastern Railway track between Espanola and Little Current. Running through Willisville, this line was used to


continued on page 63 www.bounder.ca BOUNDER MAGAZINE 15


WE MARVELLED AT THESE QUARTZITE AND GRANITE MOUNTAINS.


Photos by STEPHANIE BROWN


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