The original
idea for constructing this railway dated back to 1872 when the Thunder Bay
Silver Mines Railway was incorporated. Silver had been discovered southwest of what would later become the twin cities of Port Arthur and Fort William, Ontario and promoters were anxious to tap this resource, as well
as providing a rail connection to Duluth, Minnesota. Nothing was done however,
and the charter lapsed. Another attempt to revive the idea was made in 1881,
but the application was thrown out of Parliament. Politicians argued that
the plan to build so close to the boundary violated their agreement with the
Canadian Pacific Railway that, “no railway be constructed within 15 miles of
the border.” Undaunted, the promoters tried again one year later. Finally, in
February 1883, a Provincial charter was granted to the Thunder Bay Colonization
Railway (TBCR).
Now that the
promoters of the railway (which included many of Port Arthur’s prominent
citizens such as Thomas Marks, D.F. Burk and James Conmee, M.P.P) had their
charter, their efforts were buoyed by further good news. American interests had
begun construction on the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad north towards the
boundary, which offered to provide the sought-after link with Duluth. As well,
a large iron deposit had been discovered just across the border at Gunflint Lake, which was part of the now famous Vermilion and Mesabi iron ranges. The
promoters, however, could not afford to build, having only received a subsidy
from the Provincial Government.
In 1887, the
corporate name was changed to the Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway
(P.A.D & W) by Provincial Statute. With subsidies later granted from the
Dominion, Provincial and Municipal Governments, construction was commenced in
the fall of 1889. By December 1892, the railway had reached its Canadian
terminus at Gunflint Lake. A six-mile branch, known as the P.A.D & W of
Minnesota, was constructed across the border to the Paulson Mine. However, at
the same time, the Panic of 1893 caused world markets to crash and led to the
bankruptcy of the Gunflint Iron Company, which owned the mine. Attempts to construct the 50 remaining
miles to link with the Duluth & Iron Range were frustrated by rough terrain
and lack of capital. It was now a line to nowhere.
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Excursion train on the PAD&W, 1891. |
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Rock oven used by construction crews at Leeblain on Gunflint Lake, 2012. |
The railway was officially opened on June 1, 1893. The railway wound its way 86 miles from Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay) to Gunflint Lake. After leaving Port Arthur, it crossed the adjoining city of Fort William and along the Kaministiquia River to Stanley. It crossed the river on a large trestle and followed the Whitefish River Valley for some distance. Passing Whitefish, Sand and Iron Range Lakes, the P.A.D & W turned southwest to North Lake at mile 70. From there it followed the chain of boundary lakes past the town of Leeblain to Gunflint Narrows and the iron mine. The journey would take upwards of 9 hours. Motive power was provided by four locomotives, three American type and one Mogul.
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PAD&W from Port Arthur to Whitefish Lake, 1893. |
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PAD&W from Whitefish Lake to the Paulson Mine, 1893. |
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International bridge at Gunflint Narrows, 1911. (W. Germaniuk) |
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Hand car on Gunflint Lake, pre-1910. (S. LeTourneau) |
From the date
of its opening, the railway was in immediate trouble. In 1892, the silver
market collapsed and the numerous silver mines along the line closed. Its
perpetual bad luck and constant lateness would lead noted author James Oliver Curwood to dub the railway, “Poverty, Agony, Distress and Want.” By 1898, the
railway was bankrupt, and it was purchased by Canadian Northern Railway (C.No.R) for $500,000. Its owners, Donald Mann and William Mackenzie, wanted
the P.A.D & W’s 19 miles of road from Stanley to Port Arthur for their
planned Ontario and Rainy River Railway. Under Canadian Northern, the “Duluth
Extension” flourished. Many of the silver mines reopened, and passenger
traffic was up. However, the section of line between North Lake and Gunflint
Narrows was abandoned in 1902, but it was quickly leased by the Pigeon River Lumber Company which was engaged in extensive logging operations in the area. They
built a logging line which branched off the Duluth Extension at Milepost 79 and
was known as the Gunflint & Lake Superior Railroad. The logging at Gunflint
and others along the railway made it profitable for the first time in its
history. However, soon after the Gunflint logging concluded in June 1909, a
large forest fire destroyed a one-thousand-foot trestle on North Lake, which
severed the line to Gunflint and to the US.
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2-6-0 Mogul #108 heads up a mixed train of the Canadian Northern Railway at Mackies Siding, circa 1918. |
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2-6-0 Mogul #108, circa 1918. |
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North Lake Station, a Canadian Northern 3rd class station, circa 1918. |
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Last rails at Rosslyn, 2012. |
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Bridge over the Kaministiquia River at Stanley, 2010. |
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Bridge remains at Hillside, 1995. |
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Trestle Bay on North Lake, site of a 1000-foot trestle, 2010. |
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Author holding the remains of a telegraph pole on Little North Lake, 2010. |
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