Podcasts about canoe lake

Episode 70: Our Algonquin Park Experiences Part 3 In this episode I share my experiences at Algonquin Park Children's Camps (Camp Tamakwa on South Tea Lake and Camp Wapomeo on Canoe Lake) and Rory shares his experiences working as a summer naturalist and his later work helping establish the Archives and undertaking various archeological projects in and around the Park.  We both then share some ot the details as to why we had to leave and our lives now.

Episode 69: Our Algonquin Experiences - Part II This is the second of 3 episodes capturing the experiences of Gaye Clemson and Rory MacKay who were blessed to be able to spend the summers of their youth on Canoe Lake and Lake of Two Rivers respectively. It is dedicated to Brock Easterling, who suggested that this would a fun topic for our listeners. In this episode we focus on Canoe Lake's 1960s social life, the challenges of mice and bears, canoe trips and park visitors. Key References include: Reminiscences of Gaye Clemson and Rory MacKay as well as the following publications: The Canoe Lake Chronicles (published privately 2001 by Gaye Clemson Treasuring Algonquin: Settlement Stories of 100 Years of Leaseholding by Gaye Clemson The musical interlude is called Whispering Pines from Dan Gibson's Solitudes Lakeside Retreat CD. It is brought to you with the approval of Digital Funding LLC. Solitudes music can be found wherever you get your music streaming.

Episode 68: Our Algonquin Experiences Part 1 This is the first of three episodes capturing the experiences of Gaye Clemson and Rory MacKay who were blessed to be able to spend the summers of their youth and most of their adult lives as leaseholders on Canoe Lake and Lake of Two Rivers respectively. Key References include: Reminiscences of Gaye Clemson and Rory MacKay as well as the following publications: The Canoe Lake Chronicles (published privately 2001 by Gaye Clemson Treasuring Algonquin: Settlement Stories of 100 Years of Leaseholding by Gaye Clemson The musical interlude is called Lakeside Retreat from Dan Gibson's Solitudes Lakeside Retreat CD. It is brought to you with the approval of Digital Funding LLC. Solitudes music can be found wherever you get your music streaming.

Roy MacGregor, author of "Canoe Lake" discusses the disappearance of the now-famous Canadian painter back in 1917.

Episode 67: Childrens' Camp Founders  In this episode I share profiles of many of the founders of the key childrens' camps in Algonquin Park including Fanny Case from Camp Northway and Wendigo on Cache Lake, Franklin Gray, William Bennett and Herman Norton from Camp Pathfinder on Source Lake, Taylor and Ethel Statten from Camp Ahmek and Camp Wapomeo on Canoe Lake, Mary Jean Hamilton from Camp Tanamakoon on Lake Tanamakoon, Lillian Kates  from Camp Arrohon on TeePee Lake and Lou Handler and Omer Stringer from Camp Tamakwa on South Tea Lake. Key References include: Summer Camp, Great Camps of Algonquin Park by Liz Lundell, Beverley Bailey, John Taylor and Robbie Sprules; Taylor Statten A Biography by C. A. M. Edwards, Talks to Counselors by Hedley S. Dimock and Taylor Statten, The Nurture of Nature: Childhood, Antimodernism and Ontario Summer Camps 1920-1955 by Sharon Wall and A History of the Taylor Statten Camps 1985 Masters Thesis by Donald Alexander Burry The-South-Tea-Echo-Issue-21-Summer-2023-Version-for-Tamakwa-website Camp Wabuno Brochure provided by Elizabeth Otto  The musical interlude is called Time Stands Still from Dan Gibson's Solitudes Lakeside Retreat CD. It is brought to you with the approval of Digital Funding LLC. Solitudes music can be found wherever you get your music streaming.

For decades, the Canadian visual artist Marcel Dzama has been attracting attention for his drawings, films, sculptures and installations. Earlier this year, Tom Power spoke with the Brooklyn-based artist about his new solo show, “Ghosts of Canoe Lake,” which opened at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Ontario. Now, the exhibit is making its way to Marcel's hometown of Winnipeg at the gallery where he got his first big break, the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art. In this conversation, Marcel talks about his work, his newfound appreciation for Canadian artist Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven, and how losing his earliest work in a fire allowed him to feel more freedom as an artist.

Tom Thomson, a highly influential Canadian artist, was initially buried in 1917 near Canoe Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park. His death remains mysterious, with theories ranging from accidental drowning to murder. Guest: Roy MacGregor, Canadian Journalist and Author of “Northern Light: The Enduring Mystery of Tom Thomson and the Woman Who Loved Him” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seg 1: The mysterious death of Tom Thomson Tom Thomson, a highly influential Canadian artist, was initially buried in 1917 near Canoe Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park. His death remains mysterious, with theories ranging from accidental drowning to murder. Guest: Roy MacGregor, Canadian Journalist and Author of “Northern Light: The Enduring Mystery of Tom Thomson and the Woman Who Loved Him” Seg 2: How should we adapt to extreme heat? Extreme heat is causing severe health issues and deaths worldwide. The increasing frequency of heatwaves, driven by climate change, is a growing threat to summer crowds at religious, musical, political, and sports events. Guest: Dr. Benjamin Zaitchik, Professor of Earth & Planetary Science at John Hopkins University Seg 3: View From Victoria: We get a local look at the top political stories with the help of Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer. Seg 4: Is Trudeau going to step down? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to the Liberal Party's unexpected loss in the Toronto-St. Paul's riding, a stronghold they had maintained for over thirty years. Trudeau acknowledged the “concerns and frustrations” of voters. Guest: Dr. Stewart Prest, Political Science Lecturer at UBC Seg 5: Is Vancouver's water infrastructure on the same path as Calgary's? It's been nearly 3 weeks since a water main in Calgary broke, cutting off parts of the city from a water treatment plant, and causing major water restrictions throughout parts of the city. Guest: Matti Seimiaticki , Professor of the infrastructure institute at the University of Toronto. Seg 6: Will US support help keep the Vancouver Park Board afloat? The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has written an open letter to its Vancouver counterpart to support maintaining an independent park board. Guest: Brennan Bastyovanszky, Vancouver Park Board Commissioner Seg 7: Rebuilding Lytton three years after the deadly wildfire Nearly three years after a wildfire devastated Lytton, significant rebuilding progress has been made, but it is moving too slowly, according to Mayor Denise O'Connor. Guest: Denise O'Connor, Mayor of Lytton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, the visual artist Marcel Dzama has been attracting attention for everything from his root beer ink drawings of bears, bats and flapper girls enduring the Winnipeg winter of his youth, to his wild films, sculptures and installations. Now, the Brooklyn-based artist has his first major Canadian exhibition in almost a decade at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Ontario called “Ghosts of Canoe Lake.” Marcel talks to Tom about growing up in Winnipeg, how losing his earliest work in a fire allowed him to feel more freedom as an artist, and his new-found love for Tom Thomson.

Episode 52: Tom Thomson Remembered: Anniversary Special Given that it is the anniversary this week of Tom Thomson's disappearance and ultimate death 106 years  ago, I thought it would fun to take Algonquin Defining Moments in a slightly different direction. Published two years ago by  Deryck N. Robertson from Paddler Press in Peterborough, Ontario, Canoe Lake Memories is a book of poetry with reflections on Thomson, Canoe Lake and of course fishing and water.  In addition are some great paintings, which I have posted on my www.algonquinparkheritage.com website. So for this episode, it's best to find a relaxing spot in nature along with your favourite libation, assume your mindfulness pose and view the episode as a meditation of sorts.  For each  piece, I'll introduce a bit about the writer so as to provide a bit of context.  I've also included my 3  favorite Tom Thomson songs from Ian Tamblyn including 'Down at Tea Lake Dam' My Heart Belongs to the Northland in Spring' and 'Brush and Paddle'  from his Walking in the  Footsteps  CD.  Also special thanks to Deryck N. Robertson Editor-in-Chief at Paddler Press.  The book Canoe Lake Memories can be found on www.paddlerpress.ca   Enjoy!!!  

Episode 244: On the morning of the 8th of July 1917, thirty-nine-year-old Tom Thomson, a renowned Canadian painter and skilled outdoorsman, set off well-supplied for a day-long fishing excursion in his canoe on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park in Whitney, Ontario. A canoe, later identified as Thomson's, was found floating upside down in the lake later on the same day. When Tom did not return from his fishing trip the next day, his friends became concerned. Eight days after Thomson first set out, Dr. G. W. (Goldwyn) Howland, a cottager from Toronto, spotted Tom's bloated and decomposed body floating in the lake. An examination of Thomson's body uncovered a large bruise on the right side of his head, and blood had come out of his right ear. Thomson's death was quickly ruled an accident, and no police investigation occurred. Thomson was laid to rest in Mowat Cemetery near Canoe Lake, where he'd died. However, Thomson's older brother George demanded the body be exhumed. Two days later, Tom's grave was re-opened, the casket removed, and he was re-interred on July 21 in the family plot beside the Leith Presbyterian Church in what is now the Municipality of Meaford, Ontario. Officially the matter was closed, but mythology has grown around Thomson's death. In the intervening years since Thomson's death, investigations by sleuths, amateur and professional, have come to various conflicting conclusions. Some agree with the initial findings that Thomson died due to accidental drowning. Others, however, suggest that Tom Thomson was murdered. Sources: Death on a Painted Lake: The Tom Thomson Tragedy Algonquin Provincial Park | Ontario, Canada | The Friends of Algonquin Park Tom Thomson | The Canadian Encyclopedia The Group of Seven – Canadian landscape painters from 1920 to 1933 Canada's History Books - Canada's History The Mysterious Death of Tom Thomson, Canadian Painter – alexanderadamsart Tom Thomson: The Silence and the Storm by David Silcox, Harold Town - Ebook | Scribd Tom Thomson by Joan Murray - Ebook | Scribd Who Killed Tom Thomson? by John Little - Ebook | Scribd The Many Deaths of Tom Thomson by Gregory Klages - Ebook | Scribd The Mysterious Death of Tom Thomson by George A. Walker - Ebook | Scribd Tom Thomson's Last Paddle by Larry McCloskey - Ebook | Scribd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 41:Remembering Dan Gibson's Wings in the  Wildeness In the mid 1970s Dan Gibson award winning wildlife film maker, sound recording artist, inventor of the Dan Gibson Sound Parabola recoding device, founder of Dan Gibson's Solitudes music label, Juno award winner and a recipient of the Order of Canada decided to venture into doing a  feature length film. Filmed on Canoe Lake during the summer of 1974, Wings in the Wilderness went on to win a Canadian Film Awards Etrog for Best Sound in a Non-theatrical Film and Certificate of Honour for outstanding contribution to the art of cinematography.  This was because for the first time ever, flying geese were filmed whilst  flying up close and personal in V- formation.  In this episode I interviewed  my brother Bob Clemson, who was a production assistant on the film, with additional commentary from my childhood and Canoe Lake friend Holly Gibson Stewart. This  episode's musical interludes include ‘Whiskey Jack Creek' and ‘White Throat' from Dan Gibson Solitudes Land of the Loon CD and brought to us with the approval of Digital Funding LLC.  Solitudes music can be found where ever you get your music streaming.

On July 8, 1918, artist and avid outdoorsman Tom Thomson took his boat onto Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park, Ontario, to go fishing. His body was found floating in the lake three days later. Other community members saw his boat overturned but waited days to report it. Was his death a tragic accident, or did something more sinister happen? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 40: Remembering Dan Gibson - Nature Film Maker Extraordinaire In this episode Holly Gibson Stewart, one of my long-time Canoe Lake friends, joins me in sharing stories of her father, Dan Gibson, and her perspectives about his extraordinary film and music career. One of the key founding members of Pimlott's Algonquin Wildlands League in the 1970s, Dan Gibson was a Taylor Statten Camps Camp Ahmek alumni and a long time resident of Canoe Lake since the mid 1940s.   From there, he went on to leverage his keen interest in photography and Algonquin Park's wildlife to become an award winning wildlife film maker, sound recording artist, inventor of the Dan Gibson Sound Parabola recoding device, founder of Dan Gibson's Solitudes music label, Juno award winner and a recipient of the Order of Canada. His ground breaking role in helping all of us see, hear and better appreciate wildlife cannot be underestimated. This  episodes musical interlude is called Stream of Dreams and is from Dan Gibson Solitudes Harmony CD and brought to us with the approval of Digital Funding LLC.  Solitudes music can be found where ever you get your music streaming.

Episode 32: Fish-Fish and More Fish: Early Years of the Harkness Fisheries Lab Not being that into angling, except when my twins were young and fishing off of our Canoe Lake dock a regular pass time, it's been seriously enlightening to learn all about the Harkness Laboratory for Fisheries Research on Lake Opeongo. This is the first of two episodes that explores the history of fisheries research in Algonquin Park, which began in 1936.  YOu'll have an opportunity to meet some of the amazing fisheries researchers and their work both then and more recently. I now know more about fish than I ever thought possible. Now you can as well!!! There are too many sources to list here, but you can find the complete list along with some great historical photographs on my website blog www.algonquinparkheritage.com     The music in this episode comes from  composer Sarah Spring whom you can find on any music web site or her website www.sarahspringpiano.can

Episode 28: Don Lloyd, Algonquin's Renaissance Man - an Interview with grandson Mathew  Thivierge   Don Lloyd, who died in 2013, is I think the closest that Algonquin Park has come, to creating a true Algonquin Park Renaissance man.   Don wasn't just an Algonquin Park wildlife and landscape illustrator, he also turns out to have been also been a geography teacher, a receiver of a Bachelors, Masters and PhD in Geography, an author of two important Algonquin books, a board game designer, a children's book creator as well as an avid Algonquin Park canoe tripper, birder, wood carver. He was a long time Canoe Lake leaseholder, Algonquin Park Residents Association activist and Friends of Algonquin Park board member in its early years. In 2011 he received their Director's Award, which honors those who have made significant contributions toward the appreciation of Algonquin Park. In this episode I chat with his grandson Mathew Thivierge to share with you some of his recollections of his grandfather. Musical interlude is called Campfire Light and is by Ian Tamblyn from his Superior: Spirit and  Light CD and can be found at www.iantamblyn.com

Episode 25: Interview with Wilderness Adventurer Sandy Lewis In the last episode I shared some of the origin stories of a few Algonquin Wilderness Adventurers whose ancestors, some as many as five generations back, were invited by the Ontario Government to lease small plots of land on a specific set of Algonquin Park lakes and build summer cabins.  In this episode I'm thrilled to be chatting with the patriarch of one such five-generation family Sandy Lewis. Sandy is the grandson of both Dr. Alexander Pirie and Thomas Bertram who were Algonquin's first wilderness Adventurers. The two purchased in 1906, Allan and David Gilmour's summer cabins and leased the land on the south-end of an island in the middle of Canoe Lake, just south of what is today's Big Wapomeo Island. The sawmill that the Gilmour brothers owned that existed at the north end of Canoe Lake had gone bankrupt some years earlier and the cottages abandoned. Lewis shares not just his grandparents and parents experiences, but also his own as a young child, hanging out by himself in the woods. Biographical references include my own 2002 book Algonquin Voices, Selected Stories of Canoe Lake Women and Gary Long and Randy Whitman's 1998 book When Giants Fall – The Gilmour Quest for Algonquin Pine.  This episode's musical interlude is called Forever Unknown and comes from fellow Algonquin lover Sarah Spring. Sara is a composer, sound artist, pianist and music educator and her music can be found on www.saraspringpiano.ca

Episode 19: Tom Thomson as a Myth and Legend This is the last of a three-part series on the life, the body, and the legend of Canada's artist icon Tom Thomson.  In this episode, I will focus on the mythology that that evolved around Thomson from the 1940s to today. Then, I'll try to address the legend by assembling the thoughts on the subject by three great writers Roy MacGregor, Sherrill Grace, and Gregory Klages.  The idea is to try to understand why our imaginations and reinventions of who he was have become such a part of the Canadian national identity. Lastly, I'll share, as a long-time Canoe Lake resident with a wink and a nudge, my ‘Inventing Thomson' contribution. In addition are a few more Thomson-related musical interludes from the talented Ian Tamblyn's CD Walking in the Footsteps - Celebrating the Group of Seven. Don't forget to check out his website at www.iantamblyn.com.

Episode 18: Artist Tom Thomson's Mysterious Death in Algonquin Park On Tuesday, July 16th a little over 104 years ago, after almost a week of fruitless searches, the body of Tom Thomson was found on Canoe Lake just east offshore from Little Wapomeo Island.  Over the next few days, chaos and confusion seemed to have reined on Canoe  Lake. This is the second of a three-part series on the life, the body, and the legend of Canada's artistic icon Tom Thomson.  In Part 1, I focused mostly on Thomson's time in Algonquin Park, some of the people he met, and his journey as an artist. In this second part, I will share what happened to his body after it rose to the surface of Canoe Lake on July 16th, 1917. In Part 3, I will focus on the mystery and mythology that has grown up around him since the 1940s and discuss why he has become such a part of the Canadian national identity. Below is the list of biographical and musical references used as the research basis for this series. Note that If you are interested in listening to more of Ian Tamblyn's  CD Walking in the Footsteps - Celebrating the Group of Seven check out his website at www.iantamblyn.com. Biographical References Roy MacGregor's 2011 Northern Light Gregory Klages's 2016 The Many Deaths of Tom Thomson and Death on a Painted Lake website https://www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/thomson/home/indexen.html Sherrill Grace's Inventing Tom Thomson Blodwen Davies 1967 reprint of Tom Thomson: The Story of a Man who Looked for Beauty and Truth in the Wilderness (plus discussions of her 1935 version by Grace and Klages) Ottelyn Addison and Elizabeth Harwood's 1969 Tom Thomson: The Algonquin Years William Little's 1970 The Tom Thomson Mystery Bernard Shaw's 2003 Third Edition of Canoe Lake Algonquin Park, Tom Thomson and other Mysteries Discussions of Joan Murray's contributions in Klages and Grace's books Neil Lehto's 2005 Algonquin Elegy Mary Garland's 2015 Algonquin Park's Mowat- Little Town of Big Dreams Harold Town and David Wilcox's 1977 Tom Thomson: The Silence and the Storm Art Gallery of Ontario's  2002 Tom Thomson, Edited by Dennis Reid

Episode  17: Tom Thomson's Art and his Introduction to Algonquin Park On Sunday July 8th a little over 104 years ago, Tom Thomson was wearing 'khaki trousers, white canvas shoes, a lumberman's grey woolen shirt and no hat' as he headed off south down Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. According to the Algonquin Park weather station, the average temperature that day was 16.4 degrees Celsius and about a centimeter and a half of rain had fallen. As all good outdoorsmen do, Tom likely had checked to make sure his spare portaging paddle and a little food were properly tied in place, his tackle box and his sketching outfit were beside him and his trolling line set before he pushed off the dock that dull and wet day. Unfortunately, that would be the last time that Tom Thomson was ever seen or heard from again. This is the first of a three-part series on the life, the body and the legend of Canada's artistic icon Tom Thomson.  In Part 1, I focus mostly on his time in Algonquin Park, some of the people he met, mostly on his journey as an artist. Part 2 will be mostly about what happened to his body after it rose to the surface of Canoe Lake on July 16th 1917. In Part 3, I will focus on the mystery and mythology that has grown up around him since the late 1960s and discuss why he has become such a part of the Canadian national identity. Note thatIf you are interested in listening to more of Ian Tamblyn's  Group of Seven music check out his website at www.iantamblyn.com. Biographical References Roy MacGregor's 2011 Northern Light Gregory Klages's 2016 The Many Deaths of Tom Thomson and Death on a Painted Lake website https://www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/thomson/home/indexen.html Sherrill Grace's Inventing Tom Thomson Blodwen Davies 1967 reprint of Tom Thomson: The Story of a Man who Looked for Beauty and Truth in the Wilderness (plus discussions of her 1935 version by Grace and Klages) Ottelyn Addison and Elizabeth Harwood's 1969 Tom Thomson: The Algonquin Years William Little's 1970 The Tom Thomson Mystery Bernard Shaw's 2003 Third Edition of Canoe Lake Algonquin Park, Tom Thomson and other Mysteries Discussions of Joan Murray's contributions in Klages and Grace's books Neil Lehto's 2005 Algonquin Elegy Mary Garland's 2015 Algonquin Park's Mowat- Little Town of Big Dreams Harold Town and David Wilcox's 1977 Tom Thomson: The Silence and the Storm And last but not least Art Gallery of Ontario's  2002 Tom Thomson, Edited by Dennis Reid

Episode 16: A Chat with Sven Miglin from Canoe Lake's Portage Store in Algonquin Park The Portage Store has always had a special place in my heart. This is because for many years my family had a lease on Canoe Lake, and as a kid, it was often the local hangout for ice cream and people watching. I'm delighted that in this episode to be joined by Sven Miglin, whom with many members of his family, has been the heart and soul behind the Portage Store since 1976. In this episode, Sven shares with me how this venerable Algonquin Park institution has changed over the last 40+ years and some of the secrets of their success in bringing the joys of Algonquin to Canadians from all walks of life.

Episode 15: The Origins of Canoe Lake's Portage Store (1935-1975) In this episode with the help of an old memoir from my Canoe Lake neighbour, Isabel Cowie who with 3 friends once ran it in the 1950s, I'm going to share all that I have researched and can remember about the origins of the Portage Store from 1935 to 1975 and its role as the social centre of Canoe Lake. For those unaware, on a typical weekend during the heat of the summer, hundreds of visitors pass through and admire Canoe Lake from the vantage point of Portage Bay. For the really adventurous, it's to collect their rented canoe and equipment from the outfitting shop in order to venture off north or south into Algonquin Park's interior for a well-deserved respite from the chaos of their daily lives. For local residents, it's the place to get gas and oil for the motorboat, ice for the fridge or propane ice-box, check-in with the world by picking up a daily newspaper, or grab a well-deserved ice cream cone after a hard day of cottage chores. For tourists passing through the Park on their way to Toronto or Ottawa along Highway 60, it's to stop for gas or a meal at the Portage Store restaurant with a quick visit to the second-floor gift shop. For another type of adventurer, it's an opportunity in relative safety to indulge in one of Canada's most endearing past-times, that of renting a canoe and going for a paddle.

Episode 10:  Back Country Canoe Tripping Part II As noted in Episode 9 backcountry canoe tripping has been an integral part of the Algonquin Park, Ontario Canada experience since well before the Park's beginnings in 1893.  This follow-on episode focuses on what the landscape was like that our three canoe trip parties paddled through including majestic waterways, beaver dam filled rivers, and muddy swamps; how they overcame the pains of portaging, cooked over an open fire, and dealt with the bugs as well as the joys of a balsam bed.  Diaries and pictures and books by these canoe tripping parties that are the core references for this episode include one of the area's first surveyors James Dickson, who brought a group of friends on a month-long fishing and canoe tripping holiday around 1885. They came in from Dwight up the Oxtongue and then continued on to Canoe Lake and as far north as Burnt Root. George Hayes undertook several trips in 1896 and 1897 and photographed them extensively. In 1903, three park ranger guides took Boston Architect Ernest Machado, his brother Jose and brother-in-law Alfred Whitman on a 12-day trip from Canoe Lake to Victoria Lake. They headed north from Canoe Lake to Big Trout and from there to Opeongo and then south down the Opeongo River through Booth Lake to Victoria Lake. The third reference is a fishing trip that John Robins and his friend Tom took on the east side of the Park as portrayed in Robins' book The Incomplete Angler. I've also created a collage of pictures from the Machado 1903 trip and George Hayes 1895-97 trips, which can be found both on my YouTube Algonquin Defining Moments channel https://youtu.be/QOS8uCXCoPo and as a slide show on my website www.Algonquin parkheritage.com. https://www.algonquinparkheritage.com/podcast-pics-and-vids.html Enjoy!!!

Episode 9: Turn of the Century Backcountry Canoe Tripping Experiences - Part 1 So backcountry canoe tripping is one of those past times that you either love or you absolutely hate or, as the mother of a childhood friend said, you do it so that you can talk about it afterwards. Have you ever wondered though, what it must have been like venturing into the ‘wilderness' or the bush as it was called back in the day? The truth is that backcountry canoe tripping has been an integral part of the Algonquin Park, Ontario Canada experience since its beginnings in 1893. The stories I'll share in this episode are based on three canoe tripping experiences, two from the late 1800's early 1900s and another from the early 1940s. The first is surveyor James Dickson's month-long fishing and canoe tripping holiday that took place around 1885 in the Canoe Lake to Burnt Root area, The second is a park ranger-guided trip that Boston Architect Ernest Machado took with his brother Jose, brother-in-law Alfred Whitman and 3 park guides in 1903. The crew traveled from Canoe Lake to Big Trout and from there east via Merchant to Opeongo and then south down the Opeongo River through Booth Lake to Victoria. The third was a fishing trip that John Robins and his friend Tom took on the east side of the Park. They started at Radiant Lake and after a trek down and back up White Partridge Creek, headed west to Lavielle and from there to Opeongo via the Dickson-Bonfield portage.  Of course, there are tidbits from other trips including my own as a child. In this episode, I'll focus mostly on the basics, such as equipment and food, and in the next one, I'll talk about what the landscape was like and the actual physical experience. I've also created a collage of pictures from the Machado 1903 trip, which can be found both on my YouTube Algonquin Defining Moments channel and as a slide show on my website www.Algonquin park heritage.com. Enjoy!!!

Episode 4: The Brent Run Challenge Though perhaps hard to believe by some, since the 1930s there has been a hidden challenge by locals primarily from Camp Ahmek and the Portage Store staffs on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park to see if it's possible to complete the entire 160-kilometer trip in less than 24 hours. The trip includes just about every possible terrain that it's possible to experience in Algonquin Park including large and small lakes, winding creeks, bogs, rapids and portages long and short.  In the summer of 2013 two women, Quinn Cathcart and Rachel Quinby, decided to make an attempt.  As a frame of reference, in my youth, the backcountry canoe trip from Canoe Lake to Brent was a weeklong adventure with three days each way and a rest day in between.  In the late 1960s the rest day included getting up in the pre-dawn to hitch a ride on the CN train to Kiosk and then paddling pack to Cedar Lake.  This episode is the story of Quinn and Rachel's transforming, hair-raising and exhausting 43-hour journey and shares details of what was an incredible learning experience. Everybody has their own Brent Run Challenge - this was theirs. 

Episode 2: A Paddler's Guide to the Lost History of Canoe Lake's Algonquin Park Located about 14 km in from the West Gate and unbeknown to most, Canoe Lake has a deep and colourful history well beyond the Tom Thomson Memorial Cairn and Totem Pole and the Canoe Lake Cemetery, where according to some, the spirit of Tom Thomson once rested for a while. This podcast shares the highlights of about a dozen landmarks around the lake. For those who are checking it out in a canoe, you'll have to use your imagination as little if anything of most of these landmarks remains. First we will start with our launching spot on Portage Bay, which is the home of the Portage Store. Then we'll head north up the lake to a few notable sites mid lake including Braught's Lighthouse, The Tom Thomson Memorial Cairn and Totem Pole and Whiskey Jack Creek. Then we'll paddle to the north end and head to Joe Lake Dam and investigate landmarks that are no longer there including Joe Lake Station, the Algonquin Hotel  and Colson's Store. Then we'll back track and head up Potter's Creek and check out the remains of the Trestle Bridge and Omanique's saw mill as well as Canoe Lake Station. Then we'll head back down the lake and end with an view of the former Town of Mowat and Mowat Lodge on the north eastern shore.

Episode 1: Life on Algonquin Park's Canoe Lake in the Pandemic Year 1918 It was 1918, the first year of the Spanish Flu pandemic and a year after the artist Tom Thomson had died under mysterious circumstances on Algonquin Park's Canoe Lake. This episode focuses on what life was like at Canoe Lake at the time including challenges getting there, the landscape, community economics, insight into the lives of some of the key residents and a peek at healthcare challenges of the times. 

Today we celebrate the preeminent botanist of North American deserts. We'll also learn about a beloved botanist and librarian with the Missouri Botanical Gardens. We celebrate the Canadian Landscape artist, who was a member of Canada's treasured Group of Seven. We also celebrate a genuinely great English-Kiwi botanist. We honor summer gardening and garden life with today's poetry. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about "Two Plant Geeks, One-Tenth of an Acre, and the Making of an Edible Garden Oasis in the City" - and this book is loaded with ideas and inspiration for anyone interested in urban agriculture and permaculture. And then, we'll wrap things up with a sickness caused by Snakeroot. But first, let's catch up on some Greetings from Gardeners around the world and today's curated news.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   Gardener Greetings To participate in the Gardener Greetings segment, send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org And, to listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to play The Daily Gardener Podcast. It's that easy.   Curated News Enveloped In American Gardens | Landscape Architecture Magazine "Showcasing the diversity of American landscapes, past legacies of cultural stewardship, and the skills of generations of landscape architects, the U.S. Postal Service recently released the "American Gardens" stamp series, commemorating ten landmark gardens across the nation. The gardens, many of them created by historically significant designers and makers, raise the visibility of landscape design in the American cultural realm by putting them into our hands and mailboxes every day, everywhere. The stamps were designed by Ethel Kessler and feature photos by Allen Rokach, a former director of photography at the New York Botanical Garden. The stamps are a reminder of the vital role the outdoors offers during the COVID-19 quarantine, says U.S. Postal Service Director of Stamp Services Bill Gicker. "Time spent in nature, especially a beautiful and cared for garden landscape, can be very uplifting and rejuvenating—just what many people can use at this time," he says."   Finding Chaucer's true love growing in the woods is a buzz | The Guardian "Herb Paris is the truelove herb of Chaucer's Miller's Tale, combining an aphrodisiac with qualities of piety from medieval plant lore."   Alright, that's it for today's gardening news. Now, if you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck, because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. There's no need to take notes or search for links - the next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events 1878  Today is the birthday of the American botanist Forrest Shreve. We owe such a debt of gratitude to Shreve. Shreve was THE preeminent botanist of North American deserts during the first half of the twentieth century. Shreve worked out of a laboratory in Tucson, Arizona, and the lab was ideally situated for his research of the western United States and northern Mexico. Shreve relished telling the origin story of his lab: "Of course, you're familiar with the story of Andrew Carnegie, the immigrant boy who became one of America's wealthiest steel magnates... Before he died, Carnegie had established an institution that divided its scientific investigations into twelve departments into widely separated parts of the country." Shreve's Desert Laboratory was part of Division of Plant Biology and was created thanks to the Carnegie gift - which all in - totaled about $25,000,000. In July of 1908, Shreve climbed the Santa Catalina Mountains for the very first time. The group he was with rode on horses to climb the 6,000 feet from Mount Lemmon's desert base to the summit, which is 9,100 feet above sea level. During that climb, Shreve noticed what he called "a continually shifting panorama of vegetation." And it was Shreve's astuteness that helped him realize the most fantastic aspect of desert mountains - which is the changes in vegetation. Those changes are drastic and abrupt, and they are compressed into a few thousand feet of elevation. And you can almost imagine yourself there with Shreve. As you go up the mountain, you begin with seeing desert scrub; then it transitions to grassland, then oak woodland... and then finally pine-oak woodland and forest, then the pink forest, the montane fir forest, and finally subalpine forest - at the very top of the mountain. And I love how Shreve described that change: "a continually shifting panorama of vegetation." Thanks to Shreve's mastery of the North American Desert, he was able to clearly describe and define the four distinct desert regions in the United States. Today, each year, in Shreve's honor, the Forrest Shreve Student Research Award ($1000-2000) is given to support the ongoing research of the hot deserts of North America.   1901  Today the world lost Eva Reed, a botanist, author, and librarian with the Missouri Botanical Gardens. In the years before she died, she had become almost entirely deaf as the result of a fever. In a tragic accident, Reed had been sketching on the tracks of the Burlington railway, near Louisiana, Missouri, when she was hit and instantly killed by a passenger train.   1917  Today is the anniversary of the death of the Canadian artist Tom Thomson - who was a member of Canada's treasured group of artists, and they were known as the Group of Seven. Tom was born to a pioneer family. He grew up in rural Ontario on the shores of Georgian Bay. He had an idyllic childhood. He was the sixth of nine children, and music filled the home that he grew up in. His mom actually read Byron to the kids every night before they went to bed. Tom loved to fish - it would be a lifelong passion. And, although Tom had little formal schooling, the peace of his childhood home is reflected in the tranquility of his paintings.  Just Google "Tom Thomson Landscape," and you'll see what I mean.  As a young man, Tom went to a business college where his excellent penmanship surfaced. Tom had outstanding handwriting, and it led him to jobs as a pen artist. He followed his brother, George, to Seattle for work and stayed there for a few years. However, he returned to Toronto after breaking up with his sweetheart when she nervously laughed at his proposal. Back in Canada, Tom met the men who would become his artist coaches. Together, they were known as the Group of Seven. One of the seven, Jim MacDonald, suggested Tom's subject should be nature. Tom took the advice to heart, and his work is almost entirely devoted to landscapes -and he prominently featured trees, water, sky, and clouds in his paintings. Gardeners will especially appreciate Tom's paintings of trees. They are unique. And, they convey a feeling of being alive. And you can almost imagine yourself standing right there - beside Tom - in the spot where he painted his trees. In 1912, when Tom first visited the forest at Canada's oldest provincial park, Algonquin Park, his heart was gripped by the beauty. He became obsessed with Algonquin and spent as much time as he could among the Jack Pines, Black Spruce, and Maple. At Algonquin, Tom painted his subjects on a birch panel using oil paints. And tragically, in just five short years of getting started with his paintings at Algonquin, the park Tom loved would witness his untimely death. Tom was a mostly uneducated and untrained painter, and so each member of the Group of Seven played a role in mentoring and teaching him. You can imagine how he surprised and delighted them when his paintings improved so rapidly. Tom soaked up all of their advice. In many instances, his development as a painter was such, that he was surpassing his teachers. Just as Tom's work was rocketing toward greatness, his artistic arc was cut short when he disappeared on this day in 1930. He was only 39 years old. Eight days after his empty canoe was found floating in Canoe Lake, his body was found. The mystery of his death is a cold case that has never been officially solved. In a little spot on Canoe Lake, there is a cairn for Tom with a marker. And his old friend, Jim MacDonald, wrote the inscription for it which reads: "He lived humbly but passionately with the wild, and it revealed itself to him. It sent him out from the woods only to show these revelations through his art, and it took him to itself at last." Today, Tom's work is considered quintessentially Canadian. Remembering his north country friend, Jim wrote, "Tom was never very proud of his painting, but he was very cocky about his fishing."   1934  Today is the anniversary of the death of the great English-Kiwi botanist Leonard Cockayne. Leonard died when he was 79 years old. Today he is regarded as New Zealand's most celebrated botanist. Leonard was born in England and was raised to explore and appreciate the natural world. As a child, Leonard loved pressing flowers. In addition to Leonard, both his brother and sister were great gardeners. In 1879, Leonard left England and made his way to New Zealand. Dominion became his home for the remainder of his life. Ever modest, Leonard once sent a letter to Kew along with a small parcel of seeds. He attached a little note which said, "I may say I am not a nursery gardener, but merely a private individual who spends his whole time in the study of botany." In recognition of his 30 years of tireless work in New Zealand, Leonard won the Darwin medal. Looking back on Leonard's career, Dr. Richter von Goebel and John Paulus Lotsy, two distinguished botanists from the UK, visited him in New Zealand. Those visits were real highlights for Leonard, and they inspired him to continue his work. When he died, Leonard was buried at the open-air museum he founded, which serves as a lasting memorial. From his grave, one can see the native vegetation which had captured his heart, as well as the heights which bear his name. Unearthed Words We go in withering July To ply the hard incessant hoe; Panting beneath the brazen sky We sweat and grumble, but we go. — Ruth Pitter, The Diehards, 1941   Dirty hands, iced tea, garden fragrances thick in the air, and a blanket of color before me, who could ask for more? — Bev Adams, Mountain Gardening   There is a lovable quality about the actual tools. One feels so kindly to the thing that enables the hand to obey the brain. Moreover, one feels a good deal of respect for it; without it, the brain and the hand would be helpless. — Gertrude Jekyll, English gardener and writer   I suppose that for most people, one of the darker joys of gardening is that once you've got started, it's not at all hard to find someone who knows a little bit less than you. — Allen Lacy, American garden writer, and columnist   The smell of manure, of the sun on foliage, of evaporating water, rose to my head; two steps farther, and I could look down into the vegetable garden enclosed within its tall pale of reeds - rich chocolate earth studded emerald green, frothed with the white of cauliflowers, jeweled with the purple globes of eggplant and the scarlet wealth of tomatoes. — Doris Lessing, British-Zimbabwean novelist, The Habit of Loving   My garden is an honest place. Every tree and every vine are incapable of concealment and tell after two or three months exactly what sort of treatment they have had. — Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist and poet   It's a comfort to always find pasta in the cupboard and garlic and parsley in the garden. Always explore your garden and go to the market before you decide what to cook. — Alice Waters, American chef and author   Grow That Garden Library Paradise Lot by Eric Toensmeier This book came out in 2013, and the subtitle is Two Plant Geeks, One-Tenth of an Acre, and the Making of an Edible Garden Oasis in the City. A very timely book. Publishers Weekly said, "In this charming, true-life tale of urban regeneration and the birth of a forest garden movement, Toensmeier, famous among permaculture enthusiasts for his Perennial Vegetables and as coauthor of Edible Forest Gardens, tells the story behind the Holyoke, Mass., garden that's featured as a test case in the latter, which, in the course of eight years, he and Bates transformed it from a bare backyard wasteland into a flourishing, edible Eden. In true permaculture fashion, the book follows not only the progression of the garden but also its influence on and relations with its creators' lives―including a surprisingly Austen-like romantic element―their neighborhood, and the larger permaculture and forest gardening community. Bates, whose nursery business, Food Forest Farm, is an offshoot of this garden, contributes philosophical and personal essays interspersed throughout the narrative. Fans of Toensmeier and Bates's work will be thrilled to read the details of their experiments with polycultures, their problems with and solutions for pests and overly aggressive plants, and their idiosyncratic plant choices. Adventurous readers with conventional gardens and lawns may be inspired to venture into the more integrated, evolutionary approach that this book so vividly and appealingly portrays." The book is 240 pages of detailed ideas and inspiration for anyone interested in urban agriculture and permaculture. You can get a copy of Paradise Lot by Eric Toensmeier and support the show, using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $14.   Today's Botanic Spark 1965  The Vincennes Indiana newspaper reported on a sickness caused by Snakeroot: "It was about 140 years ago, that the town of Hindustan, Indiana, was abandoned by its residents because of a plague of 'milk fever'. This disease occurs after milk cows have eaten Wild Snakeroot. A few years ago, a botanist [shared] that the Hindustan neighborhood still is the best place in the Midwest to collect Wild Snakeroot for laboratory work." Wild or White Snakeroot is a problem for livestock if they consume it. All parts of the plant are toxic. That toxin gets transferred through the cow's milk, and that's how it becomes a concern for humans; this is known as milk sickness. In the early 1800s, milk sickness resulted in the death of thousands of people; the most famous person to die from it was Abraham Lincoln's mother in 1818.

Roy MacGregor, author of "Canoe Lake" discusses the disappearance of the now-famous Canadian painter back in 1917.

Hello and Welcome to Nothing Ever Happens in Canada, but we know this is simply not true! I'm Canadian Girl, thanks for joining me today. I hope you have your gear ready, as were off on another great adventure, grab your hiking boots again, camera, camping gear and detective hat, as we head into the largest and oldest provincial park, in Ontario, the beautiful Algonquin Park. While there we'll meet one of Canada's most famous painters Tom Thomas who disappeared while out canoeing on his favourite lake. Join me now as we try to uncover what happen to Tom Thomson, one of Canada's greatest art mysteries. Famous Jack Pine https://www.gallery.ca/collection/artwork/the-jack-pine The Northern River** the one I really like https://www.aci-iac.ca/art-books/tom-thomson/key-works/northern-river To see bullet hole in skull found https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/a-break-in-the-mysterious-case-of-tom-thomson-canadas-van-gogh/article1214427/ Souvenir Shop - Merch

Hello and Welcome to Nothing Ever Happens in Canada, but we know this is simply not true! I'm Canadian Girl, thanks for stopping by today. I have our list of gear ready for our next adventure for sure. Grab your hiking boots again, camera, camping gear and detective hat, as we head into the largest and oldest provincial park, in Ontario the beautiful Algonquin Park. While there we'll meet one of Canada's most famous painters Tom Thomas who disappeared while out canoeing on his favourite lake. Join me next week as we try to uncover what happen to Tom Thomson, one of Canada's greatest art mysteries. Famous Jack Pine - Tom Thomson https://www.gallery.ca/collection/artwork/the-jack-pine Souvenir Shop - Merch

A decade after his mysterious demise, Tom Thomson would be celebrated as one of the most important visual artists in Canadian history. But in 1917, his little more than a bloated corpse was pulled from Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. Dr. Gregory Klages and Lee contemplate the circumstances of Thomson's legendary death over a bottle of Scotch. Was it foul play? Dr. Gregory Klages is the author of 'The Many Deaths of Tom Tomson: Seperating Fact From Fiction' - check it out on Amazon. For more information on Gregory, visit http://manydeathsoftomthomson.blogspot.com/.  ----more---- Check out DATSUSARA for all your hemp gear essentials including: bags, apparel, body care, accessories and more! https://www.dsgear.com/  Support this show and join the Murder Was The Case family @ https://www.patreon.com/murderwasthecase  Tweet us: https://twitter.com/murderwtcase Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MWTCPodcast/ Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: http://bit.ly/youtube_MWTC & Leave us a dope review on iTunes: http://bit.ly/itunesmwtc  Contact: murderwasthecasepodcast@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Tom Thomson  was a Canadian artist of the early 20th century. Thomson died in 1917. Despite a short career his work has been very influential in Canadian art. The tragic circumstances of his death at Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park, Ontario have lead many to speculate that Thomson was murdered. The Myth and mystery of Tom Thomson continues to this day.

Episode 52 ~ February 8, 2017 Podcast Info / Topics The Passionate Paddler David Lee joins this weeks show 150 For 150 event ~ 150 canoes on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park for Canadas 150th birthday Eureka Tents ~ new NoBugZone Mesh Room

Episode 52 ~ February 8, 2017 Podcast Info / Topics The Passionate Paddler David Lee joins this weeks show 150 For 150 event ~ 150 canoes on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park for Canadas 150th birthday Eureka Tents ~ new NoBugZone Mesh Room