BACK ROADS BILL: Abitibi Canyon then and now

You could be deep in the boreal forest driving on a back road.

At the time, the high school had a special dispensation from the Ontario Department of Education making it possible to take pupils from kindergarten to senior matriculation or grade 13. In later years, most teenagers were bused to high school in Smooth Rock Falls for grade nine and half of them took room and board in Timmins and Kapuskasing for the higher grades. By the mid-1970s 85 families were living at the Canyon.

“There were no cars in the Canyon until 1966 when a road was finally built between the Canyon and the Abitibi Power and Paper community of Smooth Rock Falls. The trip, especially in the winter, wasn't always without adventure. One winter day the bus broke down about halfway there and the kids and driver ended up gathering wood and building a roaring fire on the road to keep warm until help arrived.

“Hunting and fishing were popular pastimes. In the fall many looked forward to moose season. If someone shot a moose there would generally be too much meat for any one family and it would be shared with others in the community. I enjoyed hunting partridge. Food was expensive, so that helped cut costs. Many people had boats and often went fishing for trout, pike and pickerel. There was also a cabin a few miles up the Abitibi River that people could use if they wanted.

Spillway tsunami None of us want to experience a tsunami but if you want to feel and see the power of a mountain of rushing water, go to the Canyon during the drawdown or spring runoff.

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