MORE STUFF IN THE WOODS

From the Fenwick "papers"
Nipigon Historical Museum Archives

The News-Chronicle January 28, 1938 page 3
The Lakehead Cities , Port Arthur, Fort William, Westfort - Scheiber - Nipigon

NEW RELIC STORY TOLD

F.W. Scully Reports Finding Parts of Old Boats Twenty Years Ago

While Port Arthur interest was focused on the reputed find recently of Viking weapons indication of the existence of other historical relics in the district was seen in the report of a Port Arthur resident that he had seen, twenty years ago, the skeleton framework of two boats which were different in structure and appearance from any form of vessel known to present day shipbuilders.

F.W. Scully, of Brent Park, who was a member of the Dominion Police in 1918, said he had been told by a Cree Indian that remains of two unusual boats were to be found in a swamp in the vicinity of Pagawa, near KowKash on the Canadian National Railways.

Acting on the Cree's suggestion, Scully said, he proceeded to the swamp and found the remains. The woodwork had fallen into such a state of decay that it was difficult to determine what type of boats they had been, but they were obviously of unusual construction.

Some pieces of the woodwork and some iron spikes which had been used in building the boats were forwarded to the National Geographical Society for their examination. Experts on historical lore were unable to identify the relics, but it was not believed that anything of their type had been reported to them before.

Lacking data with which to check their findings , the Society let the matter rest, and since that time no further efforts have been made to secure what is left of the boats or to identify them.

According to Mr. Scully, the boats are in the middle of a thick swamp, extremely difficult to access. He believes they may have reached this district from the James Bay area, by way of the Indian trade routes. In substantiation of his belief, Mr. Scully pointed out that all Indian trade routes to the north lead directly to the Head of the Lakes.