Respectfully submitted by : The Discoverer of THE MILLS FUR-BEARING TROUT, Edwin W. Mills and reprinted here by permission of his son Ted.
The discoverer of this rare type of trout was made during the course of one of the writer's recent trips into Northern Canada.
Long suspected, the fur-bearing trout was finally verified through an authentic catch which was immediately photographed as shown. ( the photo would not scan ..ed.... but it is a lovely picture)
Some of the circumstances under which the catch was made may be of interest to trout fishermen, viz:
The water in the lake in which these fish are found is very cold, in fact it was below freezing. Nature had therefore taken care of her own by providing the fish with a thick coat of fur. Before a fish could be taken we had to solve the problem of steel hooks, which had a tendency to break upon hitting the water. Finally, this was overcome by heating a hook and when this made contact with the water, the temperature tempered the hook with the result that one fish was finally landed.
The best bait, of course, is an ice worm, but once hooked the fish make an extraordinary fight due to the fact that they ruffle their fur which creates a resistance in the water, making it practically impossible to land them. Contrariwise the fur also acts as an accelerator and when they really step on the gas with tail and fins and fur acting in unison their speed is beyond comprehension, the fur acting as nature intended it to do, as a body insulator from the extreme heat generated by the friction of rapid passage through the cold, heavy water.
The change in pressure and temperature from the water in this lake to the atmosphere above it is so extreme that this species of trout has a tendency to explode upon being taken from the water, the fur and skin coming off in one piece, making it available for tanning and commercial purposes and leaving the body of the fish for refrigeration or eating as desired.
Tests have shown that the body of this fish placed in an ordinary refrigerator will keep the refrigerator cold for two to three months in mid-summer heat without the addition of ice. It might be added that if the fish itself is required for eating purposes, it will require two or three days' cooking to reduce the temperature to a point where ordinary people can dispose of it.
If the fur is made into a neckpiece, it has been found to be an excellent cure for goiter and tonsillitis, the fur stimulating circulation to such an extent that all impurities are removed.
Several persons have pointed to the forked tail and queried as to whether this could be a true species of trout. The answer is that although the fish has been so recently discovered that information regarding its habits are still very meager, nevertheless it has been definitely established that it is a man-eating type and the supposition is therefore that each time a fish eats a man it puts a notch in its own tail.
Taken from page 64-65 of Paddle Pack and Speckled Trout by Edwin W. Mills Tales of Fishing in Northern Ontario in the 1930's and 1940's
First printing Banff Crag & Canyon 1985
Second printing Cowichan Press 2001
Available from the Nipigon Historical Museum gift shop through a generous donation by son Ted Mills.
nipigonmuseum@gmail.com
Saturday, 29 December 2012
Friday, 28 December 2012
ABITIBI MARINE INDUSTRIES BASE, ORIENT BAY
1936-37
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| Orient Bay, Lake Nipigon, c. 1935 Gus Raita Collection Nipigon Museum Archives nmp418 |
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| nmp419 Vicinity of Abitibi Marine Base Gus Raita Collection Nipigon Museum Archives |
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| Construction of Abitibi Marine Base, Orient Bay 1937-38 Gus Raita Collection nmp420 Nipigon Museum Archives |
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| Marine Railway Construction: Abitibi Marine Base, Orient Bay Gus Raita Collection nmp434 Right side boat is OGIMA Nipigon Museum Archives |
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| nmp433 Marine Industries operations at Orient Bay, Ontario Gus Raita Collection Nipigon Museum Archives |
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| nmp426 Gus Raita Collection Abitibi Marine Base, Orient Bay, Ontario Nipigon Museum Archives |
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| Marine Industries Operations, Orient Bay, Ontario Gus Raita Collection nmp431 Nipigon Museum Archives |
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| nmp430 Gus Raita Collection Abitibi Marine Base, Orient Bay, Ontario Nipigon Museum Archives |
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| Abitibi Marine Base, Orient Bay, Ontario Gus Raita Collection nmp421 |
Monday, 17 December 2012
JUST PASSED THE 11,000 PAGEVIEWS
Today, December 17, 2012, you have contributed to the passing of the 11,000th PAGEVIEW
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR CONTINUED INTEREST.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR CONTINUED INTEREST.
DACK
Freight-Passenger-Commercial Fishing Vessels of Lake Nipigon
As remembered by Adolph King, Rossport, Ontario 1974
Nipigon Museum Archives
A firm of "Toronto Fish Buyers" purchased a 50 foot tug named "Dack" from Fort William, Ontario.
They shipped the vessel to Lake Nipigon in 1925 to enter the freighting of fish and also for visiting the various Indian Reserves for the purpose of buying "Sturgeon".
The tug "Dack" had trouble with both the engine and the boiler for the first two years.
The writer was hired to go to Lake Nipigon and install a more suitable engine in the vessel as well as re-tube the upright boiler. The writer served as engineer in this vessel which after repair of machinery was able to freight and trade the full length of Lake Nipigon.
The writer left this vessel at the end of the 1926 season.
The tug "Dack" carried on various work on Lake Nipigon approximately seven or eight years, finally going out of service somewhere in the northerly end of Lake Nipigon. The writer is told that the boiler and the engine are still with the bones of the tug "Dack".
That is the list known to the writer of the old time craft and crews which had to make their way without the aid of modern instruments. Plus vessels of all steel construction which had sturdy, safe and comfortable crew quarters to compare with the old wooden craft and especially the fishing vessels with the odor of fish soaked into their not too solid wood structure, with most craft leaking enough to circulate all the water in Lake Nipigon into their bilge and out again every few days.
As remembered by Adolph King, Rossport, Ontario 1974
Nipigon Museum Archives
A firm of "Toronto Fish Buyers" purchased a 50 foot tug named "Dack" from Fort William, Ontario.
They shipped the vessel to Lake Nipigon in 1925 to enter the freighting of fish and also for visiting the various Indian Reserves for the purpose of buying "Sturgeon".
The tug "Dack" had trouble with both the engine and the boiler for the first two years.
The writer was hired to go to Lake Nipigon and install a more suitable engine in the vessel as well as re-tube the upright boiler. The writer served as engineer in this vessel which after repair of machinery was able to freight and trade the full length of Lake Nipigon.
The writer left this vessel at the end of the 1926 season.
The tug "Dack" carried on various work on Lake Nipigon approximately seven or eight years, finally going out of service somewhere in the northerly end of Lake Nipigon. The writer is told that the boiler and the engine are still with the bones of the tug "Dack".
That is the list known to the writer of the old time craft and crews which had to make their way without the aid of modern instruments. Plus vessels of all steel construction which had sturdy, safe and comfortable crew quarters to compare with the old wooden craft and especially the fishing vessels with the odor of fish soaked into their not too solid wood structure, with most craft leaking enough to circulate all the water in Lake Nipigon into their bilge and out again every few days.
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| Fishing tugs, Lake Nipigon |
ONWEEGO
Freight-Passenger-Commercial Fishing Vessels of Lake Nipigon
As remembered by Adolph King, Rossport, Ontario, 1974
Nipigon Museum Archives
The late Charlie Cox, former mayor of Port Arthur and Fort William, railroaded a gas vessel into Lake Nipigon, named "Onweego" for his wood operations shortly before 1918. The writer is not sure of the length of time the "Onweego" operated, but I do know the "Onweego" was lengthened after going into Lake Nipigon and a new diesel engine of heavier power was installed by C.Cox Co..
As remembered by Adolph King, Rossport, Ontario, 1974
Nipigon Museum Archives
The late Charlie Cox, former mayor of Port Arthur and Fort William, railroaded a gas vessel into Lake Nipigon, named "Onweego" for his wood operations shortly before 1918. The writer is not sure of the length of time the "Onweego" operated, but I do know the "Onweego" was lengthened after going into Lake Nipigon and a new diesel engine of heavier power was installed by C.Cox Co..
GAS BOATS
Freight-Passenger-Commercial Fishing Vessels of Lake Nipigon
As remembered by Adolph King, Rossport, Ontario, 1974
Nipigon Museum Archives
There were several gas boats that came into the Lake in early First World War days from lake Erie, Lake Huron -Georgian Bay etc.
Very little is known of their end but all came for the fishing industry.
As remembered by Adolph King, Rossport, Ontario, 1974
Nipigon Museum Archives
There were several gas boats that came into the Lake in early First World War days from lake Erie, Lake Huron -Georgian Bay etc.
Very little is known of their end but all came for the fishing industry.
FLYING PIG
Freight-Passenger-Commercial Fishing Vessels of Lake Nipigon
As remembered by Adolph King, Rossport, Ontario 1974
Nipigon Museum Archives
Also belonging to the Pioneer days was a small open boat, propelled by steam and the owner was of the same type of man as the "Alice".
This little boat's name was the "Flying Pig".
There was nothing known of their finish but both operated in the days when the writer was on Lake Nipigon in 1916-1918.
As remembered by Adolph King, Rossport, Ontario 1974
Nipigon Museum Archives
Also belonging to the Pioneer days was a small open boat, propelled by steam and the owner was of the same type of man as the "Alice".
This little boat's name was the "Flying Pig".
There was nothing known of their finish but both operated in the days when the writer was on Lake Nipigon in 1916-1918.
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