Art inspired wilderness adventures

Ontario Parks Insider

“When you go there you sit around and you feel you’re there with them - they’re still there; they’ve left their mark in the way they painted that scene, and one gets to feel good about that.” - Jim Waddington

Simple curiosity. That’s all it took to launch a 30-year art history wilderness adventure. A journey of discovery that would unearth 160 Group of Seven sketching sites along with the stories and shared passions that brought the artists to these remote locations.

After choosing A.Y. Jackson’s painting, Hills, Killarney, Ontario (Nellie Lake), as inspiration for a rug hooking craft, Sue Waddington, and her husband Jim, decided to see if A.Y Jackson’s Nellie Lake was indeed the same one that is found in Killarney Provincial Park. With low expectations, but a great excuse for a family vacation, they packed up the kids and headed off to Killarney. After hefty portages and a lengthy hike up a blueberry filled ridge, to their amazement, laid out in front of them was the exact view that is in A.Y. Jackson’s painting.





Driven by the same curiosity and sense of adventure that many people said A.Y. Jackson had, the Waddington family pushed on even deeper into Killarney to another isolated lake. A few years later they discovered that a number of their photos from this trip looked strikingly familiar. After a visit to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario, they returned to Killarney with copies of Group of Seven art and a rejuvenated hunger for discovery; a hunger that would reveal 160 Group of Seven sketch sites over a 30 year period.

Inspired by the enthusiasm of Jim and Sue, the McMichael launched a project celebrating the adventures of the Waddingtons that includes an interactive website and a gallery exhibition. Titled FootPrints: Legacy of the Group of Seven, the website takes visitors on six different adventures - through audio, video, text and images - that explore the Waddingtons’ extraordinary quest. You can read the story of the Group of Seven, get involved by checking out the teaching resources, learning about new ideas in education, or research the McMichael’s extensive collection database. The FootPrints project also encourages you to make your own history by sharing your stories about art and creativity using their community message board.

Following in the Footsteps of the Group of Seven is a gallery exhibit showcasing photographs of the sketching and painting locations tracked down by the Waddingtons and the corresponding Group of Seven artworks by Franklin Carmichael, A.Y. Jackson, A.J. Casson, Arthur Lismer, and J.E.H. MacDonald. The exhibit runs at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario from May 22 to September 6, 2010.

Let a little inspiration spark your adventurous spirit. You might find your eureka moment waiting for you in the landscape of Ontario Parks.

Featured Park - Pancake Bay

Ontario Parks Insider

With a three-kilometre beach made up of the finest white sand in northern Ontario, it’s no wonder Pancake Bay is a guaranteed stop for most travellers on the Trans-Canada Highway along Lake Superior in the summer. The south facing bay keeps the usually icy-cold waters of Lake Superior relatively warm in its shallow, protected cove. But this park is not all about sunbathing at the beach.

The campground at Pancake Bay has much more to offer than a place to build sand castles and watch the sun set. The sheltered inlet provides a safe place to fish from a boat or paddle a kayak for the day. The park’s interpretive centre has an endless list of programs, that can range from a ride in a 36-foot voyageur canoe to lessons on fly-fishing. Or better yet, hike the day-use trails maintained by the park. One four-kilometre loop takes you on a tour through a natural habitat rich in rare fauna and flora, including such rarities as maidenhair spleenwort and peregrine falcons. Another leisurely 40 minute hike rewards you with a gorgeous outlook across Pancake Bay and Whitefish Point, the resting place of the legendary ship Edmund Fitzgerald.

This region is home to a number of regionally rare and vulnerable species, including Braun's holly fern, sand reed and the above mentioned maidenhair spleenwort and majestic peregrine falcon. The peregrine falcon population has been slowly increasing since a massive reintroduction program between 1977 and 1996, which resulted in over 500 falcons being released throughout Ontario. The work still continues today as countless hours are spent checking nesting sites, banding chicks and monitoring the current population. Park visitors are being encouraged to report any sightings to park staff while they are exploring the Lake Superior coastline.

Nearby & Natural

Dine at the Voyageurs' Cookhouse Restaurant
Shop at Agawa Indian Crafts and Canadian Carver
Train ride through the Agawa Canyon
Visit the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre
Treetop Adventures

New research prompts lyric change

The sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, off nearby Whitefish Point in 1975, has been lyrically immortalized by Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, making it one of the most memorable shipwrecks in the world. As immortal as the song may be, Lightfoot has recently demonstrated that the lyrics are still up for debate. 

The actual cause of the sinking has been the subject of much debate for years. After seeing compelling evidence (on the TV documentary series Dive Detectives) that a 50-foot rogue wave was the real cause of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Lightfoot decided to make a slight change to a verse.

The traditional verse goes: “When supper time came the old cook came on deck /Saying ‘Fellows it’s too rough to feed ya’ /At 7 p.m. a main hatchway caved in /He said, ‘Fellas it's been good to know ya.” Lightfoot’s lyrics have now been changed to: “When supper time came the old cook came on deck /Saying ‘Fellows it’s too rough to feed ya’ /At 7 p.m. it grew dark, it was then/He said, ‘Fellas it's been good to know ya’." 

The one thing that’s known for sure about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald is what Lightfoot’s song brings to mind in the verse “And all that remains is the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters"

POW camps and Provincial Parks

Ontario Parks Insider

Well before Neys became part of the provincial parks system, it served its duty during the Second World War as a prisoner of war camp. It’s hard to imagine today, but much of what is now the park was surround by barbed wire and guarded day and night. “Camp W”, later renamed “Camp 100” was one of 21 POW camps in Canada. German prisoners, mostly made up of higher ranking seamen and pilots, were shipped to Halifax and then sent on a three day train journey to the wilds of Lake Superior’s north shore.

Few of them had a clue where they had been dropped off to spend the rest of the war, guarded by barbed-wire, thick boreal forest and the great expanse of Lake Superior. The prisoners’ barracks themselves were built tight against the beach of Neys Provincial Park.

By many accounts, prisoner life was relatively comfortable. Prisoners ate well and spent their time practicing an array of sports including gymnastics, volleyball, soccer and hockey. A soccer field covered much of the central camp and was converted to a skating rink during the winter. Prisoners formed a camp orchestra and pursued other artistic endeavours such as sculpting, painting and wood carving.

The prisoners were also employed by the local timber companies, replacing the Canadians who had gone off to war. Initially this work was voluntary but was soon made compulsory by the Canadian government. Working in the bush was also a way to keep the men busy and keep their minds off escaping. The plan worked fairly well; in 1943 the POWs cut 98,000 cords of pulpwood around the Neys area and escape attempts were kept to a minimum.

The most serious break out at Neys was when prisoner, Martin Mueller, was shot resisting capture after he had escaped from a guard’s office and made his way as far as Jackfish in a stolen boat; and the most humorous was when two POWs escaped to go to the nearest dancehall. Several more also tunneled out of the Neys Camp. They dug outside the barbed wire but little is known about their capture and return as an embarrassed army tried to keep the matter a secret. One story says that they returned of their own accord due to the bloodthirsty blackflies.

Another prisoner constructed a pair of ice skates from the springs and metal parts of his bed and started skating across Superior. He got less then a kilometre before realizing the lake never freezes completely over (he also had no idea how big the lake actually was).

When the war ended, many more POWs tried to escape the camp in order to stay in Canada rather than be shipped back to Germany – they had come to love the northern landscape. As many as 25% of the prisoners returned to Canada as immigrants. Their names remain to this day in and amongst the small communities settled along the still rugged shoreline of Lake Superior.

Although the camp was torn down in 1953, visitors to Neys Provincial Park can still see remnants as they explore the park today. The Visitor Centre contains a model of the camp as well as photographs and other camp memorabilia. When you visit the park, be sure to join in on one of their informative POW Natural Heritage Education programs.

Nature in the City

Ontario Parks Insider

Evergreen Brick Works is a new community environmental centre and natural oasis in the heart of Toronto. It is a year-round destination where everyone can reconnect with nature and be inspired to live, work and play more sustainably.

Beginning May 7, there will be activities and events all summer long, leading up to our grand opening in September 2010.

There’s lots to do! Visitors can explore restored heritage buildings, take part in a wide-range of fun, planet-friendly activities, shop for local fruits and vegetables at our Saturday Farmers’ Market, and purchase native and organic plants at Evergreen Gardens. The 16-acre Don Valley Brick Works Park, immediately adjacent, is a wonderful haven for wildlife and city-dwellers alike.

We encourage all visitors to bus, bike or walk to Evergreen Brick Works, at 550 Bayview Avenue, south of Pottery Road. There is limited paid parking available on-site, but our free shuttle bus is an easy and eco-friendly alternative. Visit our website for trail maps and TTC and shuttle schedules and calendar of events: ebw.evergreen.ca

Evergreen, a national charity that has been making Canadian cities more livable since 1991. Visit evergreen.ca to learn more.

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