BLUE LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK
CANOE TRIP

July 19

What Happened	Part of the magic of paddling in these areas are the unexpected encounters with history. From Canyon Lake we paddled up the Canyon River (very little current) to the dam. Here we saw one of the unexpected encounters with history that is part of the magic of canoeing in these areas. After completing the short portage, we explored the old town of Forest Lake Dam. Near the church was an old cemetery with grave stones from the late 50's - early 60's. After lunch on Whitney Lake, we paddled to the south end of the lake where a campsite was shown on the map. There was what appeared to be a fishing resort there but no campgrounds. The gentleman working there assured us that there were not any camping spots in the area. . .not totally true. We paddled back to the north-east and through a narrows where we found an old, little used campsite. Not the best, but it was in keeping with most other campsites for the trip. . ."rustic" but definitely usable and few and far between.
Portage #14: 0.1 mi., 15 U 456288 5534040. Campsite: 15 U 457961 5532586
Jim's Journal	We started out on the water at 8:38 a.m. Clear skies with a good wind from the south. Traveled 13 miles today. There just are not many campsites! We found a very old site which has not been used for a year or more: flat but covered with vegetation. Saw & walked through a ghost town (Forest Lake Dam) at our 1st and only portage of the day at about 8 miles from our start. We walked the town and entered an old church: it had a confessional so we thought it might be Catholic. (Don later found out that it had been built as a training site for the First Nation) We paddled into some strong winds, but no white caps.
Don's Research	I asked around. The abandoned community is actually part of McIntosh which extends all the way to the shore of Canyon Lake. Bill mentioned he heard about a training program and in fact that was what the federal government had attempted there. There were workshops and classrooms to train members of remote northern First Nations. It was a plan developed by some well-meaning civil servants in Ottawa that didn't take into account they were disrupting the lives of people who hadn't left the remote communities except to attend residential schools which proved to be the problem not the solution for kids.
Lunch time Old buildings at Forest Lake Dam Old church and cemetery Flow from dam into Canyon River Reclaiming an old campsite