The Michipicoten Canoe Route

The nearby Michipicoten River formed an important link in the canoe route from Lake Superior to James Bay by way of the Michipicoten, Missinaibi, and Moose Rivers. The route was probably explored at an early date by French fur traders who maintained a post at Michipicoten, but the first recorded journeys were not made until the 1770's, when the Hudson’s Bay Company began establishing fur-trading posts along this inland route from Moose Fort. In 1781 Philip Turnor, the company's first full-time surveyor, made a detailed investigation of the waterway. Considerable improvements were made to the portages along the route, which after 1821 became the Hudson’s Bay Company's supply line for its Lake Superior District.

Ontario · Canada