Page 12, Terrace Bay-Schrelber News, Wednesday, April 25, 1984 A STEP INTO HISTORY - Black Siding" by PAUL BARRY The Canadian Pacific Railway was built across the north shore of Lake Superior during the years 1882-to 1885. Near the site of Terrace Bay's present-day rail station, a ballast pit was dug to provide granular material for use in roadbed construction and maintenance. This site was known as, Black Pit. For a brief time a small construction camp may have existed . near where the railbridge now stands: over the Aguasabon River. During this period of history, the river was called, Black River which is a name thought to have been derived from the dark slate found at the Falls. It is likely that the first railbridge here had been made of wooden trestles, like others along the north shore. Prior to 1919, it was re- constructed with an iron roadbed, supported by brick columns which may date back even farther. The site was re- named Black Siding when a yard track and a passing track were in- stalled next to the mainline. When these additions were made has. not yet been verified. Perhaps as early as 1897, a rudimentary . system of forest fire 'protection was put into operation. It was based on a network of lone fire rangers stationed at in- tervals along the railroad. Each ranger patrolled with an equip- ment kit consisting of a canoe, a shovel, a canvas bucket, and an axe. The first to be sta- tioned at Schreiber was Bill Lunam, but the names of later rangers and of rangers stationed at Black Siding are as yet' unknown. This track-ranger service was discontinued in 1923. In 1935-38 the govern- ment cut a series of canals through the height of land and thus diverted the waters of Long Lake from the Kenogami River and chanelled a_ great volume of flow into Lake Superior via the Black River, which was re- named the Aguasabon. During the years 1945 to 1948, Black Siding saw a boom in two large projects. Ontario Hydro install- ed a diversion dam on the Aguasabon River, and constructed a hydro-electric generating station. The Longlac Pulp and Paper Company (later re- organized as_ the Kimberly-Clark Cor- poration) constructed a large pulp mill and an entirely new townsite on opposite sides of Black Siding. Thousands of con- struction workers arriv- ed to build these pro- jects. To accommodate the increase in passenger and. in- dustrial traffic, the C.P.R. built a rail sta- tion and a rail yard at Black, as well as adding a spur line to link the transcontinental line with the millsite. The accompanying photograph is of the con- struction of the rail sta- tion in 1945-46. The sta- tion is being erected on the north side of the main line track, with the new spur line to the millsite' being laid just behind. The locomotive is leaving the railbridge and is travelling toward the west. This photograph was provid- ed by Mr. James E. 'Isbester, who was an engineer on the con- struction of the pulp mill and who was one of the original residents of Terrace Bay in 1946.. In 1947, the rail station was flooded and.a por- table station was install- ed on the north side of the tracks. In 1950-51, it was replaced by a new station, which stands y. By 1950, the three thousand construction workers had left, the permanent population of Terrace Bay had reached 2,000, the generating station had -- come into service, and the mill had produced its first ton of bleached sulphate pulp, which was shipped out through Black Siding. The railroad was the primary mode of transport because the highway was of a low standard and did not ex- tend farther east than Terrace Bay. The Northern Affairs ............ continued from page.8 fee for this card is $8.00 and applications are available at our of- fice. as For persons 19 years f age and over, the On- ario Government has nade an Age of Major- ity card available, and application forms can be obtained at Liquor Con- trol Board outlets throughout Ontario, and also from your Northern Affairs Office. This plas- ticized wallet size card contains your photo- graph and date of birth. The fee for this card. is $2.00. _ Finally, everyone should have a Social In- surance Number. Appli- cation forms are avail- able from U.I.C. of- fices and Northern Af- fairs Offices. There is no fee required for a social insurance card, how- ever, most people will have to produce their birth certificate and what is known as a secondary document be- fore the card is issued. For further informa- tion regarding identifi- cation documents or ap- plications, contact the Ministry of . Northern Affairs Office, ' located on the Lower Floor of the Peninsula Build- ing, 2 Gilbert Street, Marathon. Telephone 229-1153 or ask the operator for Zenith 33160. Construction of the rail station in 1945-46. Photo provided to Paul Barry by Mr. James E. Isbester See who was an engineer of the construction of the pulp mill and one of the original residents of Terrace Bay in 1946. original residents arriv- ed by rail. With the com- pletion of Highway 17 in 1960, auto travel grew in popularity. Although still depen- ding on the railroad, the mill also found it in- creasingly convenient to transport by truck, various industrial materials that earlier were shipped exclusive- ly by rail. During the early 1950's the C.P.R. completed its conver- sion from _ steam- powered to diesel- electric locomotives. Black Siding is still heavily used today. This overview of Black Siding's history is incomplete. If readers have additions or com- ments, please leave word at the Terrace Bay Public Library. Township Of Terrace Bay Spring Clean-Up-84 The week of April 30th to May 4th, 1984 will be "SPRING CLEAN-UP WEEK" in Terrace Bay. Residents are asked to place their rubbish close to the road side, in proper containers where possible, to permit easy access for loading. Owners of old cars on residential property who wish to dispose of same should contact the Public Works Department at 825-9016. Please do not put out large or heavy items before cleanup week, as this slows down regular collections. Residents are also asked not to pile sand from lawns and boulevards on the street. These piles are too compact to be handled by our sweeper. Remember, this is our twenty-fifth anniversary, so let's all make a special effort to spruce up. L. H. Simons, Clerk-Co-ordinator commencing from PRE-NATAL CLASSES Pre-Natal Instruction Classes will be held at the Terrace Bay High School Library May 9 - June 20/84 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Partners are invited to attend. PARTS _ J0G0 SPECIAL AC oil filters for most General Motors cars and light duty trucks. % Open Saturday. onty °ds49 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. SPADONI BROS. 824-2244 OFFER GOOD UNTIL MAY 30 /84. For further inquiries please call: The Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Schreiber Office 824-2413 GUARANTEED SERVICE GUARANTEED GM PARTS GUARANTEED PRICE