North Bay, aka “The Gateway to the North,” is known for several things, one being its La Vase River from the mouth of which Samuel de Champlain would have first seen Lake Nipissing – North Bay is built on its north shore – along with voyageurs, on the major fur trade route of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries to Lake Huron and Lake Superior from Montréal via the Ottawa and Mattawa rivers, then La Vase River, Lake Nipissing and finally the French River. The city is also known for being the birthplace of the Dionne quintuplets, who were born in 1934 and are the first known quintuplets to have survived infancy.
Our campsite is right beside Champlain Park, which borders the La Vase river as it empties into Lake Nipissing, so it was exciting to see the mouth of the river and imagine Champlain and all the voyageurs having the same view all those years ago. That being said, our excitement was tempered by the fact that Champlain’s and the voyageurs’ explorations ended up having a devastating impact on the indigenous population, never mind the beavers.
Thanks for all of the historical info along with your photos. I appreciate that context. Looks like you two are having a great time!
It was pretty neat to imagine Champlain and all the voyageurs seeing the same waters we were seeing.