Nipigon in Thunder Bay District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Nipigon Canoe Route
⎯⎯⎯
La route de canoë Népigon

Nipigon Canoe Route (<i>marker south side</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 14, 2024

1. Nipigon Canoe Route (marker south side)

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

[English] Indigenous peoples who hunted and traded here thousands of years ago developed a water route by which they could travel from Lake Superior to James Bay via Lake Nipigon and the Albany River. Archaeologists have unearthed evidence that people living in the Lake Nipigon region were part of an intricate system of trade that extended to the Atlantic coast. In the 1600s, native people began to share their knowledge of canoe travel on North American waterways with European explorers and traders. During the fur trade era, the Nipigon water route became a scene of intense rivalry between English traders on Hudson Bay and French, then Scottish, traders based on the St. Lawrence River.

[Français] Les Amérindiens qui chassaient et faisaient commerce ici depuis de milliers d’années établirent une route de canoë allant du lac Supérieur à la baie James en traversant le lac Népigon et la rivière Albanie. Des archéologues ont démontré que des peuples de la région du lac Népigon faisaient partie d’un réseau commercial complexe s’étirant jusqu’à la côte atlantique. Au XVII^e

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siècle des Amérindiens commencent à enseigner aux explorateurs et les commerçants européens comment voyager en canoë par les voies navigables d’Amérique du Nord. A l’époque de la traite des fourrures, la route de canoë Népigon devient la scène d’une vive rivalité entre les marchands anglais de la baie d’Hudson et les marchands français, puis écossais, de la rive du Saint-Laurent.

Erected by Ontario Heritage Foundation, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Recreation/Fondation du patrimoine ontarien, Ministère de la Culture, du Tourisme et des Loisirs.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Ontario Heritage Trust series list.

Location. 49° 4.879′ N, 88° 16.389′ W. Marker is in Nipigon, Ontario, in Thunder Bay District. It can be reached from Trans-Canada Highway (Provincial Highway 11) 7.7 kilometers north of Trans-Canada Highway (Provincial Highway 17), on the left when traveling north. The marker is located in the Lake Helen wayside picnic area on the west side of Highway 11, 1.7 km north of Dragon Lookout. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Nipigon ON P0T 2J0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern Ontario

and specifically in Northwest Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Great North Woods,

on Lake Superior’s North Shore,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers.

La route de canoë Népigon (<i>marker north side</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 14, 2024

2. La route de canoë Népigon (marker north side)

At least 8 other markers are within 8 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: St. Sylvester's Mission Church (approx. 5.2 kilometers away); A solitary path / Un chemin solitaire (approx. 7.3 kilometers away); Consolidated School (approx. 7.3 kilometers away); The Old Nipigon CP Railway Station (approx. 7.4 kilometers away); In Tribute to John Salo (approx. 7.4 kilometers away); Nipigon Service Garage / Palace Theatre (approx. 7.4 kilometers away); Lest We Forget (approx. 7.4 kilometers away); The Nipigon River Drives (approx. 7.5 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nipigon.

Also see . . .
1. Canadian Canoe Routes (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: European exploration of the Canadian interior was principally by river. The land has many navigable rivers with short portages between them. There are no serious barriers to water-borne travel east of the Rockies. The fur trade, principally in beaver, drove and financed exploration and initial settlement. Traders obtained furs from the natives and exported them to Europe.

(Submitted on August 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Fur Trade Route Networks (Canadian Encyclopedia).

Excerpt: Throughout the period of the historical fur trade (early
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 14, 2024

3. Nipigon Canoe Route (marker south side)
Lake Helen wayside in background.
17th to the mid-19th century), water routes were the natural “highways” of First Nations trappers and European fur traders. Water trading networks connected Indigenous societies from the Atlantic Ocean, along the St. Lawrence River to the Great Lakes, and then on towards the Hudson Bay watershed. North America’s waterborne geography facilitated intracontinental travel, enabled European expansion and settlement into Indigenous North America, and shaped the contours of Euro-Indigenous relations in the context of the fur trade. These extensive and interconnected systems of rivers, lakes and overland trails criss-crossed Indigenous territories and had been used for generations.

(Submitted on August 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 14, 2024

4. La route de canoë Népigon (marker north side)

Lake Helen picnic area shelter in background.

Lake Helen (<i>looking south from wayside</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 14, 2024

5. Lake Helen (looking south from wayside)

Lake Helen (<i>looking north from wayside</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 14, 2024

6. Lake Helen (looking north from wayside)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 25, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 302 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Nipigon Canoe Route⎯⎯⎯La route de canoë Népigon

Nipigon Canoe Route
⎯⎯⎯
La route de canoë Népigon