North Country Ribbons
Historic River Route
With the fog lifted and a little under two miles on the river under our belt, a stop at the railway's Spanish River crossing just west of the small hamlet of Sheahan for the Budds was in order. The Spanish River was an important route historically, at Lake Pogamasing just around the corner from here one of the larger Hudson's Bay Company trading posts was established in 1869 for fur trading and its strategic location in competition with the North West Company. Ultimately it was the building of the CPR that led to the demise of the fur trading, but the railway opened up the area for logging with several companies operating here from 1891 to the 1930s with even a mill popping up towards the end of that time. Birch now line the river banks, typically a place with sandy soil that old growth white pine thrive in, but those were profitable, low hanging fruit for logging operations. Birch of course is thin and spindly making it almost useless for lumber, and grows like wildfire if left unattended. The colourful and rugged terrain provides a picturesque backdrop for VIA’s #186 as it glides east across the river with its trusty trio of RDCs, a meet with 119 at Pog next up on deck - MP 23.26 CPKC Nemegos Sub.
Historic River Route
With the fog lifted and a little under two miles on the river under our belt, a stop at the railway's Spanish River crossing just west of the small hamlet of Sheahan for the Budds was in order. The Spanish River was an important route historically, at Lake Pogamasing just around the corner from here one of the larger Hudson's Bay Company trading posts was established in 1869 for fur trading and its strategic location in competition with the North West Company. Ultimately it was the building of the CPR that led to the demise of the fur trading, but the railway opened up the area for logging with several companies operating here from 1891 to the 1930s with even a mill popping up towards the end of that time. Birch now line the river banks, typically a place with sandy soil that old growth white pine thrive in, but those were profitable, low hanging fruit for logging operations. Birch of course is thin and spindly making it almost useless for lumber, and grows like wildfire if left unattended. The colourful and rugged terrain provides a picturesque backdrop for VIA’s #186 as it glides east across the river with its trusty trio of RDCs, a meet with 119 at Pog next up on deck - MP 23.26 CPKC Nemegos Sub.