The next interesting point we came to was Sabawe Rapids. Sabawe [8] in Chippewa [9] means “drowned”, and here, nobody knows how long ago, an Indian princess lost her life, since when no Red man [10] has been known to run these swift waters.

On Indian Grounds

              Portaging around this this part of the river [11] we entered Sabawe Lake, a fine stretch of water several miles in extent, in the midst of which we selected old Petowanaquab’s Island as a place to pitch our tent for the night.[12] The aged Indian who owns this name claims as his kingdom this portion of the country, as does Kabashkong a section farther west. This island we landed upon is one of his favorite camping grounds, and we used poles from his wigwam in setting up our tent. One proof of a more or less recent visit from him was a “cache” near by, containing an ax, some old clothing and an Indian letter written upon a piece of birch bark. On this island we also discovered an Indian sweat box. This is a sort of primitive Turkish bath, which the Chippewa has long used as a cure for all ailments. The box consists of a small wigwam built of poles, into which the sick person crawls with a lot of red-hot stones. Birch bark and blankets are heaped over the box, and if he is not cooked alive the sufferer feels better when he emerges.[13]

              After a short night’s rest six o’clock next morning saw us partaking of a breakfast of pike and seagulls’ eggs, the former caught off the shore of the island, and the latter, which I don’t relish, stolen from the nests on a rocky inlet near at hand.

The Iron Range

              As we passed out of Sabawe Lake we examined that eastern continuation of the Atik-Okan iron range, in which the Graham-McKellar locations are situated. The outcrops here, which are said to show 63 per cent. of magnetic iron, occur in three beds, which appear on the summit and both faces of a ridge rising 100 feet above the river banks. It may be here added that it is estimated that the mining of these deposits would cost about 75 cents per ton, and the freight by rail to Port Arthur $1 per ton. Add to this the varying lake freight charges and the cost of the ore delivered at the smelters is easily arrived at.[14]

              Whiskey Jack River empties into Sabawe Lake. This stream resembles the Atik-Okan, in that it winds for miles through low lands.[15] Upon its banks we saw three more moose in a group, but they fled at our approach.

              Whiskey Jack Lake and Magnetic Lake we “did” in the course of the morning, and then after a couple of short portages we were launched in Crooked Pine Lake. This is a long drawn-out sheet of water, and its shores are clothed with miles of dead forest. We stopped to cook lunch on a barren rock near the narrows in the midst of this lake, and after a paddle of several miles further we took a southeasterly course and portaged over into Elbow Lake, so called because of its peculiar conformation.

              Covering this lake from end to end in the course of a couple of hours we made two heavy portages of half a mile each into Windigoostigwan (Cannabal’s Head) Lake. On the second of these portages I had another new experience. Often during my outing I had seen fresh bear tracks, but not until now did I have the pleasure of actually getting near Bruin in his native haunts. The big fellow crossed the trail a few yards in front of us, and as soon as he saw us tore off into the swamp like the veriest coward.

              On the north shore of Windigoostigwan Lake we landed to cook supper. Here our tobacco gave out, and for smoking we had to resort to the inner bark of the Kinnikinnick, the willow made red by the blood of the Indian Ghost Ninibishu.[16]

END NOTES

8  In 1932, the spelling and pronunciation was changed to Sapawe. Graham Harris, in his book The Sage of Sapawe (2023), offers this explanation:  “The old name of the lake was spelled Sabawi, which means drowning . . . A slight change was made because it seems neither appropriate nor charitable to associate a new community with drowning . . . Therefore, Sapawe was agreed upon as the official name of the station and post office which were established that year . . . “

9  Chippewa is another spelling of Ojibway (sometimes spelt as Ojibwa or Ojibwe).

10  This being an historical document, the words “Indian” and “Red man” are objectionable only to the ill informed.

11  Here the narrative becomes confusing. The Atikokan River stretches west from Sapawe Lake for miles, all the way to Little Falls, just before the present town of Atikokan. Between Sapawe Lake and Little Falls there is nothing which has to be portaged around. In his booklet A Year in the Life of the Atikokan River (2024), the author Brian Jackson describes this stretch of river like this: “Below Sapawe Lake, the river changes into a shallow, wetland rimmed stream until it tumbles down a series of rapids and finally over Little Falls into Atikokan”. Maps and Google Earth do not identify the rapids as significant whitewater. “After leaving Crooked Pine [a lake east of Sapawe Lake], the river slips over rapids and falls above and below Magnetic Lake . . . ” Again, there are no rapids or falls which are documented as significant.  Little Falls is credible as the site of the tragic drowning of the Indigenous princess. Little Falls is advertised as a tourist attraction.

              In defence of the narrator F.D.L.S., the writer would have relied on his notes to create this article, notes taken during breaks in paddling or, more likely, at the end of the day. He might have been confused.

 12  There are a few islands towards the west end of Sapawe Lake.

13  The perceptive reader will detect the condescension and patronizing tone of the description of this Indigenous person and his culture. The sweat lodge is a traditional Indigenous practice to promote physical, mental, and spiritual health. The “Indian writing” refers to messages in the phonic alphabet captured in the term “Aboriginal syllabics”. In 1873, the Ojibway of Rainy River District gave their consent to Treaty No. 3; their territory, with minor exceptions, became Crown Land. The references in this article to “Indian princess” and “his kingdom” are further examples of condescension, for it is doubtful if any Ojibway woman or man ever referred to themselves as “princess” or “king”.

14  The Atikokan Iron Range was discovered by prospector Peter McKellar in 1870. He announced the discovery in 1872, but it took another 20 years for its location to be generally known. Ten years later there were plans afoot to exploit this resource, but no railway approached within a reasonable distance. In 1899, the Ontario and Rainy River Railway (aka the Canadian Northern Railway) began construction that would skirt the location within 3 miles.

15  “This stream” was the upper reaches of the Atikokan River.

16  The inner bark of red willow (aka red-osier dogwood or kinnikinnick) had medicinal properties. Also, when toasted and powdered, it was the main ingredient in Ojibway tobacco. It had a sweet and woodsy aroma. The canoe party would have smoked it in their pipes.

[Continued in Part 3]