Rossport

History

Rossport is named after John Ross (c1820-1898), construction manager for the north shore of Lake Superior route of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) from August 1882 to June 1885. His construction headquarters during that time period were in Port Arthur, Ontario and at Rossport, then known as [https://www.flickr.com/photos/thunderbayarchives/8402961324 McKay's Harbour]. McKay's Harbour was named after Alexander McKay who operated a small fur trading post at Pays Plat and his son, Charles McKay, who was a lighthouse keeper at nearby [http://www.lakesuperior.com/blogs/superior-notes/321jrnl/ Battle Island] from 1878-1913. Tiny Rossport garnered a wide reputation for being a source of prime fish. Although control of a fishery at nearby Pays Play Bay continued to rest with the Hudson's Bay Company, the late 1860's and 1870's saw independent fishermen arrive from the south to establish scattered camps on the islands south of Nipigon Bay. Prior to construction of the CPR, it was not unusual for steamers such as the "Algoma" to dock only twice a year at remote stations. Leaving Toronto in 1881, George Gerow came with his family to Bowman Island station and commenced fishing for the John Leckie Co. of Toronto. Around this time, Atanos "Harry" Legault, accompanied by three other fishermen, established an island base at a site called Frenchmens Harbour (south of St. Ignace Harbour). Soon as many as 18 fishermen had joined the resident miners of busy Chummy Harbour (Salter Is.) depot. Department of Marine and Fisheries reports record additional fishing stations at Wilson Island (1877), Copper Island (1884 to 1886) and Simpson Island (1877, 1883). After the end of CPR construction in 1885, Rossport became an important commercial fishing centre. Bowman Street is named after…

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  333
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  329
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  275
• Red-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta canadensis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  260
• Yellow-rumped Warbler

  Setophaga coronata (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  234
• Purple Finch

  Haemorhous purpureus (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  208
• American herring gull, Smithsonian Gull

  Larus smithsonianus Coues, 1862 · Aves
  195
• White-throated Sparrow

  Zonotrichia albicollis (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  186