Little Current Ontario

Discussion board focusing on Great Lakes Shipping Question & Answer. From beginner to expert all posts are welcome.
Guest

Re: Little Current Ontario

Unread post by Guest »

I was on the Algorail when we shipped the last of the ore from Little Current. This was in 1982 I think. The ore had been lying on the dock for a considerable time and it was loaded using front-end loaders. I don't recall where we took it but there was nothing left except a brokebn down wharf.
Syd BC

Re: Little Current Ontario

Unread post by Syd BC »

In 78 we loaded 3 loads of ore in Little Current There was no “ore dock” Just a pile on the ground It was moved by front end loaders to portable conveyors All 3 loads went to Detroit Zug island
guest

Re: Little Current Ontario

Unread post by guest »

in the 1980s before soo river went bankrupt one of their vessels load left over coal on the dock at turner and took it somer where in the us. probably got it fr next to nothing. it was loaded by a portable conveyor. they bulldozed the coal on the dock {probably some rocks with it!} and put it on the conveyor loader with a front end loader. probably free coal just paid for transportation. a foremer soo river told me this info, long dead now.
Jared
Posts: 798
Joined: December 6, 2014, 4:51 pm

Re: Little Current Ontario

Unread post by Jared »

jim gallant wrote: March 17, 2023, 10:25 am the white vessel in the photo might not this be the ss lambton a canadian goverment light house tender? good photo for being well over 100 years old
Not the Lambton. The vessel pictured has a different superstructure profile along with a different bow. I'd also guess she's 30-40ft longer too.

Little Current had built some small wooden steamers in the later part of the 19th century. They had some shipyard capacity, but I don't understand the economics behind ore there.
Mr Link
Posts: 1196
Joined: December 6, 2014, 3:43 pm

Re: Little Current Ontario

Unread post by Mr Link »

From various mines on the Marquette Range. Predecessors of the Duluth South Shore and Atlantic Railway built the docks and eventually had a direct rail route from the mines to St. Ignace. They hoped that much longer shipping season available at St. Ignace (back then the Soo Locks operated roughly 7 months per year) would offset the 150 mile haul. But the St. Ignace dock never handled the tonnage they hoped for and eventually lumber from the St. Ignace dock was used to expand the ore docks in Marquette.
Guest wrote: March 17, 2023, 9:32 am Where did the ore come from that was loaded at St. Ignace?
Statmk wrote: March 16, 2023, 9:08 am St. Ignace Michigan had an ore loading dock from the early 1880s for about 20 years.
jim gallant

Re: Little Current Ontario

Unread post by jim gallant »

the white vessel in the photo might not this be the ss lambton a canadian goverment light house tender? good photo for being well over 100 years old
Guest

Re: Little Current Ontario

Unread post by Guest »

Where did the ore come from that was loaded at St. Ignace?
Statmk wrote: March 16, 2023, 9:08 am St. Ignace Michigan had an ore loading dock from the early 1880s for about 20 years.
jim gallant

Re: Little Current Ontario

Unread post by jim gallant »

thank yu bill i wasnt aware they shipped iron ore from key harbour. i knew they received coal, mostly for railroad steam engines. i once tried driving to the dock but the right of way became impossible to keep on going. the CPR had a coal, and latter oil receiving dock at byne inlet south of key harbour. in the 7os i saw a cleveland tankers vessel unloading there. diesel fuel for CPR diesel engines. but that too is only history
Guest

Re: Little Current Ontario

Unread post by Guest »

The last load of iron ore pellets from Little Current was in late 1980. I don't have a date for when that occurred. There was a discussion on this board in late December about the Little Current ore dock.

viewtopic.php?p=251474
William Lafferty
Posts: 1490
Joined: March 13, 2010, 10:51 am

Re: Little Current Ontario

Unread post by William Lafferty »

Key Harbour on Georgian Bay 60 miles north of Parry Sound had a twenty pocket, 240-foot long ore dock built in 1905-1906 that lasted well into the 1920s, operated by the Canadian Northern Toronto-Sudbury District.
Attachments
Key Harbour.jpg
Statmk

Re: Little Current Ontario

Unread post by Statmk »

St. Ignace Michigan had an ore loading dock from the early 1880s for about 20 years.
jim gallant

Re: Little Current Ontario

Unread post by jim gallant »

there was a ore loading dock at depot harbour near parry sound, ontario. it was serviced by canadian national. it ceased operations in the late 70s
badger

Re: Little Current Ontario

Unread post by badger »

depot harbour near parry sound also use to ship out iron ore, closed in the 70s and point edward, ontario use to receive iron ore by lake freighter and rail it to the steel mill in hamilton. this all came to and end in 1932 with the opening of the 4th welland canal when large ships could sail directly to hamilton
Guest

Little Current Ontario

Unread post by Guest »

Am I correct in the assumption that Little Current Ontario was the only iron ore loading deck ever located on Lake Huron? For that matter wasn't this the only iron ore dock (loading or receiving) on Lake Huron? Does anyone know when the last load was carried out of Little Current and why there was a shift in the movement of iron ore from Sudbury, Ontario?
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