Atikokan – Atikokan, ON - Murals on Waymarking.com

Atikokan is a collection of scenes from this early days of this community. They were painted by teen students of artist Heather Schmutzer. Text that tells more about this town’s history is included in the mural and reads as follows:

Atikokan – Ojibway – Dry Caribou Bone.

Long before mines, Atikokan had a history of glaciers, native cultures, fur trade, exploration, logging, gold & iron mining, Quetico Park, White Otter Castle, the railway, and early pioneers.

Students from Heather Schmutzer’s high school art classes each chose a segment of this history to illustrate. They were encouraged by a AHS student council’s donation of $500 for materials, and the Royal Bank’s offer to install our town’s 4th mural, which was also promoted by Atikokan Mining Attraction Inc. The portion of the MNDM grant, remaining from the 3rd mural was applied to this mural.

Information was gratefully received from Atikokan Centennial Museum, Mrs. M. Leishman, Mrs. N. Fotheringham, and the Atikokan 75th Anniversary booklet.

The Ojibway was the latest of 6 different native cultures dating back 9000 years to the retreat of the glaciers.

Possible Pleistocene caribou antler found by miners, in 60’ of silt, in Calland’s pit, in 1965.

(A map showing the routes of Jacques de Noyen, Height of Land, trading posts, route of LaVerendre, the Dawson Trail)

After confederation over 50 mines sprung up in the area west of Height of Land. Because of deterioration, little is left to show their locations.

Logging developed to supply wood for the mines. Fires in the 1870’s wiped out 1/6 of our huge white pine forests.

In winter, logs were hauled on horse drawn sleighs over ice trails (horses were used right up to 1965).

Gator or Bug was used to move the log booms in the summer.

White Otter Castle was singlehandedly built by Jimmy McQuat for his mail order bride who never did arrive.

By 1908 10 rangers patrolled Quetico Park to watch for fires and poachers.

Quetico - from Objibway “Queticon” meaning benevolent spirit of unusual beauty

Mary Rawn, 1st lady of Atikokan

In 1899 Tom Rawn and his wife, Mary, arrived by canoe and he built the pioneer hotel because of the joining of the railway lines (it burned down in 1935). *Note the log used to mark the sink hole in the rough road.

In 1902 a golden spike was driven 200 feet east of Atikokan’s train station (which was torn down in 1995). This joined the rail link between Winnipeg and Thunder Bay.

City: Atikokan, ON Location Name: Royal Bank Artist: teen students of Heather Schmutzer Media: Paint on plaster Date: Not listed Relevant Web Site: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and description of your visit. One original photo of the mural must also be submitted. GPSr photo NOT required.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   08/13/2013 JMKR visited it