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September 8, 2000
Singing praises of Lake Nipissing’s ‘Chief’
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The Chief Commanda II has been cruising Lake Nipissing River
since 1974 when the diesel-powerd, twin-hull catamaran replaced the original
Chief which had crused the lake and river from 1947 to 1974. |
The Chief's main season ended Sept. 4, but there are several evening cruises
throughout September. This is a Nugget file photo of a shipload of happy
cruisers in june 1990. The ship carried 225 school children from Mother
St. Bride of North Bay, Jeunesse Active of Sturgeon Falls, St. Therese
of Ramore, Foyer Junesse of the Sudbury area and Ecole Heritage of North
Bay on an end-of-school outing to Callander and back. Were you there? -------------------------------------------------------
Many voices in the close to three dozen small communities around Lake Nipissing
and along its rivers sing the praises of its swimming, fishing, boating
and natural setting.
Thousands of local people and visitors get to know the lake from the
decks of the city of North Bay's Chief Commanda II, also known as the New
Chief.
I took the one-and-a-half hour Callander Bay scenic cruise with my five
year old grandson in July, and last week took the five-hour French River
Historical Cruise with my wife.
Both trips were highly enjoyable, and as the Chief's main season comes
to a close I want to give them a pat on the back for the vitality the ship
brings to the lake.
Before talking about the Historical Cruise, let's take a brief look
at boating on the lake.
Boating on the lake
Native people used dugout and birch bark canoes and later sailboats in
the early days.
In the period before and after the beginning of the last century, before
roads and railroads, there were numerous commercial and private boats moving
people, goods, logs and lumber.
There was even a commercial fishing industry for a period.
The Inter-Ocean, built at Nipissing Village on the South River in the
early 1880s, was the first of a long line of passenger ships, tugs, alligators,
etc. that plied the lake.
J.R. Booth fed three thousand logs a day onto his logging railroad at
Wassi Falls with logs towed by the two boats that bore his name, and were
the largest to ever work the lake. Many photos of the J.R. Booth show crowds
of people on cruises, and are reminiscent of the New Chief today (see B.J.
VandenHazel's From Dugout to Diesel: Transportation on Lake Nipissing 1982
for more details).
The original Chief Commanda was operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation
Commission as a service, ferrying freight and people to the Dokis Indian
Reserve down the French River.
Many people took the trip to see the sights.
When the steel-hulled Chief ran out of steam in 1974, the Chief Commanda
II, an aluminium hulled catamaran, was built.
The original Chief was donated to the Dokis reserve. It was returned
to the ONTC several years ago and is now the NAVCO Restaurant at North
Bays waterfront.
The Chief Commanda II was leased for a dollar a year to the City of
North Bay for three years, and taken over completely by the city two years
ago and is now called the New Chief.
The ship's debts are being whittled away as it makes a major contribution
to tourism in the area.
On the day I took the Historical Cruise, Dean Hume, Master, Stacy Jackson,
Captain, and Jason Sequin the Chief Engineer, were very capably in charge.
Seven crew members performed other duties including running the restaurant.
Fascinating commentary
Local historian John Size provided a fascinating running commentary on
the historical features along the way.
He told me that his detailed knowledge came from being a "river rat"
on the French River and on the Lake for many years. There is also a handout
on the historical features provided to passengers.
The Chief's restaurant provides a good variety of food and there is
an historical video to watch on the return trip to North Bay. Souvenir
hats and T-shirts and playthings for the kids are available.
The Commanda name goes back before the white man came to the area.
Named after Raymond Commanda
The original ship was named after Raymond Commanda, the local chief who
drowned in the French River in 1944, two years before the original Chief
was launched.
Native people used the fifty kilometre long lake and its dozens of rivers
for hundreds of years before the French came in the early 1600s.
As you travel the lake and the French River you can imagine the hundreds
of explorers and fur traders travelling these shores. The Native history
of the five Manitou Islands is particularly fascinating, and is detailed
in the brochure mentioned above.
The French River part of the cruise was the most interesting to me for
several reasons. The closeness of the shores and islands brought out the
beauty of the landscape and allowed us to have a good look at some of the
cottages and resorts.
The Chief stopped briefly at the Keystone Lodge and at the Solid Comfort
Fishing Lodge to exchange passengers and freight.
Exchanged waves, occasional toots
On the French River you also get close to the many boats with people fishing
and cruising.
There were many exchanged waves, and the occasional toot of the Chief's
whistle, with the people we passed.
It was interesting to see and hear about the Dokis reserve and to realize
the progress they have made with their roads and various facilities (for
more details on the French River see Toni Harding's French River 1996).
In the summer, the New Chief sailed on one form of cruise each day and
sometimes twice a day until September 4th.
Their fall evening cruises take place on September 14th (6-9 p.m.) and
on September 20, 21, 22, 23 (4:30-7:30 p.m.).
Call (705) 494-8167 or 474-0400 for information.
Their web site is www.city.north-bay.on.ca
(click on tourism and recreation, then on the New Chief).
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