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over the years i have read about the names of lakes and places in algonquin park. how did the name "whiskey rapids" happen? was there some sort of moon shine equipment found? was whiskey rapids named after some drunk algonquin adveventures that happened during the early years? does the water look like crown royal?
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The second one.
I can't quite remember when I read the story - maybe in the Names of Algonquin booklet years ago. As I hazily recall, one day a logging camp decided to have a party to celebrate the end of a run, so they sent two of their members to town by canoe to buy a barrel of whiskey. The two felt it was within their rights to sample the barrel before beginning the journey back to camp with it, which gave them the judgement to enthousiastically decide to shoot the rapids when they passed them ont the way, but didn't actually improve their whitewater paddlng skills. Predictably their canoe dumped in the rapids, and although the loggers were probably okay, the whiskey was never seen again.
After that tragic incident the set was named Whiskey Rapids to remind all who pass never to drink and boat while carrying precious cargo.
Last edited by DanPM (8/18/2015 11:13 am)
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This story is featured in Audrey Saunders Miller's 'Algonquin Story' (fantastic book!). Dan has the general idea correct, but to elaborate..
A bunch of the loggers all pitched together to purchase a barrel of whiskey. Arrangements were made for it to be dropped off by train, and two men went off by canoe to the drop point. All went well, the drop was made and they proceeded back to the logging camp. As Dan mentions, they thought they could run Whiskey Rapids, but unfortunatley they had already dipped into the barrel, and weren't in the best state of mind to run rapids. They capsized and spent a good amount of time looking for the barrel - but never found it. They later returned to camp and told the others what happened - then a bunch of them went back to the spot, in a effort to find the barrels - this whole incident was at night by the way (which also contributed to the failed rapids attempt) - and they were not successful.
As a side note, to anyone who has not read Algonquin Story, you are truly missing out on some amazing stuff!
Last edited by Peek (8/18/2015 2:15 pm)
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And maybe it's still out there somewhere...nicely aged and waiting to be found. Now that would be a trip report!
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The info is also in the information booklet for the day walking trail that passes the rapid.
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I was looking through the Name of Algonquin book yesterday while looking up a couple lake names I recently stayed on and I came across Whiskey Rapids... the story in this book differs from the one in the Algonquin Story book.. personally, I hope Algonquin Story is correct as it's a much more entertaining story, but in actuality, it may not be true...
The Names of Algonquin book has this to say about Whiskey Rapids:
'...... while there are legends of lumbermen losing a barrel of whickey here, the name pre-dates lumbering. Dickson (1886) refers to the rapids by this name, while stating that there was no lumbering on the Oxtongue River above Oxtongue Lake. It is possible that the name comes simply from the appearance of the foaming brownish water of the Oxtongue River.'
So really - who knows? Interesting non-the-less...
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Does the Algonquin Story version give a date? Or say where the train dropoff was? Because even if the lumber camp was downstream of Oxtongue Lake, could they not still have gone upriver to get the whiskey and passed the rapids on the way back?
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Dan -
Algonquin Story does not provide an accurate date, instead simply states: 'In the late spring one year.....'
However location details can be found, though the named used then arent the same as now and I'm having trouble locating the exact spot of their 'camp'. What is crystal clear though, is where the drop was made. It is implied the whiskey was picked up at Canoe Lake station. Here is the description of their travel day to get there: 'Two men paddled up the river from the camp near Three Sisters Island close to The Park boundary. They portaged around a series of rapids and then proceeded up through Tea and Canoe Lakes to the spot where the keg was to be dumped of the train.'
The book goes on to say '... a group of men at the tail end of a drive through the south-west corner of The Park, were camped for the weekend rest on the Oxtongue River below Tea Lake, now named Waskigomog Lake..'
So.. it's odd that Dickson would note no lumbering occurring above Oxtongue Lake and still being aware of the name of these rapids, yet another story suggests it was in fact, named by the lumbermen - unless, of course, the whiskey story was before 1886, or Mr. Dickson was simply incorrect with his statement of no logging above Oxtongue Lake.
I swear I've seen Three Sisters Island on the map before.. but I can't find it.. so maybe I just read about it and am mistaken about seeing it on the map. I also do not see any reference to the name 'Waskigomog Lake' on any of the historic maps (but I've only looked at a couple, so I may be wrong there)
Last edited by Peek (9/11/2015 9:47 am)
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