History and nature can be strange bedfellows. But in Bruce Mines, they seem to fit together like moonshine and a bonfire on the beach.
Visitors to the historic mining town can find a lot of things to do, most of which involve history or nature. But there is no better place to see them meld seamlessly than at Bruce Bay Cottages and Lighthouse.
The resort is located across the bay from Bruce Mines on two islands: French and McKay. The story goes that McKay Island got its name from Captain McKay, who had the misfortune of running his ship over a reef on the eastern tip of the island and sinking it. He and his men came ashore on the island.
The 15-acre McKay Island is also home to the Bruce Bay Lighthouse, built in 1907, and the lounge, both of which can be rented.
This and many other colourful stories come from Larry Peterson who, with wife Pat, own and operate the Bruce Bay Cottages and Lighthouse.
If you visit them, you will be able to explore a picturesque web of short trails around the islands and discover golden and bald eagles, brown vultures, a variety of ducks, loons, blue herons and very friendly chipmunks (bring seeds).
You might also choose to borrow a complimentary kayak available for rent with a cabin or the lighthouse and kayak around the island, across the bay or up the North Channel coastal area to discover breathtaking views of twisted old pine trees, an array of strange rocks and boulders, and some very fine homes.
If you're really lucky, when you visit them you may also get to partake in a pontoon boat tour with Larry. You'll soon discover his passion for history as he tells you all about the lost barrels of moonshine somewhere in Bruce Bay, the succession of lighthouse keepers, and brings to life the history of one of the first mining towns in the Americas.
Bruce Mines was established by expert Cornish miners who came for the copper in 1847. They brought their families and soon a whole town sprung up to support the mining operations. The land was logged clear to feed the smelters, and schools, churches and shops were built. Smithies and other crafting establishments were established.
And then most of it burnt down.
When we went on the tour, Larry told us the story of a rail line that was built far out into the bay so the trains could exchange goods with ships. As he spoke, he piloted his pontoon boat over barely submerged footings for long-gone peers. In our imagination, the four peers he described took shape and grew up out of the water as we listened to him describe how children and donkeys with carts would dodge the speeding trains by ducking out onto platforms built intermittently along the track.
As he passed other landmarks more stories of the area's colourful history took shape until, near the end of the tour, he ended up by the docks where aggregate from Ontario Trap Rock is loaded onto lake freighters.
We were lucky. The Algoma Compass was at the dock being loaded while he guided the pontoon boat around it, telling the story of how they filled them right and how they sunk one because they filled it wrong.
Possibly the best story he told was about small wooden kegs of moonshine that alcohol agents confiscated and tossed into the bay during the time of temperance. Larry and his brother discovered some while scuba diving one summer and thought they would remember where they were to come back for them.
They didn't. Larry said they are still out there submerged in the bay somewhere. Anyone for snorkelling?
Thanks to Pat, you can sit on the rough bench on the bluffs overlooking the bay and imagine yourself finding the kegs, or maybe Captain McKay's sunken ship. It's also a great spot to watch the sunrise.
Larry ran Bruce Bay Cabins and Lighthouse for the first half or so of the 1990s until Pat retired from her job in healthcare and took it under her wing. It was her idea to add the walking trails to the resort that had been in the Peterson family since the early 60s.
"Originally it was a fishing resort but it is now a combination of both family and fishing resort," Pat said. "I decided to develop some short trails so the guests could get to the water on the other side of the island."
It is a universal truth that, if you don't like the weather where you are at the resort, all you have to do is go to the other side of the island. It will be completely different.
We witnessed this firsthand on all three visits to the resort.
Along the North Channel side of the islands, the waves were rough and kayaking more difficult.
Upon passing under the bridge where you come into the resort, we paddled out to calm, crystal clear water in the bay in front of the office. We had to look back through the passageway under the bridge to confirm we had indeed left windy conditions the width of two transport trailers behind us.
That, by the way, is what they built the deck of the bridge from. Two flatbed transport trailers welded together. Larry reasoned that, if they could carry the weight of a steel coil, they could carry the weight of vehicles passing over them. Engineers agreed with him.
There are eight cabins available to rent between May and October and these are all located on the bay side of French Island which is about 22 acres in size. From these, you can walk the Bluff and Medicine Wheel trails, see gorgeous sunsets on the Sunset Trail or swim at Fox Den Beach.
"On McKay Island, you can walk the main bluff path by the Lighthouse Lounge which allows you to walk along the bluffs," Pat said. "It also has Kissing Rocks Path which has three big boulders that were left by the glaciers at the edge of Lake Huron. The first trail on this island is Skinny Dip Bay a combination of flat rocks and a sandy area."
As Larry will tell you, be sure to visit the Bruce Mines Museum before you leave town. There you will find many artifacts from the places and people he talked about on his pontoon boat tour.