From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:
On Halloween of 1935, people went to bed only to be woken just after 1 a.m. on November 1st by the earth-shaking. It wasn’t a spooky trick: it was an earthquake, rattling Sault Ste. Marie.
The earthquake was centred around Témiscaming, Quebec, but it could be felt across an area of approximately 1.3 million square kilometres – a notably large swath of land to be affected. It was registered as a 6.1 magnitude earthquake and defined as “very strong” based on the damage caused, including cracked chimneys and a collapsed railroad embankment.
In Sault Ste. Marie, the damage wasn’t quite as severe. During the roughly 45 seconds for which the quake lasted, it rattled windows, jangled dishes in cupboards, knocked plates off shelves, shook furniture, and in one case, sent some plaster tumbling down. In Soo Michigan, it cracked windows.
Some people didn’t even notice the earthquake – amongst them, the one-and-a-half-year-old Dionne Quintuplets a few hours away in Callender. In Sault Ste. Marie, attendees at a midnight show at the Algoma Theatre also didn’t notice the shaking of the earth.
Others were much more panicked. The Sault Daily Star phone lines were flooded as people sought to confirm their experience was real and share their thoughts with the newspaper. At least one young woman, having imbibed in some alcohol, felt the earthquake, leapt to her feet, and was shocked to find the wall moving. She blamed it on her own inebriated state and “forthwith swore off” drinking.
One man in Kentvale, on St. Joseph Island, ran outside with his shotgun upon feeling the earthquake. He was convinced that some local boys were pulling a Halloween prank on him and trying to tip over his house. He charged out into the night to put a stop to it, only to realize that there was no one there.
Humans weren’t the only ones who noticed the strange event. The quake also had an effect on chickens. At Bar River, 150 hens charged their henhouse window in a panic, shattering the glass. They were stressed, but otherwise fine, when the owner found them out on the road. One hen in Korah was less fortunate and apparently dropped dead from fright.
Following the earthquake, North Bay and Sudbury experienced aftershocks. As the Sault Daily Star noted, the cities would “probably be putting in claims to have superior distinction” for having felt a second quake. However, “folks [in Sault Ste. Marie] were quite satisfied with [one earthquake]. We’re not hoggish here. We don’t want everything.”
It wasn’t the first time the area had experienced an earthquake. In 1925, one knocked photos off the walls in Plummer and frightened humans and livestock alike in Korah. However, thanks to the Canadian shield and lack of tectonic faults nearby, earthquakes in Sault Ste. Marie are mild, few, and far between. Luckily for the residents – and chickens – the quakes make for lively conversation but not much more than that.
Each week, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and its Archives provide SooToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.
Find out more of what the Public Library has to offer at www.ssmpl.ca and look for more "Remember This?" columns here.