History

A gathering place.

The Algonquin language groups - now collectively known as the Anishinaabe - have travelled, inhabited, and utilized the resources of the Upper Great Lakes region for thousands of years. Migrating north from the area now known as Wisconsin around 1000AD, some Anishinaabe groups settled the North Shore area while others continued southeast, establishing the Mississauga territories of present-day Ontario.

Traditionally, the Boom Camp/ Zi’Zahging Ziibii was used by the People of the Mississauga River as a spring and summer gathering place and is still used for harvesting many natural resources.

The Logging Boom

From the early 1900s until about the 1960s, virtually all rivers in our area were used to carry logs. Logs were boomed down the Mississagi River during an annual spring river drive. They would collect behind a log boom at the mouth of the river and would be sorted and towed to the mill. In 1896, The Blind River Boom and Slide Co. was incorporated to control water levels and levy tolls on logs sluiced.

In order to successfully manoeuvre logs down-river, the river drivers were dependent on a sufficient quantity of water in the drainage basin, a wide and deep stream channel, and a river that didn’t have too many bends or turns which would jam up the logs.

Trail head & boat launch

Natural spaces like the Boom Camp, help to define our community and are interwoven with our cultural heritage. Hike, snowshoe, ski, and relish in the natural beauty around us!