8

In 1913 the B. M, and A. (the Nip and Tuck) was reorganized and renamed the Lake Huron and Northern Ontario Railway Company. The railway's finances were still such that even major repairs were put on hold. One story has it that the engineer and fireman had a system when crossing the aging trestles (bridges). The train would stop when approaching a questionable trestle crossing the Thessalon River; the engineer would disembark and walk across. The fireman would tie open the throttle slightly, and then he too would disembark. The train would proceed slowly across the unsteady trestle, unmanned. Once it was safely across, the engineer would jump back on, stop the train, and wait for the fireman to walk across the trestle. They would then continue on their scheduled route.
When finding references to the railway, even as late as 1915, the area residents still called it the Nip and Tuck.

Photo courtesy of Ian West.

9

There are several different versions of this following story, both in print and by word of mouth, all concerning a road that ran from Bruce Mines, through Rydal Bank and on to Sault Ste. Marie. It has been called a few different names, including the Great Northern Road, and the Military Road. It is said that this road was built to move troops and equipment to assist in "putting down" the Riel Rebellion out west. At the time, there were sporadic raids by patriotic Irish immigrants, called Fenians, across what is now the American/Canadian border. When deciding to move troops to assist in the Riel Rebellion, the government wanted to avoid any conflict with the Fenians, which was especially worrisome on the narrow waterways between Bruce Mines and Sault Ste. Marie. The plan was to transport the troops by rail and steamer to Bruce Mines, then move them overland via the "military road" to Sault Ste. Marie, where they would embark on a ship heading for Winnipeg. Many years later, two cannon balls were found on the shore in Bruce Mines; one was later used in the shot-put event at the Bruce Mines High School. The Red River Expeditionary Force, made up of militia units from Ontario and Quebec, were in existence from 1870-1877, making this story plausible.