Camping Canadian: November 2013

November 30, 2013

Mid-Canada Line Site 410 - Cape Jones

From this picture (Credit to Julian Pullara) you can clearly see the landing strip in the background, and the troposcatter antennas in the foreground - along with the buildings which are still standing, and the Diesel storage tanks.

Site Name: Mid-Canada Line Site 410
Location: Cape Jones, Quebec
Built: 1957
Operational: 1957 - 1965
Coordinates: 54.63808, -79.74785
Lot/Concession:
Condition: Abandoned
Current Ownership:Unknown, likely Gov't of Quebec
Distance from paved road: Accessible only by air, perhaps water
Condition of access road: Unpaved

Overview/Background:

A troposcatter repeater station was set up at Cape Jones to transmit across James Bay to Mid-Canada Line Site 415 - Cape Henrietta Maria as well as communicate East to Sector Control Station 400 Great Whale River.

Larry Wilson has pictures on his web site of MCL Site 410
http://www.lswilson.ca/capjones.htm

Here is a video about the environmental impact the MCL sites are having on aboriginal communities.

Directions:

There's a gravel airstrip of unknown condition at (54.63960,-79.70678), but I do not know who has landed on it and what condition it is presently in. Boat access might be easier to arrange.

Trip Report:

I have not yet been to the Mid-Canada Line 410 Cape Jones site, but it is one of the more realistic MCL sites for me to get to. Unlike MCL Site 415 which is extremely far from road access; Cape Jones isn't too far up the coast from the Cree community of Chisasibi. Chisasibi is road accessible and at the end of the James Bay Highway. The general idea being; if I can get that far, what's a little jaunt up the coast in a motor-boat driven freight canoe? (see map below for illustration)

Maps:

Here Maps makes it incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to embed their maps, so here's a link to the best satellite imagery I can find.

http://her.is/L3d7F


Mid-Canada Line Site 410 Cape Jones Troposcatter Site in Red - Landing Strip in Green atlas.gc.ca

Route from Carp, ON to Chisasibi, QC

View Larger Map

Mid-Canada Line Site 415 - Cape Henrietta Maria

Photo: Julian Pullara

Site Name: Mid-Canada Line Site 415
Location: Cape Henrietta Maria, Ontario
Built: 1957
Operational: 1957 - 1965
Coordinates: 54.732, -82.408
Lot/Concession:
Condition: Remediated?
Current Ownership: Unknown
Distance from paved road: Accessible only by air, perhaps water
Condition of access road: Unpaved

Overview/Background:

A troposcatter repeater station was set up at Cape Henrietta Maria to transmit across James Bay to Mid-Canada Line Site 410 - Cape Jones as well as communicate with Sector Control Station 500 Winisk. I'm unclear how the DDS sites between Cape Jones and Cape Henrietta Maria communicated with each other, as I believe there were two on the Bear Islands. Also, I'm unclear how Cape Henrietta Maria communicated with Winisk.

Larry Wilson has pictures on his web site of MCL Site 415
http://www.lswilson.ca/scs400.htm
Here is a very detailed report, including maps, pictures and details of the remains of MCL Site 415
http://www.merc.ontera.net/reports/mclrs-01.pdf

Here is a video about the environmental impact the MCL sites are having on aboriginal communities.

Directions:

There's a gravel airstrip of unknown condition at (54.756213, -82.398964) that is just north-east of where the Cape Henrietta Maria site was. Good luck!

Here is a video from someone who flew in, in spring of 2012.

Trip Report:

I have not visited the site, would love to, but realistically I don't see it happening without major financial backing. This is just a palce-holder for the information I've gathered for a potential trip.

Maps:

View Larger Map | View Bird's Eye

A troposcatter repeater station was set up at Fort Albany to connect Mid-Canada Line Site 415 Cape Henrietta Maria and Sector Control Station 500 Winisk with Mid-Canada Line Station 060 Relay.

When Fort Albany's Mid-Canada Line troposcatter repeater site was abandoned, the Diesel generators and power distribution equipment continued to be used by the local population, since it was in such close proximity. In hindsight, if the transformers and electrical equipment which contained PCB contaminated oils, had been taken away at that time, there would likely have been less contamination of the site. However, the site was left to fester, and contaminate the local environment. It would seem that the site has now been sufficiently remediated and no further contamination is occurring.

Here is a very detailed report, including maps, pictures and details of the remains of MCL Site 050
http://www.merc.ontera.net/reports/mclrs-01.pdf

Here is a video about the environmental impact the MCL sites are having on aboriginal communities.

Directions:

If you were to fly into Fort Albany, the airport is less than a 2 Km walk from where the site was located (see map below).

Trip Report:

I have not visited the site, and have no immediate plans to, this is just a palce-holder for the information I've gathered for a potential trip.

The POL site (Diesel Storage) is still standing and fenced off, but east and west of it are bare areas which look to have had buildings. I am not sure which buildings were at which area, but presume the generators were located to the west where transformers and power lines can still be seen, and barracks to the east where the outline of foundations can be seen.

I believe the picture below (as Mike Milinkovich pointed out) is of Fort Albany, since it has a village in the background. If so, this picture was likely taken facing Westward, and the power house, housing the diesel generators, is on the left of the picture with a small horizontal Diesel tank peeking around the back of the building from this angle. This would put this picture as being taken from around where the Diesel tanks are now at the POL site (just left of the green arrow on the map) perhaps from on top of the tank, for the angle, since it looks like it was taken at an elevation.

"Site Up North" - Is this an picture of Fort Albany from the late 1950s?
Photo by Raymond Fortin

Maps:

Mid-Canada Line Site 050 - Fort Albany
atlas.gc.ca

View Larger Map

The Mid-Canada Line Site in Relay, Ontario was just that, a relay - I don’t think there was anything there before the 1950s when the site was set up. It was a mid-point between Mid-Canada Line Site 050 - Fort Albany and Mid-Canada Line Site 070 - Mount Kempis. The troposcatter link couldn't make it all the way from Mount Kempis to Fort Albany, so this was simply a repeater to keep the signal going. It was set beside the railroad, which facilitated transport of Diesel and supplies. The facility was powered off diesel generators, perhaps because of the remoteness of the location, or the need for constant redundant power.

Here is their very detailed report, including maps, pictures and details of the remains (prior to 2009 cleanup) at Relay (MCL Site 060)
http://www.merc.ontera.net/reports/mclrs-01.pdf

Here is a video from the remediation of Mid-Canada Line Site 060

Here is another video about the environmental impact the MCL sites are having on aboriginal communities.

Directions:

Relay is ~90 Km North of Smooth Rock Falls, mostly along HWY 634, which is ~56 Km West of Cochrane along HWY 11. Take HWY 634 North from Smooth Rock Falls until you reach (49.897534, -81.668710) which is about 77Km along the 634 from Smooth Rock Falls. Turn right and continue 10.5 Km until you reach (49.973622, -81.609712), then park. The rest of the way the road was demolished by the contractors who built up the original road. Berms, ditches, and boulders block the way - as can be seen from the satellite photos. I do not understand why a policy of area-of-denial was in effect, but the road for the last ~5 Km is trashed. Hiking in is the only way to get to the site. The good thing is that hundreds if not thousands of heavy truckloads of PCB contaminated soil were hauled out of this site just a few years ago, so the roads are in good shape overall.

Trip Report:

I have not yet visited the site, but from the satellite photos and what I've been able to research online, the site was dug up and remediated by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources in collaboration with The Department of National Defence, and several private companies who bid on the cleanup effort.

Maps:

MCL Site 060 Relay Location
atlas.gc.ca

View Larger Map | Get Directions

View Larger Map

Here are the obstacles along the way:

November 27, 2013

The Mid-Canada Line was a radar fence set up West-East across all of Canada to supplement the Pinetree Line. The fence proved too remote to be economically feasible, and was shut down only years after it was set up. While it was working, tens of thousands of enlisted personnel and civilian employees constructed and maintained a line of refueling stations and radar outposts across the country. The radar signals gathered were bounced from Fort Albany to Kempis Mountain via Troposcatter Repeaters. Each of the "hops" along the troposcatter repeaters required enormous amounts of power, and because of the remote location of these bases, they were fueled by massive diesel generators. Unfortunately Diesel and lubricants were spilled at many of these locations and left to fester for decades. As a result of the environmental contamination the federal government has started to clean up these locations, dig up the contaminated soil, and the surrounding area, truck off the soil for "disposal", and return the land to as it used to be - more or less. This is unfortunate for me (perhaps the only person in the world who would complain about an environmental cleanup) because the structures, roads, foundations, etc. are being dug up - leaving less for me to see when I go these locations! I'm still visiting these "cleaned up" sites, as the buildings themselves are only one aspect of the location. The view from the tops of the mountains, the journey, the roads, the airstrips, the wildlife, and so forth, make the rest of the adventure for me.

A pair of troposcatter antennas (pointed at the horizon) were on top of Mount Kempis; as well as generators, living quarters, and reportedly even a baseball diamond. I am not completely certain about all of what was where because it has been so well scrubbed from the site. A trip to the National Air Photo library is needed, once again, to see aerial imagery from the time.

Directions:

If you are coming from Ottawa, take Highway 11 North from North Bay until you reach the North Butler Lake Road turn off (48.3728, -80.2567). North Butler Lake Road is well maintained, but I wouldn't do this trip in the winter. Once on North Butler Lake Road there will be several turn offs to the right (North). The first before the hydro line, the 2nd after the hydro line leads to the microwave repeater site, and the 3rd turn to the right leads to the fire tower.

Trip Report:

I have personally visited this site twice. In late August of 2012, on the way to Northern Ontario, I arrived shortly after dawn and had a look around; after driving there in my 2WD 1999 Dodge Ram. In 2013 I visited with Mike Milinkovich and stopped in to get a picture of him in front of the plaque commemorating the remediation of the site. That time I did less driving around on the mountain, but had brought my 1999 (then 2WD) GMC Suburban. As mentioned above, this is an easily accessible site, there is no 4WD-requirement.

Maps

Mount Kempis
atlas.gc.ca

Google Maps (Pre-Remdiation)

View Larger Map

Bing Maps (Post-Remediation)

View Larger Map | Get Directions | View Bird's Eye

Photographs

The images in the below slideshow are the pictures I took in August of 2012.

I'm very thankful to Mike Milinkovich for introducing me to Raymond Fortin who took the following pictures in the late 1950s while he was at Mount Kempis.

Electronic Test Equipment - MCL Site 070 Mount Kempis
Photo by Raymond Fortin

Equipment Room - MCL Site 070 Mount Kempis
Photo by Raymond Fortin

Test Board - MCL Site 070 Mount Kempis
Photo by Raymond Fortin

Entrance to Equipment Room - MCL Site 070 Mount Kempis
Photo by Raymond Fortin

MCL Site 070 Mount Kempis
Photo by Raymond Fortin

Power House, Diesel Tanks, Living Quarters - MCL Site 070 Mount Kempis
Photo by Raymond Fortin

Troposcatter Antenna @ MCL Site 070 Mount Kempis
Photo by Raymond Fortin

Troposcatter Antennas - MCL Site 070 Mount Kempis
Photo by Raymond Fortin

Site Up North
Photo by Raymond Fortin

November 21, 2013

Composing Blogger posts using LaTeX?

I have a quandary that I'd like to figure out, but so far haven't found anyone (via Google searches) who is doing the same thing in the same way; I can't believe I'm the first to try something like this.

CTAN lion drawing by Duane Bibby

I realized that my visits to these Cold War-related sites that I'm undertaking is essentially amateur research. It is not Wikipedia-able, since it is new research, and based solely on my own experiences, eyes, and ears. However, I'm not doing this for Wikipedia, I'm doing it to see what's there, and see what the people who served there saw; albeit 50+ years later.

As I learn, I update my blog with the results of my research, but often there are more details, sources of information, references to books, online resources, etc.. that I need to remember, but don't really have anywhere to store centrally. I need footnotes, endnotes, and a Bibliography for my own benefit, as well as sharing my sources with others. Sounds a lot like the makings of a book, and while I don't specifically intend on making one, conventions regarding citations are exactly what I should be following.

So, in comes LaTeX. I have been playing with TeXstudio (on Ubuntu) to make a shell of a book, detailing the sites I've been to. I'm no LaTeX expert, I'm a total noob. The book is not so much to publish, more like a personal reference. I've now discovered I'm repeating myself and doubling my efforts between the "book" and the blog. Other than the personal emails referenced in the "book", that I wouldn't publish to the blog, everything else is the same. Citations and references are as I'd want them online so my details can be peer reviewed. So, shouldn't there be a way for me to write a section or chapter in a "book" using LaTeX to properly format it, then export it to HTML or display it properly via Blogspot? Do I need to migrate to Wordpress? Host my own blog off my own server maybe?

I'd like to move as few pieces as possible, so I'm looking for the easiest solution to keep my blog hosted via Blogger.com, but leverage the work I'm doing in LaTeX.

But WHY LaTeX? Here is why.
http://nitens.org/taraborelli/latex

If you've done something like this yourself, or know how to, I'd love to hear about it.

November 09, 2013

Tobermory GFA

The Tobermory Gap Filler Station was built around 1963 and from the satellite pictures still has both of the original buildings and fence. I am not sure who owns the land, or if the adjacent airport owns the land. I have not yet been there to take pictures of the site myself, and cannot find any recent pictures online.

View Larger Map

View Larger Map

Algonquin Park GFA

Based in Algonquin Park, just off Highway 60, lies another gap filler annex. Easy to get to, I believe it's being used for a communications tower, of some sort, from the most recent satellite imagery. I haven't been to the location to confirm that the buildings are indeed of the right vintage, but it's highly likely this is where the GFA was located.

View Larger Map

CFS Lowther and GATR Site

Lowther Air Station was originally run by the USAF. Once it was transferred to the RCAF, it became RCAF Station Lowther, then CFS Lowther after unification. Other than the location, I can't say I know a lot about it. I went in August of 2012, but it had been completely levelled. Only the roads, some remnants of sewers and foundations remained.

atlas.gc.ca
former location of CFS Lowther

View Larger Map

Lowther, Ontario - CFS Lowther GATR
The Lowther GATR site, after being decommissioned, was taken over by Hyundai, and the location is now used for cold weather testing. From the most current satellite imagery it seems several new buildings have popped up, and I suspect there will be tight perimeter security prohibiting me from photographing the site. I haven't made it to the CFS Lowther GATR site... yet.

View Larger Map

View Larger Map

What's all this about anyway?

My intent by making this blog is to provide information for others who are interested in visiting and exploring the sites of former Cold War military facilities in Canada, and their surroundings.

My personal goal is to visit (and camp when possible) at all of the locations where the Pinetree Line stations were across Canada, and along the way visit the microwave repeaters, troposcatter repeaters, airstrips, and other supporting facilities. As a lot of these places are far from civilization, and often on the top of local hills or mountains, I hope to see the relatively the same view the men and women of the USAF and RCAF saw in from the 1950s to the 1980s.

If you would rather reach me directly than comment on an individual blog post, email me at steffan.watkins@gmail.com

Camping Canadian

November 30, 2013

Mid-Canada Line Site 410 - Cape Jones

Mid-Canada Line Site 415 - Cape Henrietta Maria

Mid-Canada Line Site 050 - Fort Albany, Ontario

Mid-Canada Line Site 060 - Relay, Ontario

November 27, 2013

Mid-Canada Line Site 070 - Mount Kempis, Ontario

November 21, 2013

Composing Blogger posts using LaTeX?

November 09, 2013

Tobermory GFA

Algonquin Park GFA

CFS Lowther and GATR Site