A winter road trip

In early February of 1932, my uncle Rolph Nelson, along with family friend Rev. Earl Hooper, set off from Kenora on a winter road trip—destination, Toronto.

At the time, their selected route was determined primarily by the roads then available to travel. There was no Trans Canada Highway and there was no Highway 71 south to the Rainy River area and the U.S. border. The fastest route for them to the more developed roadways of our neighbour to the south was via ice road across Lake of the Woods. 

I’m not sure what ice road maintenance was like 90 years ago, however, I do know that in the 1880s recognized winter trails were established to support the winter lumbering industry. For many years, the Ontario government, through their Crown Timber Agent, bushed out the trails. In 1905, the government refused to make the necessary grant for trail-breaking, and the lumbermen and others using the ice roads, like miners and the mail service, were left to clear and maintain their own roads. Initially, dog sled, horse and cutter, or shank’s mare were the primary means of transportation on these winter roads. However, with the invention of the automobile and its growing popularity, and the construction of roadways not necessarily keeping pace, owners were apparently venturing off-road in their travels. 

Back to Rolph and Earl and their sometime off-road adventure. One of the major challenges they had to contend with was the weather and keeping warm in their Ford coupe. By the late 1920s and early 1930s, some cars were being built with in-car heating, as rudimentary as it was, although in those early days it was a luxury, after-market option that came at an added cost. I don’t know whether their vehicle included that comfort option, but I do know that they dressed for the sub-zero temperatures with raccoon coats, fur gloves and hats, and moccasins. 

Their car had been outfitted with tire chains and a plow, but it was not the snow, but rather the ice, that caused delays in their progress to Warroad, Minnesota. They encountered huge ice cracks and ridges which sometimes forced them to take multi-mile detours.

Once off the frozen waters of Lake of the Woods, Rolph and Earl continued their journey, passing through Minneapolis, Chicago and Detroit and then northeast to Toronto where Earl was attending a Baptist convention.

Their return journey followed a similar route with stops along the way to visit relatives. One of their stops was in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, where Rolph’s grandfather and uncle lived. So rare was their road trip that the local newspaper, The Fergus Falls Weekly Journal, featured an article about the intrepid travellers. What isn’t included in that article is the final portion of their journey—the return trip across the ice of Lake of the Woods. 

Rolph and Earl left Warroad on Sunday, February 14 with the intention of returning home to Kenora that afternoon. But they didn’t make it. 

Rolph’s dad became anxious when they didn’t arrive back as expected. He contacted a Winnipeg radio station to get the word out and finally made contact with a Mr. Mitchell of Baudette who flew the mail plane. Mr. Mitchell flew out across the southern portion of Lake of the Woods in search of the two men and their vehicle. He located the car without difficulty on the Big Traverse between Warroad and Oak Island. 

According to the Kenora Miner and News which later headlined their mishap with “Kenora Car is Snowed Up on Big Traverse”, stormy weather and heavy drifts bogged down their progress, forcing them to abandon the car. They walked to a camp on Sandy Beach where they found good folks who ensured the men were comfortable and safe until more favourable conditions allowed them to continue.

The two men covered about 4,000 miles in their two weeks of travel. Approximately 150 of those miles were on ice roads of Lake of the Woods.