Wawa Things to Do

Wawa's biggest and most airborne goose greets visitors at the Tourist Information Center just off the trans-Canada highway. Made locally by well-known craftsman Mr. Vandercliff, the "Superior Goose" is 28 feet tall, with a 19 foot wingspan and weighs 4400 pounds. Best thing of all about it: no goose droppings!!

All along the route where the Trans-Canada Highway traverses the rugged and remote Canadian Shield we saw numerous examples of Inukshuk. At this large example in front of Young's General Store we discovered what they were all about.

Inukshuk means "In the image of man." These traditional landmarks were built by the Inuit people throughout the far north, especially in the Arctic, where there were few trees or other distinguishing landmarks. They were a guide for a safe journey. Today they are also considered symbols of leadership, encouraging the importance of friendship, and reminding us of our dependence upon one another.

This old chicken wire and plaster and goose was Wawa's first, built in 1960. It was replaced only three years after it was built supposedly because it could not stand up to the weather. It seems to us the old goose stands up pretty well after all, because it is now more than four decades old and still exposed to the elements. It can be seen in front of Young's General Store, on the main road through Wawa. When we were there on May 9-10, the store was not yet open for the season, but the goose and a few other outdoor exhibits were there for our viewing.

Wawa in the Ojibway language means "Wild Goose." Fittingly enough the town has erected this huge Canada Goose monument, the largest of it's kind in the country, standing poised over the junction of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 101.

Back in 1960, the last link of the Trans-Canada Highway was completed connecting Wawa to Sault Ste. Marie and Western Canada. The folks in Wawa fought long and hard to see the road completed, but were concerned that the highway actually by-passed the downtown area of the community. The goose was the idea of a local businessman, Mr. Turcott, as a means of drawing travelers off the highway and into town. The original plaster sculpture did not stand up to the harsh Northern Ontario weather. This steel statue was constructed in 1963, and is more representative of Wawa with its large iron ore mine.

If you pass the Wawa goose, be sure to stop and take a gander.

Anderson Lake is reached by a mile-long hike into the forest from the entrance to Mr. Vallee Park. After completing the staircase up the bluff, Mr. Vallee continued turning his dream into reality by draining the swampy lands between the top of the stairs and Anderson Lake. To accomplish this he dug (with pick and shovel) a drainage ditch that measures 1,000 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 5 feet deep. To view this ditch and imagine an old man laboriously digging it day after day, with no reward other than the knowledge that others might enjoy it, is very inspiring.

At the end of the trail lies the the shimmering gem of Anderson Lake. On the shoreline, Valle built a large picnic table and a fishing dock. He spent much of his time here with his best friend and companion, a Black Lab named Lady, until his death in 1994. Since that time a group known as "Friends of Mr. Vallee Park" has maintained these lovely grounds as a community park.

Mr Vallee Park is a quiet and beautiful place just a few blocks from downtown Wawa. Mr Vallee, a local resident, turned his attention to the community and the children who lived here after his retirement. Wanting to provide a safe place to explore and enjoy, he began by clearing debris which was polluting the now beautiful clear waters of Wawa Creek.

Mr Vallee then built flights of wooden and cement stairs to climb the bluff beyond the creek, hauling lumber and buckets of concrete up the steep slope by hand. The completed staircase allows visitors an easy access to the top of the bluff where a magnificent view of Wawa rewards the hiker. Our introductory photo to these Wawa pages was taken in the late afternoon from this vantage point.

This huge bright orange, 50 ton, 64-foot- high "Joy" super heavy weight rotary blasthole drill sits on the edge of town overlooking Wawa Lake. It has been placed there as a "Monument to Mining" and is the first station on the beach front boardwalk.

The drill was first used in the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway and later by Algoma Ore Division of Algoma Steel, in local pit mining operations. The drill bit, placed in the large boulder located in front of the drill, is about 10 inches wide. It is typical of the holes drilled by this machine to blast away rock and expose ore in open pit mining that took place near Wawa.

Wawa is a very short distance from Lake Superior, The largest freshwater lake in the world. But the downtown area sits more directly on the much smaller deep blue waters of Wawa Lake. A "Mining and Heritage" boardwalk follows the shoreline where it joins the town, and a series of "history stations" are found periodically along the path. Interpretive plaques at each site portray a different scene of Wawa's interesting history.

Although the first European pioneers came to the Wawa area as early as the 1620's, the town did not begin in earnest until the discovery of gold here in 1897. Soon afterwards came the discovery of iron ore which became the mainstay industry. More recently diamonds have also been found in the area.