The birth of the Dionne Quints drew world-wide attention and helped to lift the city of North Bay out of the depression
North Bay, Ontario - When the Dionne Quints were born near North Bay in 1935, during the depression, there was 75% unemployment in the area. The novelty of the five identical little girls drew so many people that it changed the economy of the area. Some days more than 3,000 people made the journey to this northern Ontario town to see the Quints, in total they drew more than 3 million visitors to the area. Hwy 11 was paved because of the number of cars heading to North Bay. The family's original homstead, a little log house, now sits in front of the Chamber of Commerence. Although not in it's original location, it is the building they were born in and that their parents continued to live in when the government took over their care and had them (questionably) moved to a new facility know as Quintland, which enabled the public to view them seveal times a day. The homestead house now serves as a museum with clothing, medical supplies, photographs, etc. 15% of admission fees and 10% of souvenir sales go to the two Quints who are still alive and now living in Montreal.
Where: North Bay, which is on the Trans Canada Hwy, sits on the eastern shore of big Lake Nipissing, one of Northern Ontario's largest lakes. You can explore the lake on the 320-passenger 'Chief Comanda II', which offers regular day-time and evening summer cruises. You can visit other locations connected with the Dionne Quints - an information brochure is available at the Chamber of Commerce. This includes a memorbila display at Discovery North Bay in North Bay's historic CPR Station. North Bay can be reached by road, rail and air. Want to see the fall colours? Ontario Northland often offers a 'fall colour' train trip from North Bay called the Dream Catcher Express, which travels the 100 km to Temagami and returns the same day.
In the News: Cyclsts take note - The Bike Train (a non-profit initiative) is now offering a service between Toronto and North Bay the weeknds of July 16, August 13 and Sept 24, 2010. "Knowledgeable Bike Train staff are available onboard to provide cycling maps and useful information. Passengers join a community of travellers who are happy to share stories and anecdotes about their trip during the train journey."
Lucy Izon
Canada Cool is produced by award-winning Canadian travel writer & speaker Lucy Izon. Her travel stories & reports have appeared in numerous leading North American publications including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul. Bio page
Canada’s Coolest:
Welcome to a new feature on Canada Cool. I'll be presenting different 'Coolest' lists with my favorites and I encourage you to nominate suggestions from your own experiences. You can Twitter @CanadaCool or email Lucy@CanadaCool.com. Let me know what makes your suggestion exceptionally cool. Remember, by contributing your comments you are giving Canada Cool permission to quote you. Only a selection of submissions will be included, but all comments and submissions are greatly appreciated!
The first feature is: Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives
Here are some of my favorites...
The Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta - This 229 km (142 mi) Rocky Mountain route from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper passes 100 frozen rivers and nudges the base of the Athabasca Glacier - the most accessible glacier in the world. You can stop and explore it. It spills down from the Columbia Icefield, an area of ice so massive that you could fit the entire population of North America on it with each person getting at least a square metre of space.
The Corridor, Algonquin Park, Ontario – this 56-km stretch of Hwy 60 cuts through the southwest section of Algonquin Park. Less than three hours north of Toronto the park is a nature-lover's paradise with 7,725 km of lakes, rivers, forest, trails, camping, comfortable lodges and 2000 km of canoe routes. Offers hiking trails to stop and enjoy, but what makes it really cool is that it’s one of the best places in North America to spot moose (especially in May and June). And, on Thursday nights in August up to 600 cars will gather to listen to wolves howl.
The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Driving this 303 km (187 mile) route is like riding a roller-coaster: the road snakes around hairpin turns, rises to heights over 365 metres (1200 ft), weaves around headlands revealing spectacular coastal scenery, and plunges down to sea level taking you into the heart of small fishing communities. The most dramatic scenery is between the Cape Breton Highlands National Park entrance near Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, so go slow. And, plan some flexibility into your schedule, so you can drive it on a clear day.
And here are some of your nominations for 'Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives'...
More from Canada’s Coolest
'Canada's Coolest' topics we'll be publishing in the future:
- Golf Course Features
- Haunted Hotels
- Hotel Special Services
Send your suggestions to lucy@CanadaCool.com
Recent 'Canada's Coolest' topics:
