Redwater (ghost town gallery)

This was a small remote village along the Ontario Northland Railway between the town of Temagami and the hamlet of Marten River. Like many other communities built along the Ontario Northland Railway in the early 1900s, Redwater was short-lived. In 1903, the railway arrived on the shores of Lower and Upper Redwater Lake. During the same year, a section village containing a small train station, telegraph key, a siding and water tower was created. The train station or bunkhouse was reserved by railway men who were posted at Redwater. Two section homes were also created, one of which was reserved for the foreman.

In 1909, Redwater was the site of a horrific murder. It occurred when two railway employees named Morin and Cornish assaulted W.J. Dyston, who served as the telegraph operator. He collapsed and died while trying to telegraph for help. A few years after the murder of W.J. Dyston, the Redwater Lumber Company created a small sawmill on the shores of Upper Redwater Lake. To export the wood cut at the sawmill, the lumberyards were situated within close proximity to the train station. Another bunkhouse was established and at least 10 homes were created along the railway.

In 1916, resident T.J. Baker opened a store and post office. The Redwater Lumber Company sawmill stopped operations around 1928 but the village still had a steady population. To provide education for the children, a school railway car visited the village from the 1940s up until the 1950s. By this time there were about 5 section homes left, as well as the section village. However, without the sawmill it was only a matter of time before Redwater(a)s residents left forever. In 1942, the post office was closed. The homes were demolished and the last remaining home burned in the 1950s, with the water tower burning down in 1957.

To this day, not much remains of the village of Redwater. Cement foundations, a few cellar holes and some evidence of early land disturbances are the main remnants of the village, now hidden in thick overgrowth. Observant ghost towners may find a toilet sitting in the forest, most likely the site of a section house. The mill yard was located opposite of the train station. Here, holes from where the original support beams once stood can be found. Cottages built in the 1960s are still used seasonally. Redwater is now an area in the municipality of Temagami.

Redwater can be accessed by taking Rabbit Creek Road north of Marten River. Drive across the railway crossing. Beyond the crossing, about 3 kilometers is a gated road on the right which leads to the Rabbit Creek ballast pit. Follow this road to the railway where you will walk 3 miles south to the abandoned townsite. Redwater can also be accessd by taking a canoe down Upper Redwater Lake, which is about half a kilometer down the railway from near the Rabbit Creek ballast pit.

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