tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post1905699029424058232..comments2024-03-28T12:59:00.516-04:00Comments on Heroes, Heroines, and History: Trains on IceDebbie Lynne Costellohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16381517812227326616noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-2223045382330473562016-07-12T22:44:19.526-04:002016-07-12T22:44:19.526-04:00d egan, your 2xgrandfather was a brilliant man for...d egan, your 2xgrandfather was a brilliant man for suggesting it. I suspect the hardest part would have been travelling up and down the banks to get to the river - but then it was probably higher back then than it is today. Fascinating history you have. I wish I had been there. I used to live in Winnipeg but have to admit I didn't appreciate the history as a teenager as much as I do now that older, wiser, and a province over. <br />I don't watch Hell on Wheels but will look into it. I really appreciate you sharing your experiences with us. Thanks!Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07759232889762510956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-28057974646005057102016-07-12T19:17:54.834-04:002016-07-12T19:17:54.834-04:00d egan, your 2xgrandfather was a brilliant man for...d egan, your 2xgrandfather was a brilliant man for suggesting it. I suspect the hardest part would have been travelling up and down the banks to get to the river - but then it was probably higher back then than it is today. Fascinating history you have. I wish I had been there. I used to live in Winnipeg but have to admit I didn't appreciate the history as a teenager as much as I do now that older, wiser, and a province over. <br />I don't watch Hell on Wheels but will look into it. I really appreciate you sharing your experiences with us. Thanks!Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07759232889762510956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-63328879101449307882016-07-12T01:21:05.213-04:002016-07-12T01:21:05.213-04:00My great great grandfather, Anthony Egan, suggeste...My great great grandfather, Anthony Egan, suggested the ice crossing by the J.G Haggart locomotive on the Red River between St. Boniface and Winnipeg in December 1879 (noted in historic dates in Canadian Railroad history). The Winnipeg Fire Department sprayed water to freeze the rails to the ice. The engineer would not proceed across unless Egan was in the cab with him. A crowd gathered expecting the locomotive to end up in the bottom of the river. The crossing was successful and the group apparently celebrated at one of the local establishments. The J G Haggart was then used to build the first track west of Winnipeg. It was interesting to see an episode of Hell on Wheels where a similar crossing was attempted and the locomotive ended up in the river.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14605921672797015585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-19638506048878375902015-01-30T00:49:59.600-05:002015-01-30T00:49:59.600-05:00Thank you for letting me know, Linore. :)Thank you for letting me know, Linore. :)Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-14505125858935970322015-01-30T00:49:28.045-05:002015-01-30T00:49:28.045-05:00Yep, you got it, Pamela. The ice roads can be a re...Yep, you got it, Pamela. The ice roads can be a real boon to people who rely on water for transportation. Thanks so much for sharing. I'd never heard of Madeline Island, but I'm going to look it up on YouTube. :)Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-30302531688115087292015-01-30T00:45:13.131-05:002015-01-30T00:45:13.131-05:00Oh... a lame leg would really hurt if arthritis ha...Oh... a lame leg would really hurt if arthritis had set in. Our winters don't show mercy at all. My arthritis acts up when it's cold. And when it's gonna rain. And when it's... well, you get the picture. Good for your grandparents to bite the bullet and leave when they could. You come from smart stock. Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-54875656416283441362015-01-12T14:09:44.514-05:002015-01-12T14:09:44.514-05:00Interesting post, Anita. My husband loves that sho...Interesting post, Anita. My husband loves that show, Ice Road Truckers. Great pictures here as well. Thanks for sharing! Linore Rose Burkard, Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15927467483596900030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-7827445461471311732015-01-08T08:28:54.962-05:002015-01-08T08:28:54.962-05:00I enjoyed reading about this. I, too, didn't r...I enjoyed reading about this. I, too, didn't realize that back in the day they actually erected railroads over frozen rivers for use during the winter months. A modern-day ice road exists almost every winter in Bayfield Wisconsin. The small town sits on the shores of Lake Superior and about a mile offshore is Madeline Island. The island has a year-round population that takes a ferry back and forth to the mainland for school and work. In the winter the water freezes, even while the large open waters of Lake Superior may never freeze. This is because the water between the mainland and the island is sheltered by the Apostle Islands. It's fascinating to watch videos taken from cars as they travel the ice road. You can go to You Tube and search for Madeline Island ice road and you can find them. Last year the ice road remained intact for a long while thanks to the Polar Vortex the Midwest suffered under for what seemed like months and months. Some years are much warmer and the road may only be viable for several weeks.Pamela S. Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02728153219310940273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-10301099739242687972015-01-06T16:58:48.288-05:002015-01-06T16:58:48.288-05:00Interesting post, Anita. My grandparents and famil...Interesting post, Anita. My grandparents and family pioneered in Saskatchewan in the 1920's. My mom was just a little girl, around 7 or 8 years old, I think. My grandfather was lame in one leg, and the winters just got to be too much for them, so they moved back to Indiana. Can't even imagine trains moving across the ice.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02743799607103669916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-62020306680810800832015-01-05T20:30:33.295-05:002015-01-05T20:30:33.295-05:00You're very welcome, Sharon. Thanks for visiti...You're very welcome, Sharon. Thanks for visiting. :)Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-89535122971177027532015-01-05T20:28:25.579-05:002015-01-05T20:28:25.579-05:00I'm glad I caught your interest as well as you...I'm glad I caught your interest as well as your hubby's. Thank you so much for letting me know. :)Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-40257159342116385502015-01-05T19:38:29.874-05:002015-01-05T19:38:29.874-05:00Interesting about ice bridges. We have watched th...Interesting about ice bridges. We have watched the ice trucks and I thought the ice trains would have been just as heavy. Thanks for your post. Sm. wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)comsharon mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10130208778591424260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-77682348669934239052015-01-05T17:58:17.780-05:002015-01-05T17:58:17.780-05:00This was so interesting! We've known about ic...This was so interesting! We've known about ice road truckers but not that the actually sent trains across the ice. I shared this with my husband & he was surprised too.. So fun to read your history research...Deanna Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01589351351698020082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-70201444225252990152015-01-05T15:01:21.461-05:002015-01-05T15:01:21.461-05:00Thanks, Cher! :)Thanks, Cher! :)Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-49907336007646762652015-01-05T13:15:09.658-05:002015-01-05T13:15:09.658-05:00Loved this! Am sharing on HRN today.Loved this! Am sharing on HRN today.Cheryl St.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00947267011326863581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-45193050736652978702015-01-05T12:29:45.079-05:002015-01-05T12:29:45.079-05:00You're welcome, Paula. Since I was born in Nor...You're welcome, Paula. Since I was born in Northwestern Ontario, I'm not a newbie to ice fishing and still remember my awe the first time I saw the ice thickness. My uncle used a large bore ice auger to drill through the ice and after a few minutes of sweating, he hollered, "Watch out!" With a grunt, he heaved up the auger and the area around the hole and his boots flooded with water. I thought he was going through the ice, but the water levelled off and what was left soon froze. I looked down into the black hole and couldn't believe that the ice was over a foot thick. <br /><br />But my most memorable event on ice was one March day when hubby and I had gone out with my uncle and aunt. They were on the skidoo pulling us in the toboggan and after a long day of ice fishing, we were heading back. As we were dragged along, I could hear the ice cracking around us. It didn't break, and I never saw water, but just the sound was something I never want to hear again.Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-85395001790207636192015-01-05T12:04:52.867-05:002015-01-05T12:04:52.867-05:00Thanks, Vickie. You reminded me of a fact that I ...Thanks, Vickie. You reminded me of a fact that I forgot to add to this post...that "lighter train" that the Grand Trunk Railway used after the first one crashed through the ice weighed a total of 60 tons! Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-2898984639516022362015-01-05T12:02:11.056-05:002015-01-05T12:02:11.056-05:00And Debbie Lynne...thank you. :)And Debbie Lynne...thank you. :)Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-8455456697547604722015-01-05T12:01:21.834-05:002015-01-05T12:01:21.834-05:00Debbie Lynne, the ice railroads would have taken a...Debbie Lynne, the ice railroads would have taken a day or so to construct, but once built, would last for 2-3 months and save hundreds of hours in travel time. Or, in the case of the Alaska train, be able to continue building the track into the wilderness when a regular bridge hadn't been built yet. <br /><br />Yes, they were brave. Personally, I believe it took more guts to face the hardships of settling North America than most people like to think. Dangers were at every turn and yet they didn't have any of today's conveniences and technology. Brave indeed.Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-56625399667686687532015-01-05T11:52:15.994-05:002015-01-05T11:52:15.994-05:00My husband sometimes watches ice truckers in alask...My husband sometimes watches ice truckers in alaska and it scares me to death, cannot imagine going over ice in heavy vehicle. trains are huge. thanks for sharing the story-interesting post.<br />Paula Opolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16382710562280127463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-91999979147505070402015-01-05T11:41:31.333-05:002015-01-05T11:41:31.333-05:00I live in OK, and the water here rarely freezes. I...I live in OK, and the water here rarely freezes. It's so hard for me to imagine ice strong enough to hold a train. I wonder who first thought that up and what kind of looks he got when he tried to convince others. Thanks for the interesting post!Vickie McDonoughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09698966142886006577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-11131002677942648062015-01-05T11:09:34.887-05:002015-01-05T11:09:34.887-05:00Thank you, Sandy! Thank you, Sandy! Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-82994808633265164052015-01-05T11:09:05.272-05:002015-01-05T11:09:05.272-05:00Keli, did you see any ice fishing huts when you we...Keli, did you see any ice fishing huts when you were skiing across the frozen lake? Ice fishing is a big sport up here and even here in Southern Saskatchewan the guys haul their huts out behind their trucks and bring them back the same way. <br /><br />I cross-country skied in the Rocky Mountains foothills and found that very inspiring. :)Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-48189760309115427232015-01-05T08:31:43.883-05:002015-01-05T08:31:43.883-05:00That was fascinating, Anita! Thanks for sharing. I...That was fascinating, Anita! Thanks for sharing. It seems crazy that it could be profitable to put up tracks for short periods. And OMGoodness!! Those were some brave people to trust the ice!!Debbie Lynne Costellohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16381517812227326616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-2668775906151768292015-01-05T06:08:26.674-05:002015-01-05T06:08:26.674-05:00Excellent blog!Excellent blog!Sandy Sieberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15710319975152132712noreply@blogger.com