Tug on Snowshoe Portage
The gold rush
trail started at Hudson, a small town on the CN railway line. There
were five portages on the 180 mile long water route to Red Lake. To
carry freight along this system a tugboat set out from Hudson, pulling
behind it a "swing" of five flat-bottomed barges (scows), each carrying
15 tons of freight.
When each portage
was reached, a huge flatcar on a steel cable would roll down tracks on
the portage and disappear underwater, beneath the scow. An engine house
on the crest of the portage would then apply power, and the car and
scow would move uphill, on the tracks over the portage. On the other
side of the portage the car would again immerse itself in water and the
scow would then float clear, in navigable water. This system was in use
until 1947, when the highway to Red Lake was completed.
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The Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre is a charitable organization, funded by the Municipality of Red Lake and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. Reg # 87315 2714 RR001
