The Military Road
Although it appears on no map, in no report, and is unheard of in the Public Archives, the locals all knew of the Military Road. It ran, according to Earl Orchard, from Bruce Mines to Rydal Bank on Ottertail Lake, then angled across in a northwesterly direction through the present Plummer and Gordon Lake communities. On the east side of Sanders’ Hill, the road turned to the north and north west, crossing the Echo River where the Baldwin Farm is now located (original owner Alex Findlay) and proceeded through the Garden River Indian Reserve, past Wild Man Mountain, the Sacred Rock of the Ojibway, and continued across Cold Water Creek and Root River turning left to what was later known as Huckson’s Corner near the present K-Mart, and then down to the village of Sault Ste. Marie on the banks of the St. Mary’s River.


Tradition persists that it was built as a military highway to permit passage of Colonel Wolesley’s expedition on its way to put down the Riel Rebellion on the Red River in Manitoba in 1870. However, to the present date this has been impossible to confirm.

 

Curious to know more?  Delve Further Into The Military Effort Here:
Laird Chronicles Chapter 9 – The Military Effort
Laird History Volume Two – Military
Photos – Military Collection