Pukaskwa National Park of Canada On Pukaskwa's boulder beaches
are mysterious shallow rock structures fashioned by humans. We
can only speculate about the purpose of these "pits", who
arranged them, when and why. Aboriginal people have lived in
this area for thousands of years. Local anishinabe people have
many stories which cover the history of the Pukaskwa area. In
1618 Étienne Brûlé explored Lake Superior — "this body of water
so large that one saw no land on either side." Brûlé was soon
followed by the voyageurs. Next came missionaries, then the
traders, miners, and adventurers of varied sorts. Cookery and
Bunkhouse at Pukaskwa Depot, 1929© Parks Canada In the 1880s the
new nation's railway was laid north of Superior, and with the
turn of the century, commercial logging began in the Pukaskwa
River area. Today only memories and vintage cabins recall this
once-thriving industry.