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During 2012, the activities of the French permafrost community are going on Spitsbergen, Central Norway and Central Yakutia (Russia). Permafrost studies in France are covering a wide range of different activities: e.g. geomorphological field study, field monitoring, laboratory simulation in cold chambers and numerical modelling of water/permafrost interactions.
French Icelandic research team
In 2012, the French-Icelandic research team, with Denis Mercier, Etienne Cossart, Armelle Decaulne, Thierry Feuillet, Julien Coquin, Helgi Páll Jónsson and Þorsteinn Sæmundsson (figure 1), has pursued its researches on the deglaciation in the Skagafjördur area, in the North of Iceland.
A multivariate statistical method (factor analysis of mixed data and hierarchical classification) was used to classify the environmental settings where sorted patterned ground develops. A total of 750 periglacial features, distributed over 75sites, were studied. Nine explanatory variables were assessed by field work and using a digital elevation model, the variables were subdivided into three groups (latitude, topography and soil characteristics) and then integrated into a GIS. Furthermore, a correlation between the environmental variables and anintrinsic variable (patterned ground mesh diameter) was determined by a bivariate test. The results show that sorted patterned ground are spread over three homogenous areas, mostly differentiated by altitude, insolation, grain size characteristics and type of drift. In addition, feature diameters differ significantly from one group to another. Finally, it appears that patterned ground diameters are positively correlated with (i) the proportion of clay to medium silt content (r=0.35), (ii) altitude (r=0.51), and especially with (iii) clast length (r=0.97). This strong relationship with clast length is observed in each homogenous patterned ground area at both site and feature scales.
Figure 1: Helgi Páll Jónsson, Denis Mercier, Armelle Decaulne, Etienne Cossart, Þorsteinn Sæmundsson, Julien Coquin, Thierry Feuillet) on the field in the Skagafjördur area, in the North of Iceland in July 2012.
An another research program concerns the Höfðahólar rock avalanche. This landslide was investigated on the basis of a geomorphological analysis of its landforms and close surrounding environment. Thanks to sound chronological constraints (14C dating from birch remnants in peat areas that developed within depressions over the chaotic rock-avalanche deposit, tephrochronological sequences resulting from subsequent ash fallouts over the deposit, calibration of an age–depth model of peats and previously dated raised beaches), we define the rock-avalanche implementation with a wider timeframe between 10,200 and 7975 cal. yr BP and with a narrower frame between 9000 and 8195 ± 45 cal. yr BP. Such a well constrained timing proposes one of the most precise datings of an early-Holocene major slope failure in Iceland. This result fits well in the known chronology of the deglaciation in this area and in the prevailing Icelandic theory of a generalized phase of landsliding that occurred shortly after the deglaciation of the area. The main driver for the rock avalanche occurrence is associated to a paraglacial origin; glacio-isostatic rebound, associated to rockwall debuttressing, is thought to be the main factor in the genesis of this Boreal major disequilibrium.
Periglacial dynamics in central Norway - Geolittomer, Nantes.
R. Kerguillec, UMR 6554 Geolittomer, University of Nantes, France, purses researches on actual periglacial dynamics in central Norway, within a thesis of physical geography. Since 2008, four field missions took place in Dovrefjell and Rondane national parks.
The first aim of this topic is the study of the actual functional periglacial belts in these two high mountain areas, and first to locate the exact position of the lower limit of periglacial activity because of its fundamental morphologic and geographic significance. The method used is a morphologic one which consists of the identification of three authentic periglacial belts. For comparison, researches were also carried out on the Norwegian coast, at similar latitude of Dovrefjell/Rondane, to bring periglacial belts altitudinal tendency towards the west into light: L. King (1986) found that permafrost increases in altitude towards the west and, on the other hand, that forest belt decreases in the same direction.
Figure 2: The recent researches in the area of Gamlemsveten, northeast of Ålesund, prove that the active periglacial belt follows the same tendency of decreasing towards the west, and shows a difference of altitude of 300 m in comparison with Dovre-Rondane.
Researches were also carried out on the actual mobility of periglacial belts, especially in Dovrefjell, in relation with the contemporary climatic modifications in mountains environments. Observations took place on the margins of Dovrefjell's glaciers and at snowpatches sites from Little Ice Age, especially to identify periglacial conquest dynamics on recently deglaciated terrains. Field work was done on these topics during summer 2011 in Rondane and Dovrefjell in collaboration with D. Sellier, UMR 6554 Geolittomer, University of Nantes, France. Fresh periglacial features appear on névé sites, in relation with thawing permafrost since the end of Little Ice Age. Because of their characteristics, they give evidence in favor of contemporary periglacial conquest dynamics.
Permafrost investigations in Central Yakutia - IDES,Orsay.
A detailed analysis of the hydrology of the Lena has been performed by E. Gautier at the Laboratoire de Géographie Physique (Meudon), F. Costard, A. Sejourne, L. Dupeyrat (IDES laboratory, Orsay University) in cooperation with A. Fedorov (Permafrost Institute, Yakutsk). The impact of the breakup on the erosional process on the head of several fluvial islands was analyzed from one of the largest Arctic fluvial systems – the Lena River (Yakutia). The purpose of this work was to reevaluate the role of the thermal erosion during ice breakup of the Lena River. In 2008-2011, a 4-years observation program was initiated to quantify the relative influence of fluvial thermal erosion during the ice breakup of the Lena River. In the case of high water levels, the flood, in permanent contact with the frozen river bank, undergoes efficient thermal and mechanical erosion, sometime through the fall season during a secondary discharge peak. The careful analysis of the annual data shows a high variability of the erosion rate, mostly due to the variability of the duration and timing of the flood season. This program was funded by ANR CLIMAFLU and by GDR Mutations polaires.
In the same area, a detailed study of significant melting of ice-wedges on hillside slopes of thermokarst lakes in Central Yakutia (eastern Siberia) was performed by A. Séjourné (Institute of Geological Sciences, Wroclaw Poland) in collaboration with F. Costard and J. Gargani (IDES laboratory, Orsay University) and A. Fedorov (Permafrost Institute of Yakutsk). The important melting of ice-wedges could lead to formation of amphitheatrical hollows referred as thermocirques (figure 3). The melting of ground-ice on the scarp of thermocirque triggers falls and small mud-flows that induce the retreat of the scarp parallel to itself. The evolution of thermocirques in Central Yakutia has been little studied and analyzing their formation could help to understand the recent thermokarst in relation to climate change in Central Yakutia. We studied the thermocirques with field surveys in July 2009-2010 and October 2012 to examine the processes and origin of melting of ice-wedges and; photo-interpretation of time series of satellite GeoEye images (50 cm/pixel) to study the temporal evolution of thermocirques.
Figure 3: Thermocirques in central Yakutia. From A. Sejourne, 2012.
The CRYO-SENSORS program in western Spitsbergen - IDES, ORSAY;
The laboratory IDES (Univ Paris-Sud / CNRS) in collaboration the laboratories THEMA and FEMTO (Univ. de Franche Comté/CNRS) have continued their research on the Austrelovenbreen catchment close to Ny Alesund (western Spitsbergen) in the framework of the CRYO-SENSORS program (Funded by ANR and by GDR Mutations polaires). The catchment (10 km2) is optimal for hydrological studies because the drainage system forms a well-defined outlet going downstream. The project aims to study both hydrological and glaciological mass-balances of the catchment. In 2012, specific investigations were conducted in order to study the exchanges between river water and the supra-permafrost water-table. For this purpose, several monitoring have been undertaken in rivers as well as in 2 lines of piezometers (physicochemical characteristics of surface and ground-water, potentiometric level, soil temperature, geophysical investigations). The results show a seasonal evolution of the hydrographs closely linked to climatic factors. Although the meltwater from snow and glacier ice strongly contributes to the outlet flows, the discharge of subglacial river and that of the suprapermafrost water-table also controls the fluxes by constituting a river base flow. The groundwater water-table reaches a thickness up to 1.50 m for an active layer thickness of ca. 2.50 m at maximum. The contribution of the water-table towards the rivers might be consequent as this process proceeds all along during the hydrological season. The combination of hydrochemical and isotopic tracers are helpful to separate all different end-members of the runoff (figure 4).
Figure 4: Evolution of the isotopic composition of the river water at the outlet of the catchment (summer 2009)
Numerical modeling of a glacier/permafrost system - LSCE/IDES
During past years, LSCE has been developing activities in numerical modeling for permafrost issues involving coupled thermal transfer with water flow in the Cast3M code. The main activities of the present year correspond to two application studies.
- The first deals with the evolution of a river talik during a glaciation cycle within the framework of nuclear wastes storage in the Paris sedimentary basin (Grenier et al. 2012, Hydrogeology Journal). The question behind is how the recharge of the aquifer is modified when the cold climate phase starts. Results obtained on a plain-river sub-unit of the landscape show that the recharge area reduces to the river, provided that the size of the river is larger than a few hundreds of meters, or if water flow from the river to the underground dominates, allowing a vertical channel to remain open due to warmer surface water inputs.
- The second study is a 2D numerical modeling of the evolution of a glacier / permafrost system (2D section along the flowline) to assess the thermal state at the base of the glacier and to understand the hydrology of the water catchment (Roux et al., 2012, TICOP Proceedings, Salekhard, Siberia, June 2012). The case of the Austre Lovenbreen glacier is studied in collaboration with IDES (Univ. Paris Sud, Orsay). A glacier (Thermo-Mechanical) model and a ground thermal model are chained to simulate glacier evolution (retreat of 15 m/y on average) and permafrost development at the glacier front, and to estimate the probability of the glacier to be warm-based. Sensitivity to the input parameter set shows that the glacier bed is most probably still warm but that it should become cold within decades to a century for the scenarios considered (figure 5).
Figure 5: Simulated evolution of glacier ice thickness (positive values) and -0.5°C isotherm depth (negative values) along a flowline profile from mountain top to seashore. Dotted line is the initial ice-thickness (1925). Simulation times are plotted for, 1: 1975, 2: 2025, 3: 2075, and 4: 2125. Dashed is the hypothetical current state (2009). Two extreme initial ground temperature conditions were considered leading to full black and grey lines (with or without initial permafrost close to seashore). From Roux et al. 2012
Coupled groundwater-heat transport model - Sisyphe, Paris VI
2012 showed the completion of both physical experiments and associated numerical modelling carried out at Sisyphe (A. Rivière and A. Jost, UMR CNRS 7619, University Pierre et Marie Curie Paris VI), in collaboration with Cerege (J. Gonçalvès, UMR CNRS 7330, University Aix-Marseille) and M2C (M. Font-Ertlen, UMR CNRS 6143, University Caen Basse-Normandie). It allowed the comparison between observed and simulated temperature and pressure over a freeze-thaw cycle at the sand box scale. It focused in particular on the generated overpressures in the subpermafrost aquifer (figure 6).
Figure 6: Results from laboratory experiments and numerical modelling: recorded and simulated subpermafrost hydraulic head response during a freeze-thaw cycle.
The coupled groundwater-heat transport model is now applied on various time and space scales to analyse groundwater-permafrost interactions: (i) at the catchment scale and in the present warming context, to quantify groundwater-river exchanges in periglacial areas subject to thawing permafrost, (ii) at the basin scale, to assess the long-term impact of past permafrost on hydrodynamics in large aquifer system such as the Paris basin (figure 7).
Figure 7: Model results on a cross-section in the Paris basin, France: (a) temperature distribution at 20 ka BP and (b) hydraulic head anomalies (20 ka BP minus initial head difference).
François Costard
francois.costard@u-psud.fr


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'Punished Unfairly': Figure Skaters Circulate Petition After Mass. Ice Rinks Shut Down
By Rachel Holt October 23, 2020 at 7:15 pm
Filed Under:Boxboro News, Coronavirus, Figure Skating, Hockey, Rachel Holt
BOXBORO (CBS) – An online petition circulating with the message "Let The Figure Skaters Skate in Massachusetts" has garnered thousands of signatures, as ice skating rinks in the state are shut down for two weeks.
Chad Brennan, a coach at the Colonial Figure Skating Club in Boxboro, created the petition.
In 18 hours, it got 3,400 signatures and counting. "It's incredible," Brennan said. "I didn't think there would be this much support for it and I'm so glad the skating community is rallying behind the petition because we all feel the same way."
In the petition, Brennan writes, "unfortunately figure skaters have been lumped onto this new ordinance as well." He details the safety measures in place for figure skaters at the rink he works, telling WBZ-TV, "I really felt that figure skaters were being punished unfairly for something that was not their fault. We have had no COVID cases in this rink in particular."
Colonial Figure Skating Club Executive Director Patty Flanagan added, "figure skating is primarily an individual sport. The skaters maintain distance and it feels like being lumped with everyone who's on the ice is a little bit unmindful of the differences between figure skating and ice hockey."
The Colonial Figure Skating Club has 200 active skaters and roughly 40 coaches, with the new order having an economic impact on the club's instructors.
Flanagan noted, "our coaches are all independent contractors so they go from having an income source to no income. That can be pretty devastating. They're all just bouncing back from being shutdown in the spring."
Coach Christina Welch added, "It's really disappointing for the kids because now they have to take a couple weeks off and they have to stop their training so it's really going to affect their progress."
As of now, the rinks in Massachusetts are closed through Nov. 7, but Brennan worries it could be longer. "I fear that the two weeks will turn into a month, and the month will turn into two months, and we can't afford that for our skaters, by any means," he said.
Rachel Holt
Rachel Holt is a lifestyle reporter for WBZ-TV.More from Rachel Holt
Delonte West Now Working At The Rehab Center He Attended

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Israel and Jordan Uncovered
About Tel Aviv, Israel
Jerusalem Day 2
Visit Lions Gate
Visit Dolorosa
Visit Church of Holy Sepulchre
Visit Arab Market
Visit Jewish Quarter
Visit Western Wall
Visit Mount Zion
Visit Mount Herzl Military Cemetery
Visit Vad Yashem Museum and Memorial
Visit Israel Museum Dead Sea Scrolls and Second Temple Model
Petra to Eilat
Visit Wadi Rum and take a 4x4 tour across the desert
Underwater Observatory
Umm Rash Rash Memorial
Hike the Red Canyon
Eilat to Tel Aviv
Ein Gredi Oasis
You will visit the following 2 places:
Israel is a country in the Middle East, on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea. It is considered part of the Holy Land (together with areas of Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Territories). The four major monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Bahaism—all have historical ties to the region. Israel thus contains a vibrant modern history and culture, based in part on the diverse, immigrant origins of its inhabitants returning from the Jewish Diaspora. These aspects make Israel a fascinating destination for many travelers and pilgrims. As a result of this vast mix of culture, in addition to the official languages of Hebrew and Arabic, Russian, French, Spanish, Amharic and Yiddish are also spoken by a significant minority of Israelis.
Jordan is an Arab kingdom in Western Asia, on the East Bank of the Jordan River known by its ancient monuments, nature reserves and seaside resorts. Many travellers and tourists visit Jordan with its history in mind, and understandably so. It's home to the famed archaeological site of Petra, the Nabatean capital dating to around 300 B.C.E. Everywhere you visit, you will hear heartfelt words of welcome, and will often be invited into shops or people's homes for a glass of sweet tea and a conversation.
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Leslie Ralph Thielman
December 12, 1932 - July 3, 2020
Leslie Ralph Thielman, 87, of Arlington Heights, IL passed away peacefully July 3, 2020 in his home. He was born December 12, 1932 in Hammond, Indiana to Walter Louis and Paula Marguerite Thielman. As a teenager, Les was enrolled in a mechanic school and then worked in a mechanic's shop. He enjoyed working on cars so much that he started building cars, racing cars and go-carts. Les later then served in the United States Army as a land surveyor and mechanic. While working at his father's airports, Chicago Heights Airport and Governors Air Park (Richton Park, IL), his passion for planes grew. He became a flight instructor, built full scale, and collected vintage model airplanes. Les took over the family owned airport after his father's passing and changed its name to Wing's Field. In June of 1953 he married Dollie Joanne Johnson and had 3 beautiful children: Sherry, Sandra, and Scott. After the passing of Dollie, Les married Carol Frances Koehn/Broertjes in August of 1969. Carol had 3 sons of her own, Mark, Scott and Kent making the family complete. Les was a true businessman/entrepreneur. After a while, he sold the airport and took on new adventures. He was a used machinery salesman (Midwest Industrial Properties), used machinery business owner (Wings Machinery and Auctions Unlimited). He even dabbled in being an auctioneer and a co-owner of a specialty gift shop (The Mole Hole) before retiring to enjoy quality time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. He had many passions that he enjoyed in his spare time, reading sci-fi and mystery novels, collecting (coins and lead soldiers). Along with being a member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Prospect Heights, the Lions Club of Prospect Heights, and participated in the Beecher Mausoleum National Landmark Restoration Project. Les was an amazing, strong, and generous man who had a heart of gold. He loved being around friends and family and was always there to help someone when they were in need. He loved to entertain his grandchildren with Donald Duck impressions and singing old time songs that always made them laugh and smile. Les is survived by his children, Sherry (Larry) Gianneschi, Sandra Lee Thielman, and W. Scott Thielman and Step-son Mark Broerjtes; 15 grandchildren: Justin, Ryan, Shane, Brandon and Marisa Broertjes; Larry, Nick and Amanda Gianneschi; Christina Lee; Samantha, Stacey, Michael, Jacqueline, Alex and Steven Thielman; 7 great grandchildren, Tyler, Layla, Kain, Rocco and Gianna Broertjes; Aryanna and L.J. Gianneschi. He is preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Paula Thielman; a brother, Loren Thielman; his wives: Dollie J. Thielman and Carol F. Thielman; stepsons, Scott and Kent Broertjes. Les will be missed by all who were lucky enough to have known him. A service will be held on Saturday, July 25, 2020 at 11 a.m. at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 304 W. Palatine Road, Prospect Heights, IL 60070. Memorials: Memorial may be made at: Hack-Jensen Funeral Home, Beecher, IL. https://www.Hackfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Leslie-Thielman/ or at the Beecher Mausoleum www.beechermausoleum.org/Les.R.Thielman
Leslie Ralph Thielman, 87, of Arlington Heights, IL passed away peacefully July 3, 2020 in his home. He was born December 12, 1932 in Hammond, Indiana to Walter Louis and Paula Marguerite Thielman. As a teenager, Les was enrolled in a mechanic... View Obituary & Service Information
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When it was first revealed that Disney would be making standalone anthology movies in the Star Wars universe, one of the many rumored projects in development included a Yoda film which would have been focused on the master Jedi in his early years. We even heard rumors of filmmaker Zack Snyder pitching Lucasfilm on a Seven Samurai-style movie which would have featured a younger Yoda.
Now Lucasfilm has revealed that a new Star Wars comic book series will explore Yoda's past adventures. Learn more after the jump.
When Disney purchased Lucasfilm, the expanded universe became "Legends," leaving only the six theatrical live-action Star Wars films and the Clone Wars animated series as canon. Over the last couple years, we've added a bunch of books, comic books, a video game and the Star Wars Rebels animated series to the mix. But the earliest any of this material takes us is a handful of years before A New Hope. Most of the comics are set in the time between the original film and The Empire Strikes Back, while the books have mainly been focusing on the years between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. So it's interesting that Star Wars canon will finally explore an earlier period.


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The Transfer Wharf Story 1900 – 1955
Many of Ladysmith's long-term residents have fond memories of "Oyster Harbour" before it was transformed in 1967 by the opening of Transfer Beach Park. At one time, there were four major wharves at Ladysmith, and all of them have played an important part in the history of our city. The Coal or "Big" wharf, the Government (also known as the Fisherman's or "Dynamite' wharf) and further south, the Granby wharf each has its own history. However, this article will focus on the Transfer Wharf, which many historians believe was the most important wharf in Ladysmith while it existed.
1939 Air Photo showing location of the Transfer Wharf at Slack Point
At the end of the 19th century, it was clear to politicians and entrepreneurs that the success of British Columbia as a Canadian province required the development of a fast and efficient transportation system. For most of B.C. this meant a good railway system, as roads in most of the province consisted of little more than wagon trails. The truck and automobile era was just beginning, and overland travel was tedious and dangerous. In addition, although the 'linear' distance from the Alaskan panhandle to Victoria is less than 1000 kilometers, the actual B.C. coastline is nearly 26,000 km. long, and much of it can only be accessed by water. At the turn of the century, over 50 per cent of British Columbia's population of 36,000 lived on Vancouver Island, and if the Island was to prosper, both rail and water transportation were an economic and political necessity.
British Columbia's decision to become a Canadian province in 1871 was conditional on the federal government building a '"trans-continental railway". Many Islanders had argued that it made much more sense to join the United States than to be part of Canada. They were still angry that the Canadian Pacific Railway had its terminus at Vancouver rather than Esquimalt. The political compromise was the construction of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway by Robert Dunsmuir, with Prime Minister John Macdonald driving in the last spike on August 13, 1886 at Shawinigan Lake.
Despite dismay at the high cost of construction (Historian Kit Willmott believed the E &N was built for $ 626,000 a mile!), mutterings about Robert Dunsmuir's conflict of interest (he was Premier of BC and President of the E &N at the same time), and an outrageous land grant equivalent to 20 per cent of Vancouver Island, the E & N was a great success. By 1888, passengers could board the train in Victoria at 8:00 A.M. and have lunch in Nanaimo. The return trip from Ladysmith to Victoria cost $1.25 and took just over two hours. The rail line quickly added special trains during the summer, including day outings to Shawnigan Lake and excursions for evening concerts at Goldstream for 25 cents.
For Ladysmith, the best was yet to come. Readers familiar with the town's early history will recall Dunsmuir's decision to relocate the families and workers at Extension Mine to the new community at Oyster Bay, and discontinue coal shipments from Departure Bay. Business was booming at the newly constructed Coal Wharf, and both passenger and freight service were provided through a fleet of vessels operated by the British Columbia Coast Steamship Service in conjunction with the E & N. The fishing and logging industries were also using the improved harbour facilities at Ladysmith to load their products for transshipment to both the mainland and overseas. The railway was also transporting ore mined at Mt. Sicker to a new smelter in Ladysmith. However, at the end of the 19th century, there was still a major problem transporting heavy equipment and machinery to Vancouver island. It had to be lightered off and on the Island or sent by scow to Victoria or Nanaimo, a costly and labour intensive enterprise. The solution was to construct a dedicated transfer slip so that boxcars could be shipped directly by railcar ferry to and from Vancouver Island without off loading the contents. The logical choice for the E & N was to build the facility at Oyster Bay! By early 1900 Transfer Wharf was ready for business. According to railway historian Don MacLachlan, the first shipment from the rail car ferry slip was a carload of lumber from John Coburn's mill at Shawnigan Lake. The first cars arriving on Vancouver Island at the new Transfer Wharf were CPR rail cars from Eastern Canada. Then, on December 2, 1900, the tug Czar arrived with Transfer No. 1, a railway car barge that could carry twelve boxcars on the forty mile crossing between Ladysmith and Vancouver. A new era had begun.
Barge docking at Ladysmith
In 1905, the C.P.R. purchased the E & N. The rail line was quickly extended to Alberni (1911) Lake Cowichan (1912) and Courtenay (1914). Although a planned extension to Campbell River had to be abandoned with the outbreak of WW I, the major communities on the east coast of Vancouver Island were now connected by rail to the rest of the world. The CPR was already in the shipping business, and along with the railway came a small marine fleet consisting of the Joan, a wooden-hulled twin-screw steamer and the City of Nanaimo, which served communities on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Canadian Pacific now proceeded to fulfill its promise to provide a rail link from Halifax to Victoria.
On July 11th, 1908 a new steel-hulled tug – built for a cost of $75,000 by BC Marine Railways ship yard – arrived in Ladysmith harbour. The Nanoose was 120 feet in length, and powered by a single 600 hp engine capable of 12 knots. She was soon joined by the tugs Kyuquot and Qualicum. Between them they pulled five rail barges named "Transfer 1 though 5".
The tug Nanoose at Pier A in Vancouver
Although it was necessary to double the engines to haul the larger and heavier CPR rail cars over the Malahat, the system worked. The website Train web reports that traffic grew from 3471 cars outbound and 2891 inbound during 1907 to 17,282 out and 7459 in during 1942. The service was finally discontinued in 1955. Rail cars now use the new Wellcox loading facility in Nanaimo and the Transfer Wharf was torn down.
In a recent telephone conversation with noted CPR historian Robert Turner, he stated that "the Transfer Wharf era was an exciting time for Ladysmith. A home furnishing store in Victoria could receive a direct shipment of furniture from Ontario, and a load of newsprint from Port Alberni could arrive in Florida without ever leaving its rail car." For more than 50 years, Ladysmith remained a key link in connecting Vancouver Island to the railway transportation system of North America.
Ed Nicholson Ladysmith Historical Society.
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