Mount McKay

Mount McKay is part of the Nor'Wester mountain range in the Canadian province of Ontario. Located in the most northern part of the range, Mount McKay sits to the south of the city of Thunder Bay and is located in the Fort William First Nation reserve. The mountain, which was formed more than one billion years ago by volcanic activity, has long been sacred to the indigenous people of the Ojibwe. The Ojibwe call it Animikii-wajiwor Anemki-waucheu, which means "Thunder Mountain."

Background

Standing 980 feet—about 300 meters—in height, Mount McKay is a mafic sill that was formed centuries ago during a period of volcanic activity and land formation. Volcanos are places where the hot molten core of the earth erupts through the outer crust. These eruptions allow gases, magma, and other material from deep within the earth to rise up to the surface. Magma is molten rock; it bores tunnels through the rock surrounding the core. When the magma goes through the rock at an angle, scientists call it a dike. When the magma goes through the rock parallel to the layers that form the rock, it is called a sill.

The sill that makes up Mount McKay is made of mafic rock. The word mafic comes from combining the names of two of the types of rock it includes: ma from magnesium and fic from the Latin word for iron, ferrum. These rocks have a higher concentration of heavier elements and are usually darker in color. Some common mafic volcanic rocks are basalt and gabbro.

The mafic sill known as Mount McKay was formed about 1.1 billion years ago. At that time, tremendous pressure on the earth's mantle, or surface, nearly broke North America into pieces along a geographical fault line near what is now known as the Great Lakes region. Similar events happened in other parts of the world as well, changing the planet's surface. These areas are known as rift valleys, and they are formed when the tectonic plates—or large chunks of the top layers of the earth—shift along a fault line between two or three plates.

This shifting creates a lower area that sometimes fills with water. Over time, the wearing away of the rock by water and weather—erosion—can expose different layers of rock. Sometimes the force and pressure of the huge icy mass of glaciers digs away surface dirt and rock to expose the layers of rock formed by the volcano millennia before.

Mount McKay is part of a formation known as a tableland, or an area of cliffs and flat-topped mountains. While parts of it are covered in trees and other greenery, there are many areas where bare rock is still visible. These areas were formed at the time the rift valley was created and are the result of the magma forcing its way between different layers of sedimentary and igneous rocks. This formed bands of different types of rocks that eroded at different rates. In some areas of the mountain, softer rock has eroded away from under harder rock, causing it to sheer off and resulting in steep cliffs and indentations that surround Mount McKay. Part of the mountain's visual appeal is the view these varied landscapes create.

Overview

The native Canadian people known as the Ojibwe were the first to appreciate the resources of Mount McKay. The mountain is an essential moose habitat and a source of plant foods. It was a gathering place for the native people long before the first European settlers arrived near the end of the seventeenth century. Mount McKay is located on land that even in the twenty-first century is part of the lands granted to the native people as part of the Fort William First Nation reserve.

Generations of Ojibwe called Mount McKay "Thunder Mountain," and it is unclear how it came to be known as Mount McKay. An old publication from the Thunder Bay Historical Society printed in the early part of the twentieth century cites a story about a Scottish trapper named William Mackay who befriended the Ojibwe and married one of the young women of the tribe. The story claims Mackay climbed the mountain daily looking for supplies that had been promised to the Hudson Bay people, and alleges this is the origin of the name, as it evolved from Mackay's Mountain to Mount McKay. However, other sources list other men named McKay or Mackay as the origin of the mountain's name.

Another native story explains the origin of a small stone chapel at the top of the mountain. A small group of Ojibwe lived nearby, and the members were anticipating a great wheat harvest until a flock of black birds destroyed it. Then a heavy snowfall came, making it impossible to hunt. Soon, the Ojibwe had consumed all their food and were in danger of starving. They did not even have enough food left to use as bait to fish until the chief's daughter cut skin from her legs and gave it to the men to use as fish bait. This saved the people, but the young woman died from shock. A priest who visited ordered a chapel to be built in the woman's memory and to offer thanksgiving for the fish that saved them. They were also told to pray for future crops; the First Nations people say that since this was done, the crops have never failed or been lost.

The mountain remains the site of sacred ceremonies by the Ojibwe. Until a road was built to the site in the latter portion of the twentieth century, non–First Nations people were not allowed on Mount McKay. The mountain now has amenities that are open to the public, such as a lookout, campsites for tents and trailers, a picnic area, and snack bar. Two main trails exist, one on its north face and one on the western side. The lookout provides a very good vantage point to view Thunder Bay and a land formation called the Sleeping Giant because it resembles a giant human resting on its back. Hiking is allowed, but some areas are reportedly safer than others are. After a number of accidents requiring rescuers to retrieve hikers from the mountain, the First Nations people in charge of the reserve considered measures to restrict access because of safety concerns.

Bibliography

Bogue, Margaret Beattie. Around the Shores of Lake Superior: A Guide to Historic Sites. U of Wisconsin P, 2007, pp. 150–51.

"Indian Legend of Loch Lomond." Thunder Bay Historical Society, Twelfth Annual Report, 1921, archive.org/stream/papers1921thunuoft#page/84/mode/2up/search/mountain. Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.

"Mt. McKay Rescue Prompts First Nation to Discourage Climbers." CBC News,5 Dec. 2013, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/mt-mckay-rescue-prompts-first-nation-to-discourage-climbers-1.2451769. Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.

Nicholls, Katie. "Sacrifices Remembered During Mount McKay Ceremony." TB Newswatch, 11 Nov. 2023, www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/sacrifices-honoured-during-mount-mckay-remembrance-day-ceremony-7819675. Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.

Pullan, Brandon. "Adventures With B: Animikii-Wajiw "Mount McKay" in Thunder Bay." Gripped Outdoors, 2020, gripped.com/profiles/adventures-with-b-animikii-wajiw-mount-mckay-in-thunder-bay/. Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.