As the ship neared its destination, locals lit bonfires to help direct the ship into harbour, but the Speedy seemed to be on a different course. Hugh Cochrane elaborated, “The captain paid them no heed. Nor did he appear to have control of his vessel, for her course seemed unerring. As if drawn by a huge magnet, the ship headed directly for the area of the monolith, then was lost from sight as the storm closed over the scene.”
That was the last time anyone saw the Speedy.
The ship had simply disappeared. The next day searchers sailed out to the area of the monolith hoping to find either survivors or wreckage of the ship. They were shocked when they dragged the lake and found nothing. Even the stone monolith was gone. There was no longer a three hundred foot depth of water; instead, it was shallow and sandy.
No wreckage and no survivors of the Speedy were ever found.
Janet Kellough is a seventh generation Prince Edward County resident. She knows about the existence of the Marysburgh Vortex. “When you’re in a recreational boat your compass doesn’t work out there. I know a pilot who was flying out over the middle of the vortex when he encountered a strange phenomenon. It was like a giant hand reached out and flipped his plane over. Then a sudden force righted the craft. People also report seeing strange lights out over these waters.”
Dave Whatton has lived in Prince Edward County for the past 54 years. He is a local historian who is knowledgeable concerning these events and who has theories about this mysterious area in Ontario. I asked David to share his views.
“I will say that many of the doomed sailors on the vessels that disappeared undoubtedly experienced some form of shock, which can separate various aspects of the Etheric body from the other body layers. This results in emotionally charged energy fragments that loop. We know them as ‘ghosts.’ They are quite akin to an endless loop video of a few seconds duration. The figure appears, does its thing, then disappears, only to repeat the scene any number of times.
“This repeating pattern has been noted throughout the world, and certainly has manifested itself in this area. I recognize that the phenomenon is truly real to the perceiver and that certain individuals are more able to receive this sensory-based communication than others.
“I live in the so-called Marysburgh Vortex. It is a quiet, rural area populated by a mixture of farm folk, fisher folk, and city escapists.
“The specific area referred to by some as the Marysburgh Vortex is in the extreme southeastern sector of Prince Edward County, bounded by water on three sides with no more than two miles of land separating an arm of inland sea, namely Prince Edward Bay, from Lake Ontario proper.
“The Marysburgh Vortex is more than just a mysterious place where people, ships and planes go missing, it is a sacred territory emitting a strong atmosphere of mysticism and of healing qualities.”
As to the spirituality of the area, David points out that shamans of various Native cultures spanning thousands of years have treated this area as sacred. The Hopewell/Adena (circa 300 B.C.) not only settled in this spot for several hundred years but built their Mounds here as well. “Two thousand years later, the island of Waupoos was named after a Cayuga holy man. The ancients knew that this area was special and I concur.”
If you plan to sail in The Marysburgh Vortex or even to pay a visit, keep your eyes peeled for the unusual — lights, mists, and vanishing objects; keep your ears keened and listening for unexplained cries in the night and keep your mind and other senses tuned and open. Light your candles; and say your prayers. The mystery continues.
The Ghost of Tom Thomson
~ Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park ~
When a woman or man is murdered their soul often remains the prisoner of the circumstance. They remain on in the vicinity of the crime. For nearly a century, the death of Tom Thomson on Canoe Lake in 1917 has remained a mystery. Was it accidental drowning or was it murder? The existence of his spirit on Canoe Lake could support the theory of murder. You be the judge.
Tom Thomson was born in Claremont, Ontario, on August 4, 1877. At the age of two months, his parents, along with his six brothers and sisters, moved to the town of Leith near Owen Sound on Georgian Bay.
As a young boy he thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors, fishing in the bay, swimming, and boating. Tom had an ear for music and played the violin, mandolin, and coronet. He was also fascinated by birds and the colour of leaves in the autumn and flowers in the spring. According to his brother, George, he paid keen attention to the seasonal movements of animals. As a teenager he was strongly-built and stood almost six feet
Artist Doug Dunford captured this ghostly photograph of Tom Thomson in the morning mist on Canoe Lake before the canoeist disappeared before his very eyes.
(two metres). Judge Little, author of The Tom Thomson Mystery, adds, “Conversely he couldn’t find satisfaction in study; he neither finished high school nor completed a machinists’ apprenticeship started in his late teens at Owen Sound. He also attempted, but never completed, a business course at Chatham.”
It was in 1901 at the age of 24 that Tom took his first step toward a career in art. He followed his brothers, George and Henry, to Seattle and there joined a commercial art studio where George had begun a year earlier. There Tom explored the territory of his imagination; there he began experimenting with crayon and then watercolour sketches. Some mention has been given to an unsuccessful romance with a woman in Seattle, which fostered his return to Toronto in 1905. There he found employment with a commercial art firm.
In 1911 he acquired a new job with the firm of Grip Limited. It was here that he made contact with other kindred spirits — J.E.H. MacDonald, Arthur Lismer, Fred Varley, Tom MacLean, A.Y. Jackson, and Frank Carmichael. Now 34 years old, Tom had begun to do sketches and oil paintings around Toronto near the Don Valley, Rosedale Ravine, Scarlet Road, Old Mill, and Lambton.
Given Thomson’s aptitude for fishing, it remains unclear why a length of fishing line was wrapped 16 or 17 times around Tom’s left ankle at the time of his death.
In early 1912 Tom made his first trek to picturesque Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. Between 1913 and 1917 he painted there from spring break-up until late fall. The majority of his works were inspired here, including “Northern River,” “West Wind,” “Spring Ice,” “Jack Pine,” and “Northern Lights.” He painted 24 major canvasses and made more than 300 sketches.
Judge William T. Little quoted park ranger Mark Robinson, who first met Thomson in the spring of 1912, in his book, “One evening as I went to Canoe Lake, a couple of other rangers had joined me. It was quite routine in those days for park rangers to inspect all newcomers coming into the park because poaching was a major offense and a common occurrence in the park. As the train came in and drew to a stop, a tall fine-looking man with a packsack on his back stepped off the train. The stranger inquired where he could find a place to stay, and where he could get a good bed and good eats. I explained to him that the Algonquin Hotel was a short distance away and Mowat Lodge was nearby. A man by the name of Fraser served good meals there and had excellent beds. Tom said that was the place for him.”
Mowat Lodge became his home away from home. In the ensuing years Tom lived with the Frasers as if one of the family. He even designed a cover for the Frasers’ booklet to announce Mowat Lodge. Tom was, nevertheless, a loner, and often canoed out into the lake to disappear for days on end, painting and fishing to his heart’s content. He was an amiable man with rugged, lean, muscular good looks. Tom was well-liked by most who met him and enjoyed the company of others at the many parties in the area.
Mark Robinson points out that Tom earned his way in the park by purchasing a guide license, and subsequently led