CoverStory
A group of hardy workers build a sauna
Islands in the Steam Lake Superior’s Island Saunas By Kim Latimer
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n a clear day with a good vantage point from Mink Mountain or Sandy Beach, you may spot a boat or two cruising way out in the distance toward an archipelago of Lake Superior. Unofficially, Spar Island, Flatland Island, and Thompson Island are known as the “Sauna Islands,” as they all have had saunas built on them at some point. Further north, another sauna is nestled on St. Ignace Island. Also, just east of Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, Porphyry Island gained sauna status in 2018. Locals in the boating and tourism community know these destinations well, and having saunas on them has really upped their attractiveness. “In my opinion, there should be saunas on many more islands. There should be saunas on the shores at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and there should be docks and access for all of the boaters,” says Gregory Heroux of Sail Superior.com “It’s a fantastic opportunity for tourism, but it’s something that is difficult because of potential liability.”
16 The Walleye
The Canadian Lighthouses of Lake Superior (CLLS) group have one of the newest island saunas, on Porphyry Island. It’s insured by the group’s membership. It was built in 2018, prefabricated on shore, floated out by tugboat, and skidded up to its final resting place, a safe distance from the lighthouse. “Saunas are a defining aspect of our culture,” says Paul Morralee, managing director of CLLS. “The Patterson Foundation generously gave us funds to construct and add the sauna to Porphyry Island … Parks Canada identified it as one of the main attractions and a unique feature of the north shore.” “The value is that we had 660 visitors last season at lighthouse and we saw that the sauna was used every second day,” Morralee explains. “The people living in the house would all go down once in a while and have a sauna. Kayakers used it, and so did the tour groups. For groups of 10 we get remunerated (they buy a membership or support us) and it’s another added value to the experience.” Further south on Lake Superior
is Spar Island, which Heroux says used to have a sauna on it, and at some point someone put a “private” sign on. Rumour has it that it was an older sauna that many people had caught word of, but because it was on Crown land and being treated as private, the Ministry of Natural Resources chose to remove it. The sauna at Flatland Island, located six miles south of Squaw Bay, is also allegedly gone. For decades it was well known to paddlers and boaters alike, according to a book called The Opposite of Cold: The Northwoods Finnish Sauna Tradition by Michael Nordskog, Aaron W. Hautala, and David Salmela. The book chronicles the saunas built along the islands highlighting Flatland and others dating back to the 1950s. According to the book, “[L]ocal weekend fleets have colonized several coves and narrows along the Ontario shore by building ad hoc saunas on public land in the tradition of unlocked wilderness buildings everywhere […] Motorboaters had already erected a rustic sauna at Flatland Island deeper within the wide bay. More recent paddling blogs say that the sauna has been removed. However, the Thompson Island sauna, the most well-known island sauna popular with local boaters, is still there. Thompson Island is accessible from the Thunder Bay Marina and is at the halfway point
toward Isle Royale National Park. A group of community volunteers and the Thunder Bay Yacht Club built and continue to maintain this sauna. Due north, Nipigon-Red Rock way, on the south side of St. Ignace Island, is another privately owned and maintained sauna. It’s located at the CPR slip at Squaw Harbour and owned by the Dougall Family. In 2013, Liz Harvey-Foulds published an article called “Travels on the inland sea a real trip,” highlighting the sauna there: “A fine welcome awaited us on Wednesday evening as we paddled into the CPR slip,” she writes. “A huge thank you to the volunteers who maintain the sauna and bunk house at CPR slip and to the Dougall family who allow boaters to use the harbour.” According to Sue Hamel, owner and lead guide of Seek Adventure & Tours Inc., there is a Squaw Harbour Fund that helps maintain the sauna and Squaw Harbour facilities. People can donate and contribute to it at the Zechner’s Food Market in Nipigon. All said, Finnish sauna culture has been tied to Lake Superior’s north shore for decades. This culture that was born out of necessity for the labourers of fishing, lumber, and geology has now spilled over into modern-day enjoyment and a place where community comes together. “There’s something more characteristic about the sauna and life on the north shore, and it aligns well with that history of bush camps and people gathering to share their experiences,” says Morralee. He adds that it is also about safety. “It doesn’t only present an opportunity to clean up because the water is so cold, but it’s an emergency back-up so we can warm up.” And let’s be honest, Lake Superior rarely warms up. For the summer weekend warrior, it is a more hospitable way to experience a swim along the north shore. Perhaps a Lake Superior island sauna has become to boaters what après ski is to Nordic culture—the cherry on top. “They’re amazing to come in to see and use at the end of a long sailing day. I would say they’re fantastic to have,” says Heroux. “There should be tonnes more and there should just be an organization that does Superior saunas as their mandate.”