The Upper Great Lakes are known for their treacherous waters, where unpredictable weather and hidden shoals have led to untold numbers of shipwrecks over the centuries. Many—including the wrecks of the Hackett at Horse Island and the Labatte family at Thunder Beach near Penetanguishene—have been preserved by Métis communities through stories and passed down through the generations. With such events looming large in Métis communities’ memories, it should come as little sur

Métis mail carriers delivered more than just letters. In some cases, they were relied upon to make long, treacherous journeys through frigid winter storms to obtain vital supplies needed for the survival of entire communities. One such example was documented by Christy Ann Simons, a settler woman who grew up on St. Joseph Island, in her memoirs about life in the Upper Great Lakes during the late 1800s. In her memoir, Simons detailed the terrible winter of 1878-79. She recalle