Photographs of northern Ontario artifacts on display at North Bay Museum
He’s a professor and the founder of the Canadian Ecology Centre, but to many people, Bill Steer is known as an avid adventurer.
Nicknamed 'Back Roads' Bill, Steer has found and photographed northern Ontario ruins for decades. His stories, along with photos of his discoveries, are on display at the North Bay Museum.
“People tell me things and then I’ll do research,” he said.
To Steer, there’s a hidden find everywhere. Over the years, he’s discovered ruins of all types.
“There are so many gems on the backwaters and backroads to find,” he said. “It’s ongoing. The beauty of northern Ontario is out there in the hinterland.”
One of his favourite finds is the Red Rock. It’s an Indigenous waterway marker made by the Anishinabek peoples. It was found in northwestern Ontario on Mooseland Lake and took Steer four attempts to reach it.
“When I look at the photo of that Red Rock, I think of how long it’s been there. More than 300 years and how important it is to indigenous people,” he said.
Steer has been uncovering the past for 30 years, finding remnants of building and engineered structures.
The exhibit is called 'Ruins in the Trees: The Work of Back Roads Bill.'
Museum Director Naomi Hehn said the exhibit is all about inspiring other adventurers to explore the great outdoors and uncover the past.
“Exploring those things can really open up doors and it gets people outside finding these ruins and enjoying northern Ontario that way,” Hehn said.
For Steer, he still wants to uncover a few Hudson Bay Company trading posts.
He also discovered the remains of a downed Cold War fighter jet north of Constance Lake. The pilot was killed in the crash. Through dedicated digging, he found the pilot’s son in Colorado Springs.
“He’s going to come here when COVID is over and I’m going to take him to where his father died in that fighter jet bomber crash in the Cold War," Steer said. "That will be my next adventure.”
Steer’s exhibit will be on display all winter until May. He calls it a chance to inspire others to track down hidden northern Ontario stories.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.