Photo: Red Squirrel Road blockade at Wakimika Lake, September, 1989

 

September 18, 1989, about 3:30 p.m., at the Wakimika Creek bridge (behind the second banner), where the blockade began at dawn. Everyone is waiting for the Ontario Provincial Police whose vehicles appeared down the road.  PHOTO: EARTHROOTS

 
Photo: logging protestor locked-on to bridge Paul Smith locks-on to the bridge with a Kryptonite bicycle lock around his neck. This was the first lock-on and Smith became a master at innovating ways to lock onto various objects.

Kryptonite is extremely difficult to cut, especially when the lock is close to the skin as a torch cannot be used. Terry Graves, Christine Nichol and Chuck Gobeil spent a cramped and sleepless 36 hours locked on a bulldozer.

 

BACKGROUND: Map

                        Timeline leading to blockade

FOLLOW-UP: Road rises from its grave

 

POSTED: MAR. 6, 2009

 

 
Photo: police removing protester at Red Squirrel Road blockade, 1989
 

First arrest of nonviolent blockaders at 4:00 p.m. on September 18.

   
Photo: famous photo of Bob Rae, arrested at Red Squirrel Road blockade, 1989 The famous mug shot of future premier of Ontario Rob Rae, the fourth arrest. A year later he would be premier.
   
Photo: protesters locked onto drill at Red Squirrel Road blockade, 1989
 
Photo: protest camp at Red Squirrel Road blockade, 1989
 

The base camp on the beach at Wakimika Lake held about 200 protestors and 90 tents on the first weekend of the blockade. Participants were dedicated as they had to come in either by canoe or a series of boat shuttles and portages from Whitefish Bay on Lake Temagami via Diamond, Larn and Pencil lakes.

 
   

 

 

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