Friday, August 19, 2016

Aug 19 – Messer Trail Update

I received a little more info about the Messer Trail.  


On July 21 in Ontario, I discovered the “Messer Trail” on Google Maps, running parallel to railroad tracks, the Trans-Canada Highway, and power transmission lines, but I couldn’t find out more about this mysterious trail.  

Now I have an e-mail reply from Ruth Murdock, the town librarian in Petawawa.  She confirmed my conjecture that the trail is located on a military base, but could not add much more information.  
“I have been searching through our resources, online resources, and in-person requests in Petawawa, and Messer Trail is an enigma to all.  The reason you and I can find no information on it is because it is on Department of National Defense property. All who answered me reported that because of this, there would not be any information about it which would be accessible.”  

In the meantime, I found more details about the plan to pave Messer Trail from a webpage for construction proposals.  
“The work includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the supply of labour, material, supervision and equipment necessary to upgrade gravel road.  Work includes earth excavation, grading, new asphalt paving, culvert replacement and new traffic signs.”  

I think that if this "trail" needs pavement & traffic signs, it may no longer be used as a trail.  Apparently this excavation & paving project was put out to bids in the spring of last year, and should be done by now.  

I sure would like to know about the person for whom it was named, at least.  It may have been an early explorer, or it may have been some lesser-known and more recent army officer.

Ms. Murdock sent me a link to the military museum on the base, named Garrison Petawawa Museum, but the link is dead.  Its e-mail link is also dead.  I found a YouTube video tour of the museum in 2011, but I suspect that the museum, its staff, and/or its website have since been de-funded.   


I’m still curious about developments on the trail, but now I’m interested in learning about Quebec.  I’ve moved on (virtually).

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