The Great Lakes were a means of transportation, initially for canoe then ship. LaSalle’s ship Le Griffon, was the first ship to sail on the upper lakes. The Port of Thunder Bay had its beginnings with the fur trade. The fur trading fort, Fort William, was located in 1805 on the Kaministiqua River in what is called the East End. As Upper Canada was settled in the early 1800’s, locks were built: the Welland Canal connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and on the St. Mary’s River at Sault Ste Marie connecting Lake Superior to Lake Huron, which enabled ships to travel from the Lakehead to Montreal.

Prince Arthur’s Landing, the northern part of the Port of Thunder Bay, was going at the time of the Red River Rebellion when troops were sent by ship to the Lakehead and landed. Dawson Road was built from the Lakehead to the Red River in Manitoba to facilitate their movement. The building of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885 gave Fort William its boost. Soon after the Canadian National Railway was built with a station in Port Arthur. The two communities competed with each other, Fort William and Port Arthur, until they amalgamated in 1969.

The ships plying the Great Lakes carrying people and goods were initially sailing vessels. Coal fired steam ships replaced them at the turn of the century. Motor or diesel ships came into being about the time of World War 2. Loading was slow aboard these small ships and they stayed in port a number of days. Crew quarters were cramped, and the hospitality shown seafarers was a hostel.

As part of the large capital projects built by the Federal Government in the 1950’s, the St. Lawrence Seaway was opened in 1959. Previously smaller lakers called canalers took cargo to Montreal where it was loaded onto ocean-going vessels. Once the Seaway was built, larger ships were constructed. These ships had more spacious crew quarters and crew did not need to sleep ashore. Grain elevators were automated, which loaded ships faster. The stay of a ship was shorter and crews had less time ashore; a hostel ministry was no longer needed. The port statistics reflect these changes, 1964 saw the most number of ships visiting the port with 1749 ships and 16,955,937 tonnes shipped, and 1983 saw the most tonnage shipped with 1359 ships and 22,397,940 tonnes shipped.

Keefer Terminal, located in the inter-city area between Fort William and Port Arthur, opened in 1959. It was a package freight terminal, replacing loading docks in Port Arthur and in Fort William along the Kaministiqua River.

In response to the foreign sailors on ocean-going ships that were coming to the Lakehead for the first time, the Mission to Seafarers was founded in 1961 and the first chaplain, Robert Lumley was appointed in 1962. He was also the Incumbent of St. Stephen the Martyr Anglican Church. A trailer was set up at Keefer Terminal to serve as the Seamen’s Centre.

The local Anglican Church Women (ACW) groups from Thunder Bay parishes staffed the Seaman’s Centre in the evening watch. Soccer games were organized for the largely British crews. A sub-group of the Mission called the Harbour Lights organized dances for seafarers, inviting women from parish churches to attend.

In the 1970’s the shipping container revolutionized the shipping industry. Now a container was loaded at a warehouse, and shipped by truck, rail or ship. Vancouver, Montreal and Halifax became large container ports, and containers traveled across Canada by rail. This meant the demise of Keefer Terminal as a package freight warehouse.

Another development during this period was the introduction of flags of convenience. A ship is registered in a country, flies its flag and abides by its labour regulations. This meant that the manning of ships was globalized and crews from the whole globe manned ships, replacing the British domination of shipping. In 1980’s South Koreans crewed many ships, but as their economy grew they became over priced. In the 1990’s the ocean-going ships visiting Thunder Bay were roughly 1/3 Filipino, 1/3 Indian and 1/3 eastern European. The Chinese are poised to replace these crews, but their lack of fluency in English, the working language of ports around the world, has inhibited them so far.

The mid 1970’s to the 1980’s saw the port being the busiest in its history, with 1983 being the peak year. Grain shipments to Russia drove this activity. When the Federal Government ended loan guarantees to Russia and shipments stopped. During the 1980’s the Rev’d Canon David Bradford was port chaplain. He was full time during the shipping season and regularly on board ships. He had a weekly feature about the port on the local CBC radio station. The present van and trailer for the Seafarers’ Centre was purchased. Money was available to fund the work of the Mission to Seafarers. During this time the grant from the Diocese of Algoma was turned back because it was not needed. By the time the 1990’s came around the Evening Watch was not active. The ACW groups in parishes that were the backbone of the Evening Watch were shrinking because younger women were working and not participating in them.

The Rev’d Ed Swayze was appointed in 1994 at 3/8 time (2 days a week) for the Mission to Seafarers and 5/8 time at St. Stephen the Martyr Anglican Church. A different model of ministry was required: he visited ships in the daytime and made appointments for the van to pick them up. Volunteer Watch Keepers and Drivers were recruited to run the Watch in the evening. Warm clothing was collected to keep seafarers warm in the cold spring and fall.

In the global shipping market shipping rates dropped. Shipping out of the Port of Thunder Bay also declined. The number of lakers dropped, but the number of ocean-going ships visiting the port during the 1990’s actually increased because their rates were cheaper.

Major changes in technology occurred: fax machines, computers, and cell phones were introduced as tools that helped increase productivity in business and with the seafarer’s ministry. The introduction of long distance telephone cards has had a big impact on seafarers’ ministry worldwide. Seafarers could now phone home from a pay phone without coming to the Seafarers’ Centre to use the phone. Some Centres have closed up because seafarers no longer came. The Lakehead Mission began to sell a phone card offered by North American port chaplains. Watch Keepers dialing calls for seafarers and estimating the charge became a thing of the past. At Thunder Bay, the Mission responded by putting in a computer for seafarers to send e-mail and a games table was purchased.

In 2000, the name the ‘Missions to Seamen’ was changed to the ‘Mission to Seafarers’ to reflect changes in our society.

The consequence of 9/11 was that the security at port facilities tightened up. It became more difficult for crew to get ashore and for people from Thunder Bay to help seafarers. The Mission to Seafarers, because it is a recognized member of the Port community, continues to be able to offer assistance and get through to help the seafarers.

New ocean-going ships that fit the Great Lakes locks are constructed every year. They serve the Great Lakes as well as river systems around the world. The Port will continue. The impact of the Kyoto accord is likely to favor ships because they have less impact on the environment than other forms of transportation.

Communications technology will continue to evolve. Eventually ships will have the capability for crew to e-mail home daily. Some ships have satellite phones, but until the price of them drops, landlines will still be a necessity.

The value of the Mission to Seafarers is that church people visit most ocean-going ships and offer them hospitality. Transportation is provided, which is especially valuable for the more far-flung berths in the Port. The Mission will continue to welcome strangers into the Port of Thunder Bay in the name of Jesus.