I was crushed when I read your report of the city's options for my beloved James Whalen. I used to love sitting on the banks of the Kam River opposite the Ogilvie Flour Mill, watching "the little engine that could" just keep chugging and chugging, backwards then forward with a great heave, breaking the ice for the ships soon to come.
There is a similar tug sitting in a prominent place, on land, in Longlac. If a little town like Longlac saw fit to install their memory, why can't we?
James Whalen's service began decades before Alexander Henry's. How does it not deserve the same, if not more, respect? Instead it was allowed to languish, pitifully, half-submerged, for months and months. As it stands, we can only catch a fleeting glimpse of 'James' (for safety's sake) as we cross the James St. bridge.
Please, please, lift heaven and earth to give this venerable piece of our history the resting place it deserves.
Sincerely,
Donna McCullough
