Prior to 1860 Barry's Bay was nothing but a lonely cabin built by James Barry along the Opeongo trail. With land grants available for settling immigrants, the Irish and Polish moved into the area to break ground. In 1894 a railway was built as part of the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway Line with a station at Barry's Bay. The line carried lumber from Algonquin Park to Ottawa and extended markets. Due to the railway and nearby logging operations, the population of Barry's Bay grew into an active small community at the turn of the 1900's. Although significantly reduced, trains continued to run through Barry's Bay until the late 1970's. Today no trains run through Barry's Bay and the old rail bed has been transformed into an extended "Rail trail" for ATV's and snowmobiles.
The posted coordinates will bring you to the middle of Water Tower Park, obviously named after the large Water Tower. This is just a good starting point in the middle of the action. There are 3 historical plaques in close proximity with information about the old Rail Station, Watertower, and Locamotive Sheds. Visit all 3 waypoints and find the information required for each to complete the final coordinates.
Sign #1 (WP1) - Barry's Bay Railway Station - On what day in September 1894 did the first train roll through Barry's Bay? Answer = A
Sign #2 (WP2) - Ontario's Last Wooden Railway Water Tower - What year was the current tower built? (not the original tower date of 1894 and not the restored date of 2000) Answer = BCDE
Sign #3 (WP3) - Railway Bunkhouse & Locomotive Shed - How many years did John Dupuis work in the maintenance shop? Answer = FG
Complete the following calculations to find the final coordinates
North Coordinates: Add A+B+C, take the resulting number divide by 1000 and subtract it from the posted North coordinates N 45° 29.213
West Coordinates: Add C+D+E+F+G, take the resulting number divide by 1000 and add it to the posted West coordinates W 077° 40.558
