Dr. Noble Sharpe, Re: Request for Report on Remains found at Canoe Lake, Feb. 20, 1967

Ontario
Department of the Attorney-General
MEMORANDUM

To Mr. F.L. Wilson From Dr. Noble Sharpe

RE Request for Report on Remains found at Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park.

February 20th 1967.

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With reference to your second paragraph;-

1. [...]
2. A point which may interest you is that, as far as I know, no order for exhumation was ever given. The position of Tom Thomson’s original grave was pretty well known to the artist group who made the first dig. It was about 20’ from a fenced-in graveyard with two markers dated 1897 and 1915. They make no bones about it; they wanted his original grave opened. Four of them did finally dig where there was a depression (due to water flow I think), went down about 4’ and found some bones. A visiting Doctor, Dr. Ebbs, said they were human. Dr. Ebbs reported to Assistant Commissioner Bartlett. He ordered Corp. Rodger to investigate. Corp. Rodger had the grave opened. I was present as I had met Corp. Rodger for an inquest at Ahmic Harbour and he asked me to go along. I took over the skeleton etc. While driving away I first heard no order had been obtained. We assumed it had been necessary to rule out foul play. There was some local feeling about a grave being disturbed. There was even some talk about prohibiting the artist group from Algonquin Park as a result.
3. As late as 1959, I had a contact with the artist group. A Mr. Little (now I believe) a Judge in the Juvenile Court) invited Dr. Ward Smith and me to lunch. We came away convinced that the artist group would still believe our Indian was Tom Thomson. They think he was not removed to Leith. At the time of the removal, a local man said the undertaker did not have time to do it and the coffin was too light. The undertaker indignantly denies this. Tom Thomson’s brother is so convinced the body was removed to Leith that he will no consider having the Leith grave opened. I have read a lot about Tom Thomson and I feel it is no use contacting him by a medium as he would not care where his bones are now. Corp. Rodger returned the Indian skeleton to the grave and put up a marker on it.

[...]

I made a report to Commissioner Bartlett and to Mr. Kelso Roberts covering the sbove but have only the rough log in my file now.

I am quite satisfied that this was an unknown Indian and that were no signs of foul play. I think it quite possible he was buried in Tom Thomson’s original empty grave and the coffin could have been the one used for him at the first burial.

Dr. Noble Sharpe