Sibley Peninsula
Encyclopedia
The Sibley Peninsula is a 52 kilometres (32 mi) long and 10 kilometres (6 mi) wide peninsula
in Ontario
, Canada
on Lake Superior
. It projects into the lake from its north shore
, and separates Thunder Bay
to the west from Black Bay to the east.
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
occupies most of the peninsula. The Sleeping Giant
is a large rock formation along the peninsula which resembles a human figure lying on its back. Thunder Cape Bird Observatory is located at its southern tip. Highway 587 runs along the peninsula from Highway 17
to Silver Islet.
The peninsula was named after Alexander H. Sibley
, president of the Silver Islet Mining Company that developed a mine there.
and lowland
s. The highlands dominate the western half of the peninsula, and rise to 380 metres (1,247 ft) above the surface of Lake Superior. The lowlands of the eastern portion of the peninsula rise to only 75 metres (246 ft), over an area 3 to 6 kilometres (2 to 4 mi) wide. With the exception of diabase
dikes
and the large diabase sill
that forms the upper portion of the Sleeping Giant, the peninsula is underlain by sedimentary rocks, which strike northeast and slope towards the southwest, forming a cuesta
.
settlements.
In 1868 silver was discovered, and from 1870 to 1884 the mine at Silver Islet
was the richest silver mine in the world.
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
. It projects into the lake from its north shore
North Shore (Lake Superior)
The North Shore of Lake Superior runs from Duluth, Minnesota, United States, at the southwestern end of the lake, to Thunder Bay and Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, in the north to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the east...
, and separates Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay (Ontario)
Thunder Bay is a large bay on the north shore of Lake Superior. The bay is about 50 km long and 22 km wide. It is bordered to the east by the Sibley Peninsula at the southern tip of which is Thunder Cape, marking the entrance to the bay for ships approaching from the east...
to the west from Black Bay to the east.
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, established in 1944 as Sibley Provincial Park and renamed in 1988, is a park located on the Sibley Peninsula in Northwestern Ontario, east of Thunder Bay. The nearest communities are Pass Lake, located at the northern entrance to the park, and Dorion, located NW,...
occupies most of the peninsula. The Sleeping Giant
Sleeping Giant (Ontario)
The Sleeping Giant is a formation of mesas and sills on Sibley Peninsula which resembles a giant lying on its back when viewed from the West to North-Northwest section of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. As one moves southward along the shoreline toward Squaw Bay the Sleeping Giant starts to separate...
is a large rock formation along the peninsula which resembles a human figure lying on its back. Thunder Cape Bird Observatory is located at its southern tip. Highway 587 runs along the peninsula from Highway 17
Highway 17 (Ontario)
King's Highway 17, more commonly known as Highway 17, is a provincially maintained highway and the primary route of the Trans-Canada Highway through the Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the Manitoba border west of Kenora and ends south of Arnprior at the western terminus of Highway 417, ...
to Silver Islet.
The peninsula was named after Alexander H. Sibley
Alexander H. Sibley
Alexander Hamilton Sibley was the president of the Silver Islet Mining Company which operated a silver mine in Ontario.He was born in Detroit in 1817, the son of the first mayor of Detroit, Solomon Sibley...
, president of the Silver Islet Mining Company that developed a mine there.
Geology
The peninsula can be separated into two physiographic areas—highlandsHighland (geography)
The term highland or upland is used to denote any mountainous region or elevated mountainous plateau. Generally speaking, the term upland tends to be used for ranges of hills, typically up to 500-600m, and highland for ranges of low mountains.The Scottish Highlands refers to the mountainous...
and lowland
Lowland
In physical geography, a lowland is any broad expanse of land with a general low level. The term is thus applied to the landward portion of the upward slope from oceanic depths to continental highlands, to a region of depression in the interior of a mountainous region, to a plain of denudation, or...
s. The highlands dominate the western half of the peninsula, and rise to 380 metres (1,247 ft) above the surface of Lake Superior. The lowlands of the eastern portion of the peninsula rise to only 75 metres (246 ft), over an area 3 to 6 kilometres (2 to 4 mi) wide. With the exception of diabase
Diabase
Diabase or dolerite is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. In North American usage, the term diabase refers to the fresh rock, whilst elsewhere the term dolerite is used for the fresh rock and diabase refers to altered material...
dikes
Dike (geology)
A dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
and the large diabase sill
Sill (geology)
In geology, a sill is a tabular sheet intrusion that has intruded between older layers of sedimentary rock, beds of volcanic lava or tuff, or even along the direction of foliation in metamorphic rock. The term sill is synonymous with concordant intrusive sheet...
that forms the upper portion of the Sleeping Giant, the peninsula is underlain by sedimentary rocks, which strike northeast and slope towards the southwest, forming a cuesta
Cuesta
In structural geology and geomorphology, a cuesta is a ridge formed by gently tilted sedimentary rock strata in a homoclinal structure. Cuestas have a steep slope, where the rock layers are exposed on their edges, called an escarpment or, if more steep, a cliff...
.
History
Sibley Peninsula has archaeological sites from Paleoindian, arachaic, and woodlandWoodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
settlements.
In 1868 silver was discovered, and from 1870 to 1884 the mine at Silver Islet
Silver Islet, Ontario
Silver Islet refers to both a small rocky island and a small town site located at the tip of the Sibley Peninsula in northwestern Ontario. It was the first silver mine in Ontario....
was the richest silver mine in the world.
External links
- Lake Superior magazine article that includes some history of the area
- Photos of Thunder Bay including the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and the Sibley Peninsula.
- Ontario Parks Sleeping Giant Background Information (2003) Queen's Printer for Ontario. ISBN 0-7794-3989-2. Retrieved on 26 September 2007.