by Dorah L. Williams
Let’s embark on an exploration of mystical discovery through the captivating landscapes of Manitoulin Island – where the beauty of nature meets the wonder of the unknown. Renowned for being the largest freshwater island in the world, it is remarkable in so many other ways too, including its powerful spiritual energy. With the abundance of the Niagara Escarpment’s limestone cliffs and alvars, and over one hundred inland lakes, Manitoulin Island’s wealth of energy conductors is extraordinary.
I am a Canadian author, always observing the world around me. Whenever people discover that I have written books about the paranormal, their reactions are rarely indifferent. Some may scoff due to fear of the unknown, but more often than not, they share their own personal mystical experiences or recall a trusted family member or friend’s account. Even those who initially scoff eventually admit to witnessing something that defies a logical or scientific explanation.
Having personal experience and hearing countless others’ unique (yet often eerily similar) accounts, I’ve interviewed paranormal experts both domestically and internationally to gain a better understanding of this universal phenomenon that transcends age and geography.
People from all stages and walks of life have amazing experiences to share. And the rest of us want to hear about them!
Let’s start with this eyewitness account of a truly remarkable sighting on the North Channel:
“I’ll try to explain this, but I don’t think I can find the words to properly describe how truly bizarre it was. Fortunately, my husband was with me, and we both saw and were stunned by the same sight, or I would have doubted my eyesight or sanity.
We overlook the North Channel islands and La Cloche Mountains. On a hot afternoon last summer we were doing yard work and I glanced up because a seaplane was taking off from the water right in front of our property, and I always enjoy watching that. But instead of just watching the plane head off into the sky as usual, it suddenly felt like I was in some surreal altered reality. As I looked up my eyes were drawn to the far horizon because it was suddenly no longer the same view I’ve enjoyed looking at for all the years we’ve been here.
The La Cloche Mountains are located directly across from us, so should have been seen there on that day as always. Instead, there appeared to be what looked like an Ancient Greek or Roman community, from a very different time and place. It was a streetscape with several distinctive buildings that looked huge and out of proportion. They were so detailed that I could see grand staircases leading up to many of them, and fluted pillars supporting the flat roofs.
Before I could even fully react, because I just froze when I saw this, I heard my husband’s shocked exclamations as he looked at it too. We were awe-struck and had no idea what it was that we actually saw, but we both definitely saw it.
After a few minutes, the ancient looking structures gradually faded away and eventually the normal horizon returned. What on earth was that?”
What an incredible experience; and no less astonishing if it can be scientifically explained. I believe it actually was, as Popular Mechanics describes it, “nature’s coolest optical phenomenon.” Similar cases have been universally documented for centuries and this sighting, too, seems to have been a great example of the rare optical wonder known as Fata Morgana.
Most often witnessed on large bodies of water or flat ice fields in arctic regions, Fata Morgana accounts for sworn testimonies of sightings of everything from ghost ships and cityscapes on the horizon to castles in the air. It is an uncommon and spectacular phenomenon, showing that the natural can be just as amazing as the supernatural.
But, not all eye witness accounts of the unknown can be scientifically explained. Sometimes there really is no “logical explanation,” but seeing is believing, even if you can’t understand what your senses are telling you, or why.
Among the many tales that add to the Island’s air of mystery is the story of Daniel Dodge, heir to the Dodge fortune, who died near Kagawong in 1938.
This tragic tale is one that has haunted Manitoulin Island and beyond for generations. The following is a recollection of an unforgettable experience that took place on Daniel’s friends’ farm following his untimely passing.
“I can’t remember how old I was when I first heard about the short life and tragic death of Daniel Dodge, but it was well before I understood the significance of his surname’s legacy.
My late father often spoke candidly about his youth, spent on his family farm in Gordon Township. I only recall him once mentioning this particular story about Danny (as he called him), but I never forgot it because I could tell it was something he never forgot, either.
As the now well-known story goes, Daniel Dodge died falling from the boat taking him for medical care after a dynamite blast, while on his honeymoon with his bride, Laurine. In later years I learned much more, but when I first heard about this young couple, in my father’s brief reminiscence, the circumstances of the groom’s death were omitted. He either chose to not focus on that horrible history, or perhaps was trying to still process the profound loss of such a young and promising life, even after so many years.
My father’s memory returned to the Island of his youth one particular day when I was quite small, and when his voice dropped into an unusually hushed tone, it got my full attention. He had been talking about one time when he was playing baseball, one of his favourite pastimes, and started discussing the brothers and friends who were also playing. And when he mentioned Danny being there too, he stopped, and seemed to collect his thoughts before continuing, as though something besides that baseball game had come to mind.
As he explained, at the time of that particular game, Danny was seeing Laurine. She had gone to school with my father and his siblings, and was very close friends with one of his sisters. So close in fact that she was frequently a houseguest at their farm for days at a time. So, on many occasions, when Danny called on Laurine during their courtship, it was at my father’s family home. He often showed up with freshly baked treats for their large family, especially apple pies, courtesy of the housekeeper at his lodge. And, everyone thought the world of him. The heartbreaking news of Danny’s death arrived very shortly after he married Laurine.
But it wasn’t until the summer following that tragedy that my father’s story continued. He was heading towards their farmhouse late one afternoon and saw someone standing by the backdoor, leaning against the wall, smiling at him as he approached. It was Danny. It couldn’t be. He was dead. Yet there he definitely was, like he’d been on so many past visits, patiently waiting by the back door for Laurine.
As my father approached closer, staring at Danny in disbelief the whole time, his mother quickly came out of the house. Within those few seconds of her swinging the door open and stepping outside, the figure disappeared. Not into the house, or in any other direction. He just vanished altogether. It was only then, my father said, he felt completely certain he really had just seen Danny’s spirit.
His mother saw the shocked look on his face and asked what he had seen.
Before he answered, she told him she had come outside because she kept smelling freshly baked apple pie near the screen door, and whenever she smelled that aroma coming from that area, as she had been recently, she thought it was somehow a sign of Danny’s presence. My father then told her who he had just seen standing there. She just nodded silently, almost as though she had expected to hear that.
My grandmother never spoke of that with my father again, and I don’t know if the phantom scent of apple pies continued. As far as I know, my father only saw the apparition once, and never spoke of it again either, besides that one time so many years later. Yet he described it like it had happened just the day before, it was still so firmly etched in his memory.”
Sometimes, there is no scientific explanation to rationalize a sighting, so it’s easier to feel validated if other witnesses can corroborate. Perhaps it was more of a taboo subject decades ago, but sharing our experiences is the best way to process a haunting.
Over the years Daniel Dodge’s spirit has been repeatedly reported across Manitoulin Island making it an enduring tale that has touched many people in many ways. It would be really interesting to hear from anyone else who has first-hand experience with this too, or was ever told about someone else’s account.
Mystical Manitoulin’s debut edition concludes here – but the column is just getting started. Do you have a supernatural tale that you’ve always wanted to share? Whether it’s a ghostly encounter, a life-changing premonition or a brush with the inexplicable, we hope to hear from you. Share your detailed stories with us at dorahlwilliams@gmail.com and rest assured that your personal privacy will always be protected. Your story could be the next one featured in Mystical Manitoulin!
