Hello friends! As promised, after two weeks of some much-needed family time and R&R, I’ve returned with a new episode of i hope it’s a ghost.
Let’s get back on track, shall we?
In our last episode, we explored the ghosts of Kingston Ontario’s, Fort Henry. It marked the 8th episode in this 16 part Ontario series.
If you’ve missed anything, you can always head to the archives to check out some more personal ghost stories, or other Ontario related episodes.
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In this week’s episode of i hope it’s a ghost, we’re going to explore one of Ontario’s strangest attractions:
La Grande Hermine (which roughly translates to, The Big Weasel).
Up until recently, if you’ve taken a drive toward Niagara Falls, you’ll have seen La Grande Hermine’s masts looming over the rocks of Jordan Harbor just beyond the QEW highway.
I love catching a glimpse of La Grande Hermine. It’s an eerie sight, to say the least.
When I was young, I thought she was a pirate ship involved in a fierce battle before she crashed ashore and was abandoned.
Of course, I eventually realized the historical inaccuracy of this idea.
So, I did a little digging to find out the truth about her past.
After all, while beautiful, La Grande Hermine also seems like she’d be a solid home for ghosts and spirits alike.
A Brief History
While La Grande Hermine resembles a pirate ship, she isn’t one.
What she is, however, is a historical replica that’s seen many different uses over her lifetime.
Built in 1914, in Quebec, La Grande Hermine ferried passengers across the St. Lawrence river. Later, she helped to transport cargo.
In 1991 she was redesigned to look like Jaques Cartier’s La Grande Hermine, the ship that brought him to Canada in 1535.
This redesigned La Grande Hermine however, served as a restaurant.
To avoid costly mooring fees, the owners moved the ship from Quebec to Ontario in 1997.
Rumor has it that shortly after she was moved, one of the owners died. As a result, the other investors could no longer afford the cost of running the restaurant.
La Grande Hermine was abandoned near the rocks of the harbor that runs along the QEW in Ontario.
She’s been floating there, rusting and listless ever since.
Arson or Accident?
In 2003, a fire broke out on La Grande Hermine as it sat, abandoned in Jordan Harbor.
The fire started inside the ship and destroyed the majority of the wooden hull. The fire also caused significant damage to the 4 masts of the ship.
There’s a lot of questions surrounding this fire, and not a lot of answers. Some of the main questions for example, include, who started the fire and why?
Did someone want to burn down a ship that had cost too much to maintain?
Were a group of people trying to keep warm as they snuck aboard a “pirate ship” in the dead of night?
Did someone want a closer look at this local, historic attraction and accidentally set the fire?
Is She Haunted?
Let’s get to the most important question.
Is La Grande Hermine haunted?
I’m sorry to disappoint you, but all sources indicate that the fire was started by a living, breathing human being.
So, no. I don’t personally believe that this is a situation where the ghost of the owner came back to exact revenge on the failures of his other investors.
Here’s the deal.
I’d love to take a closer look at La Grande Hermine!
It would be thrilling to climb aboard and explore, to see if I got a case of the heebie-jeebies. Then I could say for sure whether or not La Grande Hermine came with a ghost (or two).
But. (And this is a big BUT). In 2021, the government deemed the ship a danger to the environment and the public.
They’ve since removed the 4 glorious masts. Steel plates were also added to prevent anyone from boarding.
So.
If any ghosts remain on La Grande Hermine, they don’t have long before their home is permanently removed.
What Happens Next?
Since the removal of the masts, you can no longer see La Grande Hermine on your way to Niagara Falls.
Many new visitors likely won’t know she’s there at all.
The future of La Grande Hermine is uncertain. I can’t find a set date for when the ship will be removed. I also can’t find confirmation that the ship will be removed (or sunk).
What I do know is that it makes me sad to see such indecision over a historic landmark.
Especially one that may or may not host a ghost (or two).
Your turn! What do you think? Is this ship haunted? Would you want to visit her yourself or would you prefer to remain on shore? Leave a comment and let me know . . .