Playter Harbour, Northern Ontario (Canada)

Pukaskwa National Park, on the north east shore of Lake Superior, is the only wilderness national park in Ontario. Located 25 km from the Northern Ontario town of Marathon, it is characteristic of the Canadian Shield and northern forest. The only road access to Pukaskwa is at the north end, near Hattie Cove.

If you hike along the White River Trail from Hattie Cove for about two hours, you will come to a secluded beach area and campground on a picturesque body of water. This is Playter Harbour.

The beach at the east end of Playter Harbour is located 48°34'45"N, 86°15'06"W. So if you have a GPS or a map program that allows entry of Lat/Long coordinates, you can quickly jump to it. Otherwise, check out the Internet maps in the Links section. Be sure to look at the satalite images in Google Maps!

I have contacted the park staff, asking for any details as to where this inlet on the Superior got its name, but no one I have spoken to seemed to have any idea. There are a number of Playters who made their marks as mariners on the Great Lakes. Could the harbour be named after one of them? And if so, what did he do to be given the honour of having his name attached to this harbour?

Here are brief biographies of the Playters that I am aware of who were Great Lakes mariners. Do you have anymore information, or family lore, as to where the harbour got its name, or about these Playters? Please send me a comment!

Captain George Henry Playter (1855-1943)
Grandson of Patriarch George Playter, Captain Playter was a mariner on the Great Lakes for close to sixty years. He was issued his masters papers on May 1, 1891.

Captain William Charles Playter (1866-1922)
William, brother of George Henry above, was a sailor/mariner in Collingwood. He served as Chief Officer of the Ste. Majestic and later on the Mail Carrier from Collingwood to the Sault.

Fredrick Ross Playter (1894-1988)
Fred, was a son of William Charles and a veteran of the Great War, worked as a mate on the Great Lakes. In the early 1950’s, he served as 2nd mate on the S.S. Charles Dick.

John R. Playter (1860-1936)
Brother of George Henry and William Charles above, was a farmer as well as a sailor.

All four of these sailors had lived, died, and was buried in Collingwood, which was at one time a major ship building port on the Great Lakes.

LINKS:
- Pukaskwa National Park Website
- Google map of Playter Harbour
- MapQuest map of Playter Harbour