Update: Oct 8, 2024:Thanks to the knowledgeable help from 2 people in Nipigon, ON, who have spent decades studying the Nipigon River, both it's past and it's present, I have reordered the photos to show them in the approximate order they were taken as Moore traveled down the river. I also learned from these two gentlemen that Moore did not start his trip at the headwaters of the river at Lake Nipigon, but rather near the end of the river in the town of Nipigon. This was customary at the time of Moore's visit. Once you arrived in Nipigon you would secure the services of one of three outfitters, either HBC, Revillon Freres, or William McKirdy. They would then provide you with canoes for your party, 2 experienced guides for each canoe, and provisions for a 10 day trip. The first 3 days would be spent paddling up the river to Lake Nipigon. There would be very little time for fishing (or photography) during this phase. You would then spend the next 7 days going down the river to Nipigon while resting overnight in prepared camp sites along the river. This is the portion of the trip were the guides would lead you to the best fishing locations (or spots for photography).

I now believe that Moore left Manhattan on the New York Central Railway. He traveled to Watertown, NY were he took a spur to the summer resort town of Cape Vincent, NY. Here he crossed the St. Lawrence River by ferry to the town of Kingston, ON. From Kingston he traveled on the Grand Trunk Railway about 50 miles northeast to the town of Brockville, ON, where he changed to the Canadian National Railway, which took him directly to Nipigon. I have also included a self-portrait of Moore taken in Ontario, along with the conductor, the fireman, and the engineer for one of his trains.

Some of the locations on the river were incorrectly identified. These have been corrected, again with the help of the 2 gentlemen from Nipigon.

Original Description: In the summer of 1900, after returning from Florida, Moore packed up his fly rods and the camera he had recently purchase in Tallahassee, and headed for the Nipigon River in Ontario. Besides photography, Ridgway had a passion for trout fishing and Forest and Stream magazine had recently declared the Nipigon River to be the finest brook trout stream in the world. It was a river fished by the wealthy as well as heads of state and at this time was the only river in Canada that required a fishing license. A 2 week license cost $15 which would be equivalent to $400 today.

Many of the pools and rapids that Ridgway photographed along the Nipigon are no longer visible today due to the construction of several dams in the last 100 years. The beautiful Virgin Falls are now under a foot of water from a low rise dam, while Pine Portage lies beneath more than 100 feet of water.