Thunder Bay to Gunflint is an engaging and meticulously researched history of the Port Arthur, Duluth & Western Railway (PAD&W), fondly remembered as the "PeeDee." Blending nostalgia with political intrigue, it chronicles the line’s origins in the silver boom of the 1880s, its strategic role in opening Northwestern Ontario to settlement and resource development, and its deep cultural connections with the communities it served. From the bustling harbours of Port Arthur to the remote mines of Rabbit and Silver Mountains, the book paints a vivid picture of life along the tracks, complete with colourful characters, legendary engineers, and the camaraderie forged in frontier conditions.
Moving beyond the rails, the book examines the PAD&W’s complex interplay with municipal ambitions, provincial politics, and cross-border economic ties to Minnesota’s iron range. Through archival photographs, personal stories, and detailed biographies of key figures—including General Edward Augustus Wild, Thomas Marks, James Conmee, Oliver Daunais, and D.F. Burk—it offers a rich and human-centred narrative of ambition, enterprise, and resilience. This is more than railway history—it is the story of how a line of steel helped shape the destiny of Thunder Bay and its hinterland.