J. M. Hunt

J. M. Hunt
Occupation	Farmer, pioneer settler

J. M. Hunt was a pioneer settler in the Slate River district near Fort William and an early local historian whose account of the area's settlement was written for the use of his daughter, Mrs. Hantui, who read it at the Women's Institute.

Account of early settlement

• Hunt authored "Some Early History of Thunder Bay and District," written for his daughter Mrs. Hantui, who read it at the Women's Institute.
• In 1888, the late James Tonkin was sent by the Neebing council to make trails for settlers, running from the Slate River, west to Oakley's, north to Hunt's own property, and south by way of John McLure's and James McGregor's toward Fred Gammond's.
• Hunt recorded that settlers without roads had put their teams through near-bottomless sloughs, and credited the pioneers with great perseverance.
• Among those Hunt credited with paving the way for the Slate River district: the late Ephriam Oakley and his family; John McGugan; the late George King; Thomas Miller, senior, and his family from Bruce County; the late Robert Hall; Dan McGregor; and Francis Zimmerman, who remained in an isolated location with a young family under severe hardship.

In the 1924 Papers

• As J. McKay Hunt he wrote "Memories of Fort William" on early roads, municipalities and CPR steamers, and he read papers to the society's meeting of 15 February 1924.
• "Pioneers of Paipoonge" lists the first Slate River settlers; it says his family settled there in May 1887.