341: Death on a Painted Lake: Algonquin Provincial Park

Summary

National Park After Dark: "Death on a Painted Lake – Algonquin Provincial Park"

Episode 341 | December 15, 2025 | Hosts: Danielle & Cassie (Audioboom Studios)

---

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the life, mysterious death, and enduring legacy of Tom Thomson, the iconic Canadian artist whose vibrant paintings captured the wild beauty of Algonquin Provincial Park—and whose unexplained demise in 1917 has since become one of Canada’s most discussed unsolved mysteries. Danielle and Cassie examine the factual timeline, the folklore, and the many theories (from tragic accident to dark conspiracy) that circulate about Thomson’s death, inviting the listener to reflect on how obsession with mystery can overshadow both the person at the center and the natural places they celebrated.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Tom Thomson and Algonquin Provincial Park

• Danielle highlights the power of nature and how moments in the wild can escape capture, except perhaps by artists like Tom Thomson, praised for rendering the Canadian wilderness with bold color and emotion.
  • [00:04] “But Tom Thomson came close …100 years ago, Canadian landscape painter Tom Thomson had begun painting the scenery of Algonquin Provincial Park … and his work was celebrated.”
• Danielle sets the stage for the mystery: Thomson’s disappearance during a canoe outing in July 1917.

2. The Art and Life of Tom Thomson

• Born 1877 in Claremont, Ontario, sixth of ten children.
• Early illness led to much time outdoors, fostering a lifelong connection to nature and art.
• Career started in graphic design/illustration, but love for wilderness soon led him to Algonquin.
• First major exhibition in 1913, full-time painting enabled by patron Dr. James McCallum.
• Developed signature style: “big blocks of shapes … fearless use of violent color.”
  • [15:01] “His scenes of Algonquin park became brighter and more complex. … one critic would call a fearless use of violent color.”

3. The Fateful Summer of 1917

• Routine: Summers in Algonquin, painting and guiding, winters in Toronto’s art scene.
• On July 8, 1917, Thomson set off by canoe from Mowat Lodge and vanished.
• Canoe soon found upturned; search leads to discovery of his decomposed body in the lake 8 days later, less than half a mile from where he launched.
  • [22:37] “It was Tom's body, bloated and decomposing. Eight days after he went missing and just a third of a mile from where he had set out initially, Thomson was found.”

4. Handling of the Death & Immediate Aftermath

• Local doctor (not a coroner) performed cursory exam, suggested accidental drowning, saw bruise on temple and blood from ear, but “no obvious signs of violence.”
  • [23:56] “he describes advanced stages of decomposition, what he believed was a bruise on Thompson’s temple and blood coming from one of his ears.”
• Swift burial at Canoe Lake, against family’s wishes to return remains home—eventual exhumation and reburial. Confusion, miscommunication, and lack of proper forensic process fuel suspicion.
  • [26:08] “Like they could have put him in a boat shack or … something … but they buried him so quick, so fast.”

5. Theories and Rumors Emerge

• Despite consensus among early witnesses and officials that death was a drowning, rumors of murder, suicide, and a community cover-up begin to circulate, largely years and decades later.

• Key theories:

  1. Murder:
     • Primary suspect is Martin Bletcher Jr., a German-American neighbor. Theories allege a fight (over World War I or love interest Winnie Trainor) led to murder.
     • Later suspect: Shannon Fraser, lodge owner, theorized to have killed Thomson in a dispute, possibly about money loaned by Thomson.
  2. Suicide:
     • Rumors that Thomson was distraught over relationship with Winnie Trainor or artistic struggles. No evidence in letters, art, or behavior to support this.
  3. Cover-Up/Body-Swap Conspiracies:
     • Claims that Tom’s body was never moved, that the second undertaker left him in the original grave, fueled by the 1956 grave digging and “discovery” of a body (which turned out to be an indigenous man, not Thomson).

• [35:09] Cassie: “It feels like the lack of care of his body afterwards leaves room for so many questions.”

6. Modern Forensics & Reassessment

• Forensic review in 2007: Physical signs (bruise, blood) likely due to decomposition in water, not trauma.
• Rumors about “fishing wire around ankles” only arise decades later; likely explanation is the wire was used to secure the floating corpse in 1917.
• No convincing evidence that any alleged foes had the means, motive, or opportunity.
• Speculation exploded in postwar decades, reaching fever pitch in books and media (“Was Tom Thompson Murdered?” CBC documentary, 1969), despite lack of primary sources.

7. The Power of Folklore, Gossip, and the Unsolved

• Hosts repeatedly underscore how oral history, changing memories, and public fascination with mystery can distort the truth (“telephone game”).
• Justice for Winnie: Theory blaming her debunked as sexist and unsupported by any primary evidence.
• Cassie: “It feels like a whole community is just throwing fuel into this fire. … It really feels like a bunch of gossip.” [56:49]

8. The Real Legacy: Tom Thomson’s Art

• After his death, Thomson’s stature, influence—and mystery—grew.
• Work auctioned in the millions; credited as inspiration to the Group of Seven (some say he should have been the “eighth member”).
• Memorials at Canoe Lake and in his hometown.
• Rather than endless speculation, hosts encourage honoring Thomson for his art and connection to wild places.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Danielle, on the lasting power of Thomson’s work:

  "With thick dabs of bold color, he captured the Canadian wilderness like no other artist had before him." [00:04]

• Cassie, on the rush to rumor:

  "It feels like…everyone is kind of starting drama, but no one has real evidence or proof." [56:49]

• On the problematic handling of the body:

  “From leaving him out on the beach overnight in the hot sun, to not having a coroner examine his body and the burial without his family's permission … I think all of that is extremely traumatizing for the family.” – Cassie [81:16]

• On the weight of speculation:

  “People have spent a century trying to explain his death...it reveals a fascination with the macabre and an unwillingness to accept that all too often simple accidents can and do claim the lives of people that we love and admire.” – Danielle [74:08]

• Hosts, on the final conclusion:

  “Sometimes the most obvious answer is the answer.” – Cassie [82:14] “Let’s just try and let his memory be what it is instead of just...yeah. I don’t know. Once you have all the information laid out like this, it’s really not that mysterious.” – Danielle [86:38]

• On gossip and rumors:

  “I love tea, I love the drama. But when it’s affecting someone else's family ... it's not great.” – Cassie [87:10]

---

Important Timestamps & Segments

• [00:04] – Introduction & Tom Thomson’s biography
• [11:56] – Canoe Lake explorations begin; artistic awakening
• [21:55] – Thomson’s disappearance and the search
• [22:37] – Discovery of body, summary of physical findings
• [24:35] – Family’s reaction, complex reburial process
• [29:31] – Theories begin: murder, suicide, cover-up
• [33:03+] – Deep dive into saga’s key “suspects” and their stories
• [41:13] – 1956 exhumation attempt and ensuing debunking
• [52:30] – The ever-evolving landscape of rumors and secondhand accounts
• [58:16-61:00] – Eyewitness/diary discrepancies & memory issues
• [62:53-66:34] – Systematic rebuttal of main rumors (murder, suicide, and conspiracy)
• [73:10] – Forensic explanations; accepting Occam’s razor
• [74:08] – Hosts reflect on the dangers of over-focusing on mystery
• [77:19-78:32] – Thomson’s legacy and connection to the Group of Seven
• [79:55+] – Memorials, tributes, and the ongoing inspiration of his art
• [81:16-87:34] – Final thoughts, recap, and a call for justice for Winnie

---

Summary of Hosts’ Conclusions

• Most Likely Explanation: Accidental drowning, possibly compounded by a fall, mild head injury, or medical event; no compelling evidence for murder or suicide.
• Why Suspicion Persists: Mishandling of body, lack of proper investigation, misinformation, and fascination with the unknown.
• Takeaway: Tom Thomson deserves remembrance as an artist and champion of wilderness, not merely a subject of morbid speculation.

---

Suggestions from the Hosts

• Look up Tom Thomson’s paintings, especially for lovers of landscape art: “If you are into art, I think you'll really enjoy them.” [87:29]
• Justice for Winnie: “She was done dirty.” [87:33]

---

The episode invites listeners to appreciate both mystery and history, but ultimately to respect the memory and legacy of a remarkable artist—and to seek adventure, creativity, and connection in the wild places Thomson cherished.

Transcript

[Danielle]

Nature has a way of taking your breath away. Maybe you were watching a sunset, standing on the beach with your toes in the sand as waves crashed on shore. Maybe you were swimming in a lake, craning your neck up to see the mountains above. Moments of grandeur and beauty can form lifelong memories. But when you try to capture them with a camera, the result is often disappointing. You can't hear the loon calls echo off of a lake. You can't smell the pine trees or feel the warmth of the sun cut through a chill breeze. And when you see a picture of that scene on your phone or even in a frame, it flattens the experience of being there. It can feel impossible to truly capture moments like this. But Tom Thompson came close. 100 years ago, Canadian landscape painter Tom Thompson had begun painting the scenery of Algonquin Provincial Park. He carried wooden panels and oil paints, paddling out in a canoe towards scenes that captured his imagination. He painted water in the weather, trees on lakeshores, log jams in a creek, rainstorms, and sunsets. With thick dabs of bold color, he captured the Canadian wilderness like no other artist had before him. And his work was celebrated. He became sort of a founding father or patron saint of Canadian art, inspiring generations of artists that followed. Some have argued Thompson's bright and authentic landscapes would change how Canadians saw their country and themselves. But Thompson didn't live to see his country embrace his work, because In July of 1917, he set out in his canoe in the park that he loved so much and never came back. Welcome to National Park After Dark.

[Cassie]

Hello, everyone. I'm Cassie.

[Danielle]

And I'm Danielle. Welcome to the show. So happy you're here.

[Cassie]

Yeah. If it's your first time. Welcome. It sounds like we're doing a mysterious missing persons case.

[Danielle]

Mysterious death.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yes.

[Cassie]

Oh, okay.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yes. And this one is actually one of the most requested episodes we've ever gotten.

[Danielle]

We kind of have a running list of top four or five highly requested subjects, themes, topics, stories. And this one was kind of the.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Oddball out of them, at least in.

[Danielle]

My book, because I had never heard of this story and all the others.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I have, and I'm like, okay.

[Danielle]

Of course it's highly requested.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

It's such a popular topic. But this one, I'm like, what is.

[Danielle]

Who is Tom Thompson?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

That sounds made up.

[Danielle]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Oh, I looked into it.

[Cassie]

I actually know someone named Thomas. Thomas. It's close.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Thomas Thomas?

[Danielle]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

His first name. Last name. Thomas. Thomas?

[Cassie]

Yep.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Is he our age?

[Cassie]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Why would his parents do that? Keep it simple. I guess there's no confusion.

[Cassie]

You can't forget. Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Well, this, of course, is a Canadian based story and our Canadian fans go hard. So I hope I do this story justice because there were a lot of requests for it and it's one that I will be very interested to hear your final thoughts on because I have kind of my own.

[Danielle]

I came to my own conclusion.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I think of what I truly believed happened to Tom Thompson, and I think we're going to align.

[Danielle]

But let me give you all the info first.

[Cassie]

Great. Because this is a story that I know absolutely nothing about.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Okay, great.

[Danielle]

Well. Oh, my gosh.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Sorry. Total pivot. But I totally forgot to tell you before we get in to this, just.

[Danielle]

Quick skirt to the side here.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I just look down at my hands.

[Danielle]

And I see I have a little.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Stamp of a cat on the back of my hand. And it reminded me to tell you I stumbled across the craziest thing today.

[Danielle]

What happened?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Okay, so I was out over the last couple days, it's transformed into winter completely overnight here in southern Maine. And Chaska has had a really hard time on walks between the salt that isn't pet friendly on the sidewalks in town and just the extreme cold. He won't go more than five minutes before completely stopping, putting up all his paws. And it's just no good. So I went to dig up his little booties and I couldn't find them. So I decided to just go out and get some new ones for him. And so I went to the pet store, grabbed some, you know, rugged, like, hard, sold booties for him, which he absolutely hates. But anyway, so as I'm going to.

[Danielle]

Park at the pet store, there's all these signs all over the parking lot for.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

It's like cat show parking.

[Cassie]

Like a cat show.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So the space right next to the pet store, pet supply place is. It must have been like one of those, like, spirit of Halloween rents out and whatever. It's just kind of like an empty.

[Danielle]

Spot in a strip mall.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Well, the International Cat association has overtaken.

[Danielle]

It for two days.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And it is legitimately a cat show.

[Danielle]

Where people come from all over. And there's judges in booths judging cats.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Wow.

[Danielle]

And they're so.

[Cassie]

These are fancy cats.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Very fancy.

[Danielle]

So I walk in.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

At first, I'm like, is this just.

[Danielle]

Something for cat lovers, like a little, like, holiday cat market? I don't know.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I didn't know what to expect.

[Cassie]

It sounded like an adoption event or something at first.

[Danielle]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And so that's kind of what I thought. And I walk in immediately. I'm like, oh, no.

[Danielle]

There's ribbons everywhere.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

There's judges in, like, formal attire.

[Danielle]

They're holding up the cats, like, stretching.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Them up and, like, looking at all, like, what is happening? So I paid my 16 to go.

[Danielle]

To watch this event. It's crazy. Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And there's all these different categories for different, Like, I don't know, best in.

[Danielle]

Obviously, there's best in show, but then.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

There'S, like, best kitten and best bangle, and there's just. All these cats are just so beautiful, and all their handlers are there. And just, like, at each new retirement.

[Cassie]

Goal for me, I want to hold up my precious kitty. Like, look at everybody. Look at him. Look how cute he is.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah, look at it. I was like, what are they? What are they looking for? You know, it's like a dog show, you know, on.

[Danielle]

Is it on the super bowl day or Thanksgiving?

[Cassie]

Yeah, the. The Puppy Bowl.

[Danielle]

No, but there's, like, an AKC Best.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

In show dog thing.

[Danielle]

It just happened either way.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I don't know. I just have never. I never thought I would come in contact with an event like that especially.

[Cassie]

Did you love it?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I enjoyed it for, like, 20 minutes, and then I left because I had my fill.

[Cassie]

You saw the cats.

[Danielle]

I did.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

They were really cool. And there were some beautiful ones. No, the judges were in outfits, festive ones. They had, like, some, like, holiday cat.

[Danielle]

Ears on and stuff.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah, I would love to be a judge.

[Danielle]

Yeah. Like, how does one become a judge?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

But, yeah, And I get in, I.

[Danielle]

Pay my admission fee. They're like, would you like a program?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I'm like, oh, this is legit. Yeah.

[Danielle]

I'm surprised it wasn't televised. What a day.

[Cassie]

Maybe it was.

[Danielle]

Yeah, maybe.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I don't know either way. So that's just a little. It was cute. I had my little kitty.

[Danielle]

Phil.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

But anyway. Okay, Tom Thompson. What the people want. Enough about cats.

[Cassie]

What everyone came for.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Correct.

[Danielle]

Well, the mysterious death of Tom Thompson.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Is one of Canada's most enduring mystery.

[Danielle]

And the story has taken on an.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Entire life of its own. It.

[Danielle]

If you are in the art world or from Canada, you have likely heard of Tom Thompson. His paintings are celebrated by the art world and traveling exhibits and museums. And if you haven't seen them, you.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Should look them up, especially if you're into art.

[Danielle]

And I. While I was browsing a lot of.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

His work online, I really thought of you because his artistic style is something that I think you would really be drawn towards.

[Danielle]

He uses a ton of really bold, bright colors, and the landscapes are just.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So beautiful, and it kind of reminds me of the piece that you got when we were at that art festival in.

[Cassie]

In Banff.

[Danielle]

Banff, yes. Oh, yes.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Cool.

[Cassie]

Yeah, I love. I. I appreciate art so much, and I love the landscape, bright colors, add some color to my walls kind of vibe.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Well, you might want to look into getting one of his prints then, because they're really cool. I especially love the ones of the Northern Lights, which I know is up your alley, too.

[Danielle]

But if you are not familiar with.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Tom Thompson and you type his name.

[Danielle]

Into Google, the first results will likely not be about his art, but his death, which came at the height of his artistic talents and was reported as an unfortunate accident. But over the years, the story began.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

To take on a life of its.

[Danielle]

Own and has firmly rooted itself as one of Canada's most enduring mysteries. So let's dive in. Tom Thompson was born on August 5, 1877, in Claremont, Ontario, the sixth child of 10. As a boy, he developed a respiratory illness that kept him out of school for about a year, and the orders were given to him from their family.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Doctor that he needed to restore his health through fresh air and exercise. And I'm actually kind of surprised he didn't instruct him to move west for the fresh mountain air, because I feel like that was the prescription every doctor gave everyone at this time. But he didn't.

[Danielle]

He grew up out east along Lake Huron's Georgian Bay. He likely spent all that time outdoors in the water, fostering what would become a lifelong appreciation for the natural world. He and his siblings took interest in drawing and painting, as a lot of young kids do.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Tom really enjoyed sports, like football and.

[Danielle]

Swimming, and spent his Sundays, like many others in his community, attending church. As a young man, he began searching for his place in life, working briefly as a machinist in his hometown before following one of his brothers to business school out in Seattle when he was around 24 years old. But after just six months in business school, he landed a job at a photo engraving firm, a company that reproduced images and illustrations for magazines, books, and newspapers. It was a creative work, and he developed skills as a graphic designer, illustrator, and letterist while he was working there.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And he was really, really good at it.

[Danielle]

In his late 20s, he moved back east towards home, landing in Toronto, where his newfound skills were in high demand. He found work at multiple firms and made friends with a number of fellow designers and artists. And it was with those friends that he began to leave the city of Toronto and explore the Canadian wilderness.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And I kind of thought of it as, like, how we Found each other, our outdoorsy co workers. You know, we're like, okay with you, I'm gonna go hike. And that's kind of what he found.

[Danielle]

With these co workers. And in May of 1912, Thompson and a friend traveled by train to Algonquin provincial park, about 200 miles away from Toronto, to fish, paint, camp and hang out.

[Cassie]

Sounds lovely.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

It does, yeah.

[Danielle]

The rugged and undeveloped region had only recently been added to the province of Ontario, and Thompson seemed to love it. That same summer, he and some friends would head north once again for a two month canoe voyage, leaving with hundreds of pounds of provisions and art supplies and returning home with paintings and plenty of stories of all of their adventures. On this particular canoe trip, Thompson seemed to realize that these northern landscapes were excellent subjects for oil painting. And his friends had begun to recognize his his talent, encouraging him to pick up his brush more and more often. Tom, while likely happy to feel encouragement.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

From his friends and probably felt good to have his work praised, he didn't really see his paintings as anything that deep.

[Danielle]

He kind of brushed it off and laughed it off, thinking that his sketches and his paintings would never really be.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Taken seriously and just brushed everything off.

[Danielle]

It's like, thank you so much, but.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

It'S not really going to go anywhere. Just something I like to do.

[Cassie]

We love a humble king. Yes.

[Danielle]

Yep. However, after seeing some of Thompson's sketches from his canoe trip, Dr. James McCallum, a wealthy Toronto doctor and eager patron of the arts, convinced Thompson to develop some pieces for a gallery display.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So he saw potential in Tom and really fostered that.

[Danielle]

The following year, a painting of Thompson's titled Northern Lake was accepted into an exhibition in Ontario and was purchased by the government for $250, which was equivalent to about two months worth of his.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Wages at the time.

[Danielle]

So not too shabby for something you.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Don'T take super seriously.

[Cassie]

Yeah, it's just a hobby.

[Danielle]

Right side, side, hustle. And this was all the encouragement that Dr. McCallum needed to allow Thompson to paint full time. He promised him a guaranteed income by purchasing his paintings. Wow. From then on, Thompson was a painter.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Despite feeling what I think we would categorize as imposter syndrome today.

[Danielle]

Starting with the summer of 1913, at age 36, he would spend the warm months of the year in Algonquin Provincial park, often sleeping in a tent by night and painting small sketches by day to take in the scenery. And for those of us unfamiliar with this particular park, I'll give you a glimpse into what Thompson was seeing. Established in 1893, originally named Algonquin national park and later changed to Algonquin provincial park. In 1913, it was the first provincial park in Canada. Located on the Canadian Shield northeast of Toronto and northwest of Ottawa, the park encompasses nearly 3,000 square miles of forests, bogs, lakes and rivers. Its coniferous forests, maple hills, rocky ridges, wildflower meadows and spruce bogs are teeming with classic northeastern wildlife. Moose, black bear, wolves, beaver kind of has it all. The interior of the park has no roads and can only be explored by paddle or on foot.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

But other areas of the park as.

[Danielle]

Of now do offer campgrounds.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

There's a visitor center, there's an art center, lodging, etc.

[Danielle]

And the park is popular year round. There's activities like wildlife photography, snowshoeing, fishing and canoeing being amongst the most popular. So all in all, not too bad of a place to fall in love with. In the winters, Tom would work in a studio in Toronto to turn his favorite sketches into full size paintings fit for sale and exhibition. He shared a space with fellow artists who encouraged his artistic journey and helped him develop his own artistic unique style. And in a period of just a few short years, Thompson did just that. His scenes of Algonquin park became brighter and more complex. He rendered windswept trees and racing clouds with big blocks shapes using thick strokes of bold paint that one critic would call a fearless use of violent color.

[Sponsor Voice]

You may have heard of HelloFresh. They are the number one meal kit in America, making home cooking with chef crafted recipes and fresh ingredients delivered straight to your door. But as colder weather sets in, they are serving up even more to love. This is not the HelloFresh you remember, it's bigger. HelloFresh has doubled its menu. Now you can choose from 100 options each week including new seasonal dishes and recipes inspired by flavors from around the world. You also get bigger portions. That keeps everyone satisfied, which I love on those long winter evenings when all I want is something warm and filling. It's healthier. You can feel good about dinner with an even healthier menu. Choose from more than 15 high protein recipes each week including options like grass fed ribeyes and lamb chops. And if you want to eat greener like I do, HelloFresh has new veggie packed dishes with two or more vegetables in every serving. It's also tastier. You can now get steak and seafood recipes delivered every week for no extra cost and there are three times the seafood options this time of year. I always crave hearty meals and HelloFresh delivers things like everything bagel tofu tenders, Lemony linguine with Brussels sprouts, and they also highlight beautiful seasonal produce each week, from leeks to broccolini to Italian eggplant. I use Hellofresh all the time and you should too. Hellofresh really does make dinner easier, especially after a long day of work. And I just don't want to think too hard about what to make. The best way to cook just got better. Go to hellofresh.com npad10fm now to get 10 free meals plus a free breakfast for life. One per box with active subscription free meals applied as discount on first box. New subscribers only varies by planning. That's hellofresh.com npad10fm to get 10 free meals plus free breakfast for life.

[Danielle]

Although Thompson had made a ton of progress in developing his artistic style, his paintings were slow to find a broad audience. He did catch the attention of various.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Artists and of course that patron, Dr. McCullen like really believed in him and.

[Danielle]

He would get paintings picked up here and there, but.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

But he didn't like shoot into stardom by any means.

[Danielle]

With meager income from painting sales to make ends meet, he began to work on the side as a fishing guide and for one season as a fire ranger within Algonquin Park. Yet throughout his financial concerns, rainstorms that soaked through his tent and clouds of mosquitoes, Thompson kept on painting for five summers. He returned to Algonquin park free of the loud noise and industrial hum of Toronto and set out to capture the landscapes that had taken hold of his imagination and his heart. He would paint pieces like the Jack Pined and the West Wind that would later become icons of Canadian art. Yet he remained self conscious of his artistic ability. Writing once in a letter the best I can do does not do the place much justice in the way of beauty. It's like, don't be too hard on yourself. We can't even do that with our.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Iphones now, let alone painting it by hand.

[Cassie]

Painting is such a talent.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I know.

[Danielle]

And when you see really good painters.

[Cassie]

And they are putting in so much detail, I mean, I try to paint something and I can't even. I can't even. It looks like a second grader did it.

[Danielle]

I can relate.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I can very much.

[Cassie]

There's a lot of talent in that. So to be able to do anything that looks good in the end, that.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Remotely even captures a sliver of what you're seeing, that's. That's amazing. That's a win gold star. I actually have a. I don't have many things of my dad's, but I do have.

[Danielle]

He was. He loved to paint. Oh, really?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah, he loved to paint and he.

[Danielle]

Did a lot of different.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

He would just buy, you know, like, standard size little canvases and whatever, Just paint. And I have one. I don't know what happened to most of them, but I vividly remember grabbing one of them and he titled it.

[Danielle]

The Wave, and he signed it at the bottom. And it's just a. It looks like a stormy sea scene.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And it's black and green and it looks like just a wave of like.

[Danielle]

Foamy ocean crashing on the shore. And I framed it and I have it hanging in my bedroom.

[Cassie]

Oh, I love that.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah, it's really cool. He didn't really pass that onto me, that ability, but, like.

[Cassie]

But you can appreciate it.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah. So while Tom was in the park during the summer, he would often camp.

[Danielle]

Or he would use Moet Lodge on the shores of Canoe Lake within the park as his home base. He became relatively well known to the locals as a struggling artist that would come to the lake to fish and paint and explore and work as a guide. And he did make friendships and maybe some enemies throughout his years on the lake. Shortly before 1pm on July 8, 1917, a hot and sunny summer day perfect for painting, Tom, like he had done hundreds of times before, untethered his canoe from the dock in front of the Moet Lodge, climbed in and set off. He paddled his way into the lake and never came back. Within hours, his canoe was actually noticed, found floating upside down in the lake, abandoned, although it was apparently mistaken for a canoe owned by a nearby hotel and ignored. By the following day, when Thompson had still not returned to his room, park ranger Mark Robinson was notified of Thompson's absence. Robinson had seen Thompson the previous morning and assumed that he was just out fishing a little longer than planned. But on the off chance he'd run into trouble or twisted his ankle, got injured, just needed some assistance. He organized some men to search and the shorelines. Over the next seven days, the search for Tom expanded. They recovered his upturned canoe, although no sign of what happened to him could be found inside. Just his paddles tied up for portage and the food that he had packed. Men were sent to the nearby town.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Of Huntsville in case Thompson had gone.

[Danielle]

There for whatever reason. But turns out he hadn't. Local guides were hired to search on land and from the water, but no trace of Tom was found until a visiting doctor named Goldwyn Howland was lounging on the front porch of his cabin on Little Wapomio island when he noticed.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Something pop out out of the water.

[Danielle]

It was Tom's body, bloated and decomposing. Eight days after he went missing and just a third of a mile from where he had set out initially, Thompson was found. Dr. Howland had been vacationing at a cottage on Canoe Lake with his daughter when he made this discovery, and he quickly alerted everyone. Soon, the search team towed the body to shore, secured it there, and notified the local coroner. The following day. Faced with the heat of summer and.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

A still absent coroner who just hadn't.

[Danielle]

Showed up yet, Ranger Mark Robinson decided to have the body examined by Dr. Howland.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

This guy?

[Cassie]

Yeah, I guess, if you have a doctor, but I don't. What's he?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

A doctor?

[Danielle]

I'm on vacation. That too. It's like, sir, I'm a dentist.

[Cassie]

They just have him. It's like, well, that actually might be.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I'm a podiatrist. I can't. It's like, I'm not qualified.

[Cassie]

I'm not here for this.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

But, yeah, he stepped up. He's like, I am a doctor, you know?

[Cassie]

And just for clarification, has he just been sitting outside?

[Danielle]

Yes.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

His body. They pulled it in.

[Cassie]

Okay.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Tethered it to the shore and just left it and waited. There's a lot of things that you're going to question throughout this story of, like, what.

[Cassie]

What year is this?

[Danielle]

1917.

[Cassie]

Oh, okay. That makes more sense.

[Danielle]

So in Howland's report, he describes advanced stages of decomposition, what he believed was a bruise on Thompson's temple and blood coming from one of his ears. Noting that the body showed no obvious signs of violence, he ultimately concluded the cause of death had been an accidental drowning. Because Thompson's body had been in the lake for over a week and they had no place to store it while.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Waiting for the coroner, aside from just.

[Danielle]

On the sand on the beach. A decision was made to promptly bury the remains in the local cemetery along Canoe Lake. They hired an undertaker, and Thompson was buried on July 17.

[Cassie]

Does he have any family?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yes, and we'll get into that. Okay.

[Danielle]

While this had surely seemed the best course of action for this small community with very little options, rattled by the loss of their friend, it did cause some complications. First was that when the coroner finally arrived that same evening, Thompson's remains had just been interred in the ground. Although the coroner would meet with Dr. Howland, Robinson, the park ranger, and local witnesses that night ultimately agreed with the.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Verdict of an accidental drowning, site unseen.

[Cassie]

Yeah, but you had a doctor examine him. That doesn't specialize in this at all.

[Danielle]

And it's just. I can't stress this enough.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

He's on vacation with his kid.

[Cassie]

Yeah. And he probably. He doesn't have any supplies or tools with him.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

They're not doing. Like, he didn't do a full exam.

[Danielle]

Like, this is.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

He's literally just giving him a once.

[Cassie]

Over and he's like, this is what I think happened.

[Danielle]

Yeah.

[Cassie]

Wait for the coroner. Right.

[Danielle]

The next issue was that Thompson's family, over 150 miles away, had been notified of their son's death and had sent instructions to send his body home for burial. But those wishes weren't communicated in time before Thompson was buried at Canoe Lake.

[Cassie]

Well, they buried him so quick, so fast.

[Danielle]

It's like one day later. It's like the. It's like, okay, your letter is going via pony express.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Okay.

[Danielle]

We're not.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like, it's gonna take some time.

[Cassie]

You can't just pick where this man is buried with no consultation of his family.

[Danielle]

I feel like.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And again, like, you can't leave him on the beach.

[Cassie]

You gotta move them somewhere.

[Danielle]

Like they could have put him in like a boat shack or. Or just something.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I understand you don't want a decomposing body.

[Cassie]

Did Morgues exist in 19?

[Danielle]

It's just a very.

[Cassie]

Brought him to a.

[Danielle]

Like.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah, they could have transported him 150 miles or whatever to Toronto and think. But yeah, again, there are a lot of. What it's 1917.

[Cassie]

I mean, it's not like there were modern vehicles that could take him there.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I mean, so. Okay, we'll get into it. You're gonna. Yeah, yeah. I don't know.

[Cassie]

It's very odd. Very odd if someone buried me.

[Danielle]

Well, we all know you don't want to be buried, but, like, what if.

[Cassie]

I died and someone didn't and then they just buried me? Not knowing I'm claustrophobic.

[Danielle]

That's a risk you run.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I guess when you die. I guess I.

[Danielle]

You just need to make your wishes clear.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And I'm still unclear on what they are, so.

[Cassie]

Well, if you're unclear, just know I am also unclear. I send you things all the time.

[Danielle]

Yeah. Of what?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Not you.

[Cassie]

What not to do and how I want people to act at my funeral.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah, I got that down pat. Yeah. You don't have to worry about that. It's just the. Your physical remains that still needs to be figured out.

[Danielle]

Well, one day later, on July 18, the Thompsons hired a second undertaker to exhume their son's grave on Canoe Lake and transport his remains back to Owen.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Sound by train, which was his hometown.

[Danielle]

Like that was where he lived, his hometown. The undertaker arrived that afternoon and reportedly worked alone and through the night. He transferred the remains into a new metal lined casket fit for rail travel and refilled the Canoe Lake grave with.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

The old casket still inside, just now empty.

[Danielle]

On July 19, he accompanied the body back to Owen Sound where Thompson's family held a private funeral service and buried Tom in the family plot. He was just 39 years old. So this is the story of Thompson's death as it was recorded in 1917, documented in letters exchanged between Canoe Lake residents and the Thompson family, official documents signed by Dr. Howland and the visiting coroner, and detailed entries in Ranger Mark Robinson's diary. The details and conclusions of these first hand accounts represent the official story that Tom Thompson drowned after an unfortunate accident. But in the years following Thompson's death, many grew dissatisfied with this explanation of a supposed accidental drowning and began to suggest new ideas. The first thing each theory of Thompson's death points out is that he was believed to be an excellent swimmer and an expert paddler. So there's just no way that he could have drowned in a lake that he'd paddled so many times and had so much experience within.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And that I wanted to state, because it comes up time and time again in various sources as kind of like.

[Danielle]

There must be another explanation because that couldn't possibly be it.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And I think it goes without saying that anyone, especially our listeners, our listener base, knows that it doesn't matter how experienced you are. And you know, accidents can happen. Anything can happen to anyone, to anyone at any time. And, and we'll get into it a little bit more too later on. But yeah, I mean, it kind of.

[Danielle]

Just goes without saying.

[Cassie]

It's like, I mean, you can be the best of the best and still some, something obscure thing can happen, or a weather event or whatever it is, something can happen and, and not to say you shouldn't be experienced because it doesn't matter, but. Right, it can truly happen to anybody.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So then aside from that, that's kind of like the first thing that's foundational.

[Danielle]

Like, yeah, well, we have to look into this because it couldn't possibly. They next point to the bruise that Dr. Howland reported on Thompson's head. Maybe that's an indication of foul play that was initially overlooked. The official story was that Thompson must have slipped and hit his head and that resulted in the bruise and some of the blood coming out of his ear, but maybe someone struck him over the head with a paddle or another blunt force object. They point to Thompson's first gravesite on Canoe Lake. Had his body ever been removed from Algonquin Park? The that second undertaker had worked alone.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Under the COVID of night.

[Danielle]

There was no other witnesses and there were rumors that circulated around of the the railroad workers that were handling his casket saying that his coffin was much.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Lighter than they would have expected for it to be.

[Danielle]

If somebody was in there.

[Cassie]

Yeah, interesting.

[Danielle]

So basically people are like, is he still in Algonquin Park?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And if so, like why is that story? Is there so many?

[Cassie]

Like something fishy is going on here maybe with the park, right?

[Danielle]

Is there a cover up?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Is there something going on?

[Danielle]

Like what?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like what is the truth?

[Danielle]

And finally, each theory starts to point fingers at Thompson's neighbors.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Who were they?

[Danielle]

What motive could they have had to harm him? How did he wind up dead in the middle of Canoe Lake?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Foreign.

[Sponsor Voice]

This episode is brought to you by IQ Bar, our exclusive snack and hydration sponsor. IQ Bar is the better for you. Plant protein based snack made with brain boosting nutrients to refuel, nourish and satisfy hunger without the sugar crash When I'm snowboarding or heading out for a winter hike, I always pack a snack that will hold up in the cold and keep me moving. IQ Bar has become my go to because I everything they make is clean, actually tastes good and fits right into my jacket pocket. The Ultimate Sampler Pack is the easiest way to try everything. You get nine IQ Bars, eight IQ Mix Sticks and four IQ Joe sticks. All of their products are free from gluten, dairy, soy GMOs and artificial sweeteners so you feel fueled instead of weighed down. With over 20,000 5 star reviews and counting, more people than ever are using IQ Bars, hydration mixes and mushroom coffees to support busy days. Their ultimate Sampler Pack includes all three. IQ Bar has become a daily part of my winter routine. My favorite bar is Almond Butter Chip.

[Cassie]

It's so good.

[Sponsor Voice]

And for hydration I always reach for.

[Cassie]

The iced tea and lemonade IQ Mix.

[Sponsor Voice]

Which is great after a long day outdoors. It is so refreshing and after a few runs of the mountain I need it. And right now IQ Bar is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQ bar products including the sampler pack plus free shipping to get your 20% off. Text PARC to 64,000. Text PARC to 64,001.

[Cassie]

That's park to 64,000.

[Sponsor Voice]

Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details.

[Danielle]

When you ignore the official ruling of an accidental death, three leading Theories essentially.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Murder, suicide and a cover up.

[Danielle]

And each version has a different person at its center. So let's get to know them. The first is Martin Bletcher Jr. A German American tourist. The Blatcher family owned a cottage near Canoe Lake, and he had been staying in Algonquin park that summer. Martin and his sister Bessie were actually the first ones to spot Thompson's upturned canoe after his disappearance. And when they asked why they failed to report it, they said they assumed that it was just a drifting canoe that belonged to the lodge or a.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Nearby, you know, cabin.

[Danielle]

Just ignored it.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So that was where that initial sighting came from.

[Danielle]

Bletcher was not well loved by the Canoe Lake community. Some accused him of being a draft dodger.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And for context, just remember, I know I said this happened in 1917, but all these events are unfolding during World War I.

[Danielle]

Park Ranger Mark Robinson, who returned from military service in the spring of 1917, wrote in his diary that he suspected Bletcher of being a German spy, although he never elaborated on why. And in many versions of the story, Thompson and Bletcher argued over the war. It's claimed that Thompson tried several times to join up with the war effort, only to be turned away.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And before we get into kind of the rabbit hole of not only this angle but the others to come, there's a lot of different conflicting statements and theories and, you know, players in this story.

[Danielle]

But essentially there's one constant, and that.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Constant is that there are conflicting explanations.

[Danielle]

For nearly every detail of this story.

[Cassie]

Interesting.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Which makes it not only compelling but also confusing. And it adds to, in my mind at least, why the story is just so. It's still such a thing. I mean, a hundred years later, it's still talked about, it's still this enduring mystery. And I mean, a lot of, well.

[Cassie]

The lack of investigation and just. It feels like the lack of care of his body afterwards leaves room for so many questions.

[Danielle]

Well, that, and there's just so little.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Details of what we actually verified. We know, like for a fact happened. Everything else is maybe question mark.

[Danielle]

Some people are saying yes, some people are saying no.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

There's all these different versions. So just a blanket statement here. From here on out, everything that I'm about to say has probably two or.

[Danielle]

Three versions to it.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Okay. But whatever the case may be, the.

[Danielle]

Theory is that Thompson and Bletcher, possibly with alcohol involved, fought over their differing opinions about World War I, which led Bletcher to attack him. Or the two men might have been fighting over our next character, Winnie Traynor Winifred Traynor, who went by Winnie, was the daughter of a lumber foreman who leased a cabin on Canoe Lake after Thompson's body was discovered. She quickly helped communicate with the Thompson family, calling his sister Margaret, reaching out to the local undertakers and arranging for his body to be removed and transported home. In letters she sent in the following month, she made it clear that Thompson's death weighed really heavily on her writing. Quote, it seems like two years instead of two months since Tom was drowned. By all accounts, Traynor thought the world of Thompson and had gotten to know him during his summers that he spent in Algonquin Park. But according to some versions of the story, Traynor was eager to marry him. Again, conflicting details here, but some versions say that they were already engaged. Some say that she was pressuring him to get married. Others claim that she was pregnant with his child.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And, you know, again, a lot going on here.

[Cassie]

Feels like a lot of rumors, like a lot of oral histories coming together.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah. And this won't be the first.

[Danielle]

In any event, the theories claim that Thompson may have liked Winnie, but he.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Didn'T want to marry her or become a father.

[Danielle]

And whether he was afraid to say no or didn't want to own up to becoming a dad, he ended his own life over this whole situation with Winnie.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And that's where the suicide, that feels far fetched.

[Danielle]

Extreme.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

It feels really extreme.

[Cassie]

I mean, not to be dark, this is dark anyway. But especially in the early 1900s and today there are lots of men who impregnate women and then just never take care of them.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Right.

[Cassie]

Like, what would be stopping him from just ignoring them?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Right.

[Danielle]

Some have raised other motives for suicide.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Including conflicted feelings over the war, his.

[Danielle]

Struggles as an artist. But most people do point the finger at Winnie for this.

[Cassie]

Yeah. It's always a woman's fault.

[Danielle]

It's like she was so awful to him and he felt so much pressure.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Cassie]

Like, unless she murdered him, don't be like, she hurt his feelings so.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Well, she did. She just really wanted to be with him and he didn't want to be with her, as they say.

[Cassie]

That doesn't make any sense. Like, I know that, I know she didn't reject him. She. So she didn't hurt his feelings? She didn't reject him?

[Danielle]

No.

[Cassie]

All she did was want to be with him and maybe be pregnant with his.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

His child.

[Cassie]

And that's her fault for him dying.

[Danielle]

As the theory suggests.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Cassie]

No. Get out of here. I already, I mean, I don't even know the other explanations yet. And That's.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

No, I think we can go ahead and scratch that.

[Cassie]

Unless Winnie killed him because he rejected.

[Danielle]

Her, which is not.

[Cassie]

I think Winnie is free. Winnie.

[Danielle]

Justice for Winnie.

[Cassie]

Yeah, justice for Winnie.

[Danielle]

Well, finally, the third person commonly accused as having a connection to Tom's death is a man named Shannon Frazier. Frazier had moved to Canoe Lake to sell the assets of a defunct lumber company, but he and his wife Annie, decided to stay and open the company's former employee lodge as a tourist attraction called the Mowat Lodge. In addition to frequently staying at the lodge, Tom helped the Fraziers with occasional tasks and became quite good friends with Shannon. Frazier was also the last person to report seeing Thompson alive the morning of July 8th. Watching him depart by canoe after a day passed, he raised the alarm. After Thompson failed to return, and after Thompson's body was found, he also arranged for the hasty burial in the local cemetery. However, some voiced suspicions about Shannon. For one thing, he was accused of concealing the telegram from the Thompson family about their specific burial instructions, which makes his role in arranging this local burial a little more suspect. Others would also report that Frazier had owed Thompson money. In a letter to the executor of Tom's estate, Winnie noted that Thompson loaned Frazier $250 for canoes, although she said Frazier had repaid the debt in little bits. Nevertheless, some argued that the two had fought over money, leading Fraser to cover up Thompson's death. Death, a claim that we will return to in a little bit. Also, another important note did not emerge all at once, but piece by piece in the decades to come. And for a time, they were largely ignored. The official story was accepted, only challenged by the occasional poorly selling book. And that is until 1956. Almost 40 whole years after Thompson's death, a group of men took matters into their own hands. Men who had grown up camping and cottaging in Algonquin park and who were familiar with the Tom Thompson story, or mystery, as they dubbed it, and who decided they wanted to find some answers for themselves. In September of 1956, they started digging holes around the cemetery at Canoe Lake, searching for the unmarked and supposedly empty former grave of Tom Thompson.

[Cassie]

Oh, wow, this is like an Internet. Internet sleuths before Internet sleuths exist.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And yeah, they're like, we. We gotta find out for ourselves. We've had enough getting in the field.

[Cassie]

Yeah, like we're gonna find out if he's buried in the park or not.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Well, they're digging, digging up them holes. Digging, digging, you know.

[Danielle]

Well, the first two holes that they.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Dug up Were empty.

[Danielle]

But in the third, after digging about four feet down, they found something. They found human remains.

[Cassie]

A four foot grave.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Well, I guess that undertaker was feeling lazy.

[Cassie]

Very.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I don't know if when 6ft got.

[Danielle]

Standardized or if it is standardized and it.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I'm not sure, but I don't know.

[Cassie]

Four feet seems pretty shallow.

[Danielle]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Well, regardless, someone's in there.

[Danielle]

And if you stop to wonder about.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I don't know, perhaps the ethics of digging around in digging up an old.

[Danielle]

A graveyard.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

This group did too, but just not for very long.

[Danielle]

The official story was that Thompson's body had been removed. So there was no reason to expect.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

That they would ever find a body.

[Danielle]

They're like, we're just checking to make.

[Cassie]

Sure there's no grave site here. No one's even here anymore.

[Danielle]

Oh, silly.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

But they argued if they did happen.

[Danielle]

To find some remains, they would have assumed. They assumed that they would have been.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Forgiven because they discovered the truth. Yeah. So, okay, Solid, right? It's like we got an explanation for everything.

[Danielle]

Well, they. So they find human remains and they do.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

They didn't take it any further on their own. They did contact authorities.

[Danielle]

And as the police retrieved more bones from the gravesite, they removed a skull with a hole in the left temple. A hole possibly right where that mysterious bruise on Tom Thompson's head had been.

[Cassie]

Noted and the blood coming from his ear.

[Danielle]

The plot thickens. The remains were collected by the police and taken to a lab in Toronto for forensic analysis. One of the four men who dug the hole, a schoolteacher named William Little, felt vindicated. The hole in the recovered skull had all but confirmed the theories of foul play. Evidence that Thompson had been struck in the head or perhaps even shot. But after a month of analyzing the remains, investigators announced the findings. The bones did not belong to Tom Thompson. They actually didn't even belong to a man with European heritage. They were the remains of an indigenous man, likely in his mid to late 20s. And that hole in the skull, According to the supervising doctor, the clean opening reflected a surgical procedure likely to relieve some pressure on the brain. A gunshot or blunt trauma wound would have caused cracks across the skull that just simply were not there. So we're up.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

We think we have Thompson up.

[Danielle]

We're down. It's someone completely different in an unmarked grave.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And also, I do want to note, if you're thinking like, why would those guys have the explanation of we didn't.

[Danielle]

Think we'd find a body when they're.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Clearly digging in a graveyard where bodies are. They were digging in and around, like.

[Danielle]

The outskirts of the fenced in area where marked graves were. Gotcha.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Because the original story was that he was in an unmarked grave and the whole thing. So they're.

[Cassie]

So they're just finding other unmarked graves.

[Danielle]

Yeah. Regardless of the official conclusion, the gravesite incident had catapulted Tom Thompson into national headlines. William Little, that one of those guys that was digging up the graves, refused to accept the findings and publicly stated that the investigators had made a mistake. Mistake. It's like, sir, stay in your lane. You're a school teacher.

[Cassie]

Like, how would you know?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

You know, like, okay, whatever.

[Danielle]

In the years that followed, Little would go to great lengths to advance his version of the story that Tom Thompson was a victim of foul play.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like, he is doubling down.

[Danielle]

In 1969, he collaborated with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to produce a docudrama called Was Tom Thompson Murdered? Which repeatedly suggested that Thompson's body may still rest in Algonquin Park. This documentary was met with anger and resentment by Thompson's family, who hoped Thompson's story could just be laid to rest and that his growing profile as an artist wouldn't be tarnished by dramatic or inconclusive mysteries. Residents of Canoe Lake had also grown tired of the unwanted attention, but the speculation was only just starting because Canadians were getting curious. The following year, Little published a book where he officially suggested that Martin Bletcher had murdered Thompson during a drunken fight over the war or over Winnie Trainor.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So that's kind of where that theory took hold is. It's all coming back to.

[Cassie]

He's pointing fingers.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yes, that. So that's where this entire thing really began. Because the first official story like that.

[Danielle]

Was never even mentioned.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like, Martin Bletcher was never really in.

[Danielle]

Any sort of formal.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

There was no investigation because he was never a suspect. There was no such foul play.

[Cassie]

Yeah, yeah.

[Danielle]

Little and other authors after him drew upon the testimonies of people like Ranger Mark Robinson. Robinson had since passed away, but he spoke on his view of the Thompson case several times over the course of his life. And over time, his stance had been. Had changed. In his detailed 1917 journal, he accepted the official verdict and raised no serious concerns. But by the 1950s, in an audio interview, he openly stated his belief that Thompson was a murder victim. His prime suspect was Martin Bletcher, adding new claims about Bletcher's military desertion, which Little would go on to echo in his own book. So he, like, really latched on to this shift in the Rangers view and.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Kind of just expanded on it as.

[Danielle]

Thompson's mysterious death made headlines, a wave of new information would seem to emerge. Journalists with family ties to Winnie Trainor claimed to speak with authority about her role in things and advance claims that she was pregnant with Thompson's child.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Although got a note here.

[Danielle]

Winnie's longtime physician reported that she never.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Mentioned either having a baby or an abortion. And in fact, she never did ever have a child or marry, for that matter. So she's.

[Cassie]

So it's a completely fabricated, made up story.

[Danielle]

Yeah. Unless she had a secret abortion somewhere.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Told and like, somehow it got out, which is just so. I don't even really want to give it that air time because I think it's so ridiculous.

[Danielle]

Some presented outlandish and impossible to verify arguments claiming Tom suffered from a rare medical condition called micturation syncope, which essentially causes a man to faint while he's urinating.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

They're like, he must have had that.

[Cassie]

Why would you jump to that?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Of all the things, it's like, maybe.

[Cassie]

He could have had a heart attack. He could have had a stroke. He could have. But like, no, he passed out while he was taking a piss off the boat.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Right.

[Cassie]

And would he know that.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

That he had that medical condition if.

[Cassie]

He had that medical condition? Wouldn't someone know if he was like, yeah, every time I. I pee sitting down, because every time I pee, I pass out.

[Danielle]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And just also no one noted, not that anything was really documented at length clearly, but there is no indication that he was found with his pants down or his fly down or like, that would indicate he died while peeing.

[Danielle]

It's just such a weird. People are wild.

[Cassie]

People are just throwing out there.

[Danielle]

Yeah.

[Cassie]

Is that even a real medical.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

It is, yeah. I looked it up.

[Cassie]

Wow, that's interesting. I wonder why that's associated.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I don't know. I. I don't know. It's kind of like. Well, it's similar, I guess, to like narcolepsy. You just.

[Cassie]

Just fell asleep.

[Danielle]

Fell asleep all the time.

[Cassie]

We had a substitute teacher in high school that had narcolepsy. Really? And he. Yeah. And he would. And he was very open about it. He would tell us. And he fell asleep in class a few times and we were just like, okay.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

You just waited out.

[Cassie]

A lot of times he was a sub, but he was like, our school was weird. I don't know if your school did this, but my school, every time we had a sub, they just put a movie on.

[Danielle]

Oh, yeah. Roll out that tv.

[Cassie]

Every single time. Yeah. They'd roll up the tv, they'd throw on something and then the sub would just sit there. And every time he was a sub, he'd just be sleeping in the corner.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Because of a medical condition.

[Danielle]

Yes. Right.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Not because he was. But it could have been the movie.

[Cassie]

I fell asleep during the movie almost all the time.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So for that sole reason, I kind of, for a while thought that a side hustle as a sub would be perfect.

[Cassie]

Or so boring.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Or so boring. And then I was like, I don't even want to be around kids. Why would I willingly sign up for that? Yeah.

[Cassie]

Maybe my early 20s, I would do it. When I was in my early 20s, I considered substitute teaching for high school. But then I was like, but I'm like their same age, you know, I'm gonna get bullied.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Cassie]

They're gonna think I'm one of them.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I'm gonna get harassed.

[Cassie]

And I still think that, though. Like, I went into a shop the other day and this girl was like, yeah, I'm 19. I was like, I thought we were the same age.

[Danielle]

Okay. On our trip to Hawaii, when. Who was it?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

She's like, I'm 22.

[Cassie]

Georgie.

[Danielle]

Young people. Was it Georgia?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

She's like, I'm 22.

[Cassie]

Yeah. Georgia.

[Danielle]

What?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I would have never known. Not that I don't. Right?

[Cassie]

Not really.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I couldn't.

[Cassie]

I'm not that much older. I mean, technically, maybe I didn't get my period till later in life.

[Danielle]

Surprise.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I got it early. I could definitely be your mom.

[Cassie]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Okay. Anyway, well, hope you're doing well, Georgia. You have so much life ahead of you.

[Cassie]

Continue. George's mom. Okay.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Tom Thompson. I don't think he has a micturation syncope.

[Danielle]

Do you agree? I.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

If he did, let's just say he didn't.

[Cassie]

It's a cool way to go, I guess.

[Sponsor Voice]

Cold nights, cozy blankets and Sol's out of office gummies. It has become my new favorite routine. When I finally sit down at the end of a long day, I put on a holiday movie, grab a gummy, and let myself just unwind. It's a little ritual that keeps me grounded through the holiday chaos. Soul is a wellness brand that believes feeling good should be fun and easy. Soul specializes in delicious hemp derived THC and CBD products designed to boost your mood and help you unwind. Their best selling out of office gummies were designed to provide a mild, relaxing buzz, boost your mood and enhance creativity and relaxation. With five different strengths, you can tailor the dose to fit your vibe. From a gentle 1.5 milligram dose to their newest 15 milligram gummy for a more elevated experience. And if you like their out of office gummies, try their new out of office beverage, A refreshing alcohol free alternative that is perfect for winding down on.

[Cassie]

The couch or socializing with friends.

[Sponsor Voice]

Bring on the holiday cheer and treat yourself or someone you love to Seoul this season. Right now Seoul is offering our audience 30 off your entire order. Go to get soul and use the code npad. That's getsoul.com promo code npad for 30 off.

[Danielle]

Well, the most shocking development came from a second or third hand account from a woman named Daphne Crombie. In 1977. Crombie was one of the last people still alive to have known Tom Thompson during his final year at Canoe Lake. She and her husband had been staying at the Mowat Lodge that summer and in an interview with a historian she claimed to know exactly what happened. According to her, she and Annie Frazier.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So Shannon Frazier's wife, the owner of.

[Danielle]

The lodge's wife, had become friends. Annie admitted to Crombie that she'd read the last letter Winnie had sent to Thompson and in it she told Tom she was coming to Canoe Lake the following week. She insisted that they needed to get married and that he would need to settle his debt with Shannon Frazier to pay for their wedding. It's all going back justice for Winnie. Here Winnie is again being blamed for like being the catalyst of the situation.

[Cassie]

It's like it's not her fault.

[Danielle]

Well, in Crombie's telling, Annie would go on to confess that on the night of July 7, Tom did approach Shannon asking to him to repay his loan, which then led and erupted into this huge argument. Frasier punched Tom, Tom fell, hit his head on a fire grate and fell unconscious. And as a result panicking and believing that Thompson was dead and that he had just killed him, even though it.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Was by accident, the Frasiers disposed of.

[Danielle]

His body in the lake. And that is the COVID up theory.

[Cassie]

That'S also far fetched because why is this canoe upside down?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like they just. Yeah, and there's so many. Yeah, okay.

[Cassie]

Well they're creating an entire scenario.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

This woman, by the way, it's just this one girl or woman now and like those details at face value, she's in this official interview with a historian having this like bombshell confession essentially.

[Cassie]

And why does, why would she know this?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Because she. So she essentially was saying back in that summer I was good friends with the Frasiers especially.

[Cassie]

But why would they tell her that?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Right, right. Like why would she.

[Danielle]

That's random. She didn't witness this, right?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

It's like, hey, I gotta tell you something. We murdered someone by accident. No one's gonna say that to you.

[Cassie]

Yeah. You're sitting around a fire. It's like two truths in a line.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I gotta get something off my chest. Okay, so at first, like, at face value, it seems those details at least seem pretty damning. And as a surprise to no one, they were quickly publicized.

[Danielle]

It pinned the blame for Thompson's death.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

On Shannon Fraser, who by this point had since died. So he can't say anything about it. And yet his wife or widow is like, hey, my husband killed somebody and I want to tell you all about it.

[Danielle]

That being said, many have raised concerns.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

About her version of the story.

[Danielle]

First of all, Ranger Mark Robinson had reported seeing Thompson alive the following morning.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like, he has been on record saying that since the very beginning.

[Danielle]

So.

[Cassie]

So it couldn't have been the day before.

[Danielle]

Right.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

They couldn't have killed him the night before, put his body in a canoe and sent it into the lake. So there's that.

[Danielle]

And if Thompson had come to make Frasier repay his debt, then why did Winnie tell the Thompson family in her letters that the debt had already been repaid?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Because she had said that.

[Cassie]

Oh, yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So, like, where is this coming from?

[Cassie]

The math's not mathing.

[Danielle]

But most importantly, if this was true, why would Annie Frazier confess this heinous crime? And better yet, why would Crombie not mention her confession for almost 60 years? So going back to what you just.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Said, why in the world would Annie confess this to this woman, Daphne?

[Danielle]

And why did Daphne wait?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

You know, all this time, Crombie had.

[Danielle]

Been interviewed by other scholars about Thompson before and had never breathed a word about any of this supposed cover up. And some theorized that Crombie had shaped her story for attention, for whatever reason that may be.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

It's like a very strange. Please, like, I know you might be.

[Danielle]

Bored, but don't stir.

[Cassie]

It's just weird because none of this is. None of this feels credible. It really feels like a bunch of gossip.

[Danielle]

Yes.

[Cassie]

It feels like this whole community is just like throwing fuel into this fire. It's like, I heard this here and there and so. And so is sketchy and like, it just feels like everyone is kind of starting drama, but no one has real evidence or proof or.

[Danielle]

Right.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And the other thing is like, I can understand not saying I endorse it, but I can understand the gossip and things getting twisted, turned.

[Danielle]

People add in embellishments or things here and there. If it was like, immediately after this is 60 years later in this particular instance.

[Cassie]

But even the other headlines, again, so people are coming forward with their.

[Danielle]

But that also kind of places the.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like, that would also put you in people's sights of like, why are you.

[Danielle]

Like if you knew this information, why.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Are you just telling it? Like it doesn't make you look good.

[Cassie]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Because you're complacent or whatever in this information and you just held it close.

[Danielle]

To your chest for whatever. I don't believe a word of it.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So again, I don't even think it's.

[Danielle]

We'Re talking about anymore. Well, according to historian Gregory Claugus, the author of the book the Many Deaths of Tom Thompson, Crombie was swept up in speculation. And she was not the only one to share different versions of their testimony throughout their lifetimes. Which clearly only adds to the confusion surrounding the events that led to Dom's death.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Ranger Mark Robinson, which was, like we.

[Danielle]

Said, he did shift his. His thoughts and opinions since when he originally wrote them down to later in life. He was one of the few people.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Who was actually on site when it.

[Danielle]

Happened and who took detailed records of the events that surrounded Tom's death. And yet in the years that followed, his memory of what happened seemed to shift. Robinson claimed for the first time in 1930 that Robinson's ankle was suspiciously wrapped in fishing wire when they recovered him. Like, okay. Detail you might want to mention right away.

[Cassie]

Yeah, that's important.

[Danielle]

This is why you need a coroner.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah, right. Yeah.

[Cassie]

Not a doctor on vacation who you just interrupted. Well, and he did his due diligence. He called.

[Danielle]

I mean, the doctor also didn't note that too.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like, for the record, that was never noted anywhere, literally anywhere, until 1930. So what, 20ish years after the fact.

[Danielle]

He'S like, oh, yeah, by the way.

[Cassie]

I do remember that there was some.

[Danielle]

Fishing wire around his ankles, which feels weird. And then not only that, in the.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

50S, so fast forward even more time.

[Danielle]

He added more detail to this particular piece of information, stating that the wire was wrapped 16 or 17 times.

[Cassie]

Around his leg.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah, around his ankles. Like tethering them together with fishing wire.

[Cassie]

Oh, both of his ankles together. Not like one singular.

[Danielle]

Okay.

[Cassie]

That's so important. That is how you drown is you can't swim.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Or how somebody ties you together and hit you over the head and throws.

[Cassie]

You in the water.

[Danielle]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

He claimed that he wrote this in his diary.

[Danielle]

But not only did Robinson fail to record the number of times the wire was wrapped around Thompson's ankle in his diary, he made no Mention of the fishing wire, literally at all.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

He's like, oh, yeah, I wrote that down.

[Danielle]

It's like, no, you didn't.

[Cassie]

They do say memory is the worst witness. Like eyewitness accounts are the worst proof that you can find because it can change. It can be manipulated, especially over time. Things can change.

[Danielle]

Well, he's just recalling details incorrectly.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And later. Yeah, it's just such an easy thing.

[Danielle]

To disprove though, because he's like, no, I swear I saw it.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I wrote it down. And you flip open the diary, you're like, oh, in this diary, it's not in here.

[Danielle]

So you're saying you saw it and.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

You wrote it down.

[Danielle]

It's not here.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So you know what I mean?

[Cassie]

Where did you write it down?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Cassie]

Yeah.

[Danielle]

Well, author Claugus writes that Robinson's evolving testimony warrants careful consideration. It's certainly possible that there was wire on Thompson's ankle, but to believe that it proved someone purposefully sunk Tom in the lake was a stretch. More likely, the author argues that maybe there was wire wrapped around his ankles, but it was because the search team used fishing wire to pull Thompson's floating body to shore after it was discovered, to anchor it to the shore so it would not float away before his examination.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So, okay, great explanation like that clears a lot of things up.

[Danielle]

Yeah. Robinson was at Canoe Lake when it happened. But in the following decades, his memory of the event seemed to morph, each new detail supporting his belief that Thompson was murdered, which we know as confirmation bias. From there, Robinson and Crombie's testimonies were advanced by authors who brought theories of their own, some embellishments, and some entirely new details, often which came several decades after his actual death. The result was an ever growing whodunit mystery, which became more elaborate and arguably more far fetched every year. With this in mind, it's worth taking a close look at the three leading theories for Thompson's death. One last murder, suicide and cover up. Are they even plausible? So let's do a little recap. First, there's the theory that Martin Bletcher murdered Thompson. In this story that's evolved since the 1970s, Thompson and Bletcher attended a campfire, drank bootleg liquor, and got into a fight the night prior to Tom's death. Whether it was over Winnie or Canada's role In World War I, friends had to physically pull them apart. Sometime after that, Bletcher struck Thompson over the head in anger and killed him. This also explains why Bletcher and his sister failed to report spotting Thompson's empty canoe the day after his death. That said, if the drunken brawl at the heart of the story had actually happened, nobody mentioned it for 50 years. It first appeared in 1970 in William Little's book.

[Cassie]

Oh, yeah, okay.

[Danielle]

The coroner interviewed the residents of Canoe Lake the day after Thompson was buried. So why wouldn't anyone think to mention it then?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like, hey, yeah, they had a huge blowout fight. Maybe you should look into that guy. Like that never happened.

[Danielle]

Documents from the time record Thompson and.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Bletcher having an actually a cordial relationship.

[Danielle]

While the story that they hated one another emerged later in Gossip and Rumors. Next, there's the theory that Thompson ended his own life. It's impossible to truly know the feelings that other people carry around with them each and every day. But what do we know about Tom in 1917? For one thing, he was making plans in advance. He discussed plans to travel the Rocky Mountains, a place his friends had recently visited, and booked work as a fishing guide through August. He told his father he could afford paint for the next year. And the day before he died, he promised to send some of his new pieces back to Toronto. And by most accounts, he was in really high spirits. None of the letters he sent to family or friends conveyed a sense of urgency or depression. Canoe Lake residents reported he'd been in an excellent mood. And art historians who reviewed his paintings from that summer suggest that he was at the peak of his creative ability. And as for our girl Winnie pressuring Tom to marry, there is no primary evidence that has ever emerged that the two were engaged. Not in the letters she sent to Thompson's family or in the letters Winnie and Tom even sent to one another. Claims that Winnie was pregnant first appeared 50 years after Thompson's death and offer no conclusive proof.

[Cassie]

Come on. It's so far fetched, that's. I just can't get behind that at all. Even with their letters back and forth to each other, they don't speak of loving each other or loving each other or being engaged. So it's all just made up? Yeah, all of it.

[Danielle]

And finally, there's simple logistics as far.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

As this, the suicide theory.

[Danielle]

Thompson packed his canoe with at least a day's worth of provisions before he left that day. And when you consider, I mean, not to get dark, but when you consider the plethora of other options to end.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Your own life, like a gun, a knife, rope, like any other method. Why would he try drowning himself? Yeah, like that. I mean, it seems like a really.

[Cassie]

Awful way to purposefully go.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yes.

[Cassie]

And again, feels Very far fetched.

[Danielle]

Right.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And the suicide theory is kind of like it really leans into this cliche of the tortured artist that just like.

[Danielle]

Isn'T getting anywhere and you know, woe.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Is me type of thing.

[Cassie]

And, but he's success, like he's, he's gaining success.

[Danielle]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

At this point in time.

[Danielle]

I mean he's not just doing it as a hobby and no one has any interest in his business.

[Cassie]

He's living where he loves. He has a good community around him.

[Danielle]

He has work, he's being creative.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Cassie]

It just doesn't feel like. And based. I haven't looked up his art yet, but it doesn't feel like his art is very dark. It feels, it's pretty light and, and happy. So it doesn't feel like a tortured artist.

[Danielle]

Right.

[Cassie]

Vibe here.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Well, in short, essentially he left nothing.

[Danielle]

Behind that could be used to support.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

The suicide theory that would suggest he was unusually depressed. And of course, again, there's no way of knowing, you know, he's not obligated.

[Danielle]

To write his thoughts, feelings and emotions down on paper for us to find.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Later and examine and try and you know, pick through what he may have.

[Danielle]

Been thinking or feeling.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

But there's literally nothing for anyone that.

[Cassie]

Indicates that this should, could be a possibility.

[Danielle]

Right. And last but not least, there's the COVID up theory. This version of the story revolves around what happened to Thompson's body after he died. Shannon Frazier had been among the first to suggest that Thompson's body was never removed from Algonquin Park. He had taken the second undertaker to Tom's grave and later argued that the man had worked too quickly to exhume a body on his own. Added to that, reports of the railroad.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Staff, again surprised by the light casket.

[Danielle]

Or lighter than expected casket that all fueled speculation that it was empty. He wasn't in there at all. However, in the 1950s, we saw that four men could essentially dig three graves in that cemetery in just four hours.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So clearly it's not that far fetched.

[Danielle]

That one person could do one grave in one night. And reports that the casket was lighter than expected may not have taken into account embalming practices, removing the organs and blood before burial. Letters from the coroner who arrived later confirmed as much, saying, quote, an undertaker from Kearney had arrived. The body was embalmed and transferred to the mainland on Tuesday morning, and there buried in a sandy spot on the edge of a small hill. So he did have a hasty embalming.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Process which I wanted to clarify because I feel like it was just like.

[Danielle]

Okay, he was on shore.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

He was looked at and buried and then exhumed and just immediately transferred via train. And of course, there's also what that quote kind of alluded to at the end.

[Danielle]

There are also several accounts that attest.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

To Thompson's body arriving in Owen Sound for the burial at his family's plot. Like people were there to receive it. His family had a funeral for him.

[Cassie]

Yeah, they have a wake. Did they have a wake or an open cast?

[Danielle]

No, he. He was decomposing for a week in the lake.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

They didn't have anything like that.

[Danielle]

But Frazier's role in this whole affair often traces back to his behavior. Immediately after Thompson's body was discovered, Frazier quickly arranged for a local burial. And some accused him of ignoring the Thompson's family's wishes, which were sent by telegram to his lodge. And as a result, Thompson was in the ground before the coroner arrived. In his book, the historian Gregory Clegus argues that if Shannon Frazier was guilty of a cover up, it was likely a financial mistake, not involuntary manslaughter. For a community rattled by Thompson's death, his decomposing body in the summer heat was not a good look, unpleasant to say the least. And he's the owner of this lodge.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Where tons of people are vacationing and staying. And plus, I mean, Tom was his friend. Like, he doesn't want to just keep him out there. So this historian is basically saying, like.

[Danielle]

Frazier probably just took it upon himself to finance a prompt burial despite any.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Money problems that he may have had.

[Danielle]

Believing that he would be reimbursed by the Thompson family. After he had already paid the undertaker, A telegram from the Thompsons arrived, instructing that their son's body be sent to Owen Sound. Fearing that he'd be held responsible for this first burial if it was called off, he may have obscured the telegram, hoping that the family would allow the.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Body to just stay there, like he was hoping they found out that he was already interred and they would have just let it go and let him stay there.

[Danielle]

And in later letters to the Thompson family, Frazier awkwardly attempted to recoup the cost he incurred for the initial burial and for hiring men to help with the search.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like, okay, what? Just a psa? If this ever happens to you, when you were ever in this position that Shannon Frazier was in, just let's call it even. Let's not ask the family, a grieving family who just tragically lost their son.

[Cassie]

To pay you for search and rescue costs and for a burial that they didn't want, right, that you went ahead and green yourself to do. Like, maybe there weren't malicious intent behind the burial. I'm not saying that, but that wasn't your call, so that was your it's.

[Danielle]

Like my bad, just let it go.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like just be so sorry and don't ask for money.

[Sponsor Voice]

This episode is sponsored by Better Help. The holiday brings a lot of traditions. Some are passed down for generations and some are brand new, especially when families grow and change. In my own life, I've been thinking a lot about the traditions I want to keep and the ones I want to create. Simple things like making a new hot chocolate recipe on the first snowy night, or choosing one day in December to slow down, light a candle and reflect on the year. Little rituals that feel grounding and instead of overwhelming therapy can become one of those new traditions too. The holidays can be joyful, but they can also feel hectic, emotional, or even lonely. Setting aside time for yourself during a busy season can make a huge difference. Better Help gives you a chance to talk through what these traditions mean to you, how to set boundaries, and how to move into the new year with clarity rather than chaos. Better Help therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully likely licensed in the US Their matching process is designed to help you find someone who aligns with your needs and goals. And with over 30, 000 therapists and millions of people served, the feedback speaks for itself, with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 from live session Reviews this December, start a new tradition by taking care of you. Our listeners get 10 [e-mail] NPAD that's better. H E lp.com NPAD AD.

[Danielle]

The truth is, some hundred years later.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Thompson's fate will always remain a mystery.

[Danielle]

All of the people who knew him and the people who lived at Canoe Lake when it happened have since passed away. Some key figures, like Shannon Frazier, never recorded their memory of the events in question. Frazier's only accounts are a few telegrams and letters he sent to the Thompsons in 1917. He also did send them flowers. I do want to mention that he's.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Not just like a money scrounging little scoundrel.

[Danielle]

What's left are likely poorly remembered details from firsthand witnesses, extravagant embellishments added by later writers, and a tale passed from decade to decade like a game of telephone, growing farther and farther from the events of 1917. Without any new evidence, no theory can be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Even the official story, which is an accidental drowning. Thompson was believed to be a great swimmer, so Many have been resistant to the idea that he did drown. And we've all, like I said, heard stories of people at the peak of.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Their ability and things happening to them. So that's hard for me. Like, that rationale is really hard for me to accept.

[Danielle]

The waters of Algonquin park were choked with leftover timber from the logging industry. So it really is possible that he struck a downed log, flipped his canoe and hit his head. Maybe he did slip and fall, hit his head on the canoe and drowned. Or maybe, like you said earlier, he had a medical event, a heart attack, a seizure, a stroke, like anything can cause that. The bruise reported on his head and potential bleeding from his ear drew immense suspicion and cries of foul play. But in the eyes of modern forensic experts, it's more likely that Dr. Howland, the vacationing doctor who performed the initial examination, wasn't familiar with the effects of advanced decomposition. Dr. Michael Polan, a chief forensic pathologist from Ontario in 2007, concluded they were evidence of being dead in a lake for a week, not of murder.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like things happen to the body, you know, especially in those conditions and with all of our knowledge that we have now, it's. That doesn't seem far fetched at all.

[Danielle]

It actually seems quite normal. And even at the time Canoe Lake residents dismissed the idea of foul play. When asked if she believed if Thompson was murdered, Winnie simply replied no. But again, without any new evidence, Thompson's death will always remain a mystery. Tom Thompson's story offers plenty of eyebrow raising details for the skeptical among us. Just enough detail to craft compelling theories, but not enough information to prove anything one way or another, and rather accept the unknown. People have spent a century trying to explain his death. A story in and of itself that reveals a fascination with the macabre and an unwillingness to accept that all too often simple accidents can and do claim the lives of people that we love and admire. But when you focus on the speculation in theorizing, it's easy to lose sight of the man at the middle of the mystery. An artist who traveled to Algonquin park each summer because the calm waters, good fishing and windswept trees inspired him, who saw a reprieve from city life and found a place to explore his artistic talents, who discovered a style of painting that he liked, that he practiced, and that he had no way of knowing, would transform Canadian art for years to come. As is the case with many great artists, whether they are photographers, painters, musicians or performers, Tom's work really took off after his death, growing in value and in popularity. In 2009, a sketch by Thompson named Early Spring Canoe Lake sold at auction for nearly $2 million.

[Cassie]

Wow.

[Danielle]

Another, found in an Edmonton basement in 2018 by chance, sold for nearly half a million dollars at a Toronto auction.

[Cassie]

Do you remember that show Trash or Treasure?

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah, I do.

[Cassie]

I used to watch it with my grandma and people would come on with the wildest things, and that's just reminding me of it. It would just. Just. It would be sitting in their attic for years. Someone gave it to their grandmother a while ago, and they were just holding on to it. And people, you would go in and someone would be like, no, this is trash. Or they'd be like, this is worth a lot of money and a lot of people. I remember one person. I don't know why this sticks out in my brain, but one person came in with a statue of an elephant.

[Danielle]

Okay.

[Cassie]

That they had just in their attic for a really long time, and it ended up being worth, like, thousands of dollars.

[Danielle]

Oh.

[Cassie]

Like, oh, this has been sitting in my attic for collecting 20 years.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah, it's very reminiscent of Antique Roadshow. Yeah, very similar, which I loved so much. For a while, my algorithm was the Antique Roadshow. I don't know how I lost it. I gotta get back there.

[Cassie]

Just. Just look it up on Instagram and it'll pop right back.

[Danielle]

It's so heartwarming because usually the ones.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

That get me are just like, elderly.

[Danielle]

People or older people that are either.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Really struggling financially or, you know, just they're like, I don't know, like, I.

[Danielle]

Don'T want to give this up because.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

It'S my late husband's brother's watch or whatever, but I need some money.

[Danielle]

And. And then they're like, well, luckily for you, this is worth $5 million.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like, take it. And they cry, and it's great.

[Danielle]

Well, some people often associate Tom Thompson with the famous Group of Seven, Canada's first internationally recognized art movement from the 1920s, which profoundly influenced the country's art and how its citizens saw their landscape. The members, all landscape painters, included Franklin Carmichael, Lauren Harris, A.Y. jackson, Frank Johnson, Arthur Lismer, J.E.H. mcDonald and F.H. varley, who aimed to create uniquely Canadian art by depicting the rugged, vast and spiritual northern wilderness using bold colors and dynamic forms to define a national identity through nature. Although Tom was their peer, worked with some of the members, and influenced others.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

In the group, he did die before the official group was, like, really formed. So a lot of sources say he.

[Danielle]

Was part of the group, and others.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Are, say, the Group of Seven And Tom Thompson, like, kind of giving him a nod, but if he had lived it very well, could have been called.

[Danielle]

The Group of Eight.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like, I feel like he would have been, not just me personally, but it's, yeah, pretty well accepted that he would have been associated with them in that way.

[Danielle]

His paintings can be found in many collections across Canada. The largest collection of his work is.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

At the National Gallery of Canada in.

[Danielle]

Ottawa, to which Dr. James McCollum, Thompson's.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Patron, that original guy that saw talent.

[Danielle]

In him, sold many paintings in 1918 and then donated his collection in 1943. The Tom Thompson Memorial Art Gallery in Owen Sound, Thompson's hometown, was established in 1967 and contains a large collection of his work and his personal effects. But even if you aren't directly looking at his work hanging on a gallery wall, his influence can be seen in the work of later Canadian artists. And he is remembered as a haunting presence that embodies the Canadian artistic identity. In 1917, a memorial, Karen on Canoe Lake, was erected in his memory. A gold plate memorial marker reads, to the memory of Tom Thompson, artist, woodsman and guide, who was drowned in Canoe Lake on July 8, 1917. He lived humbly but passionately with the wild. It made him brother to all untamed things of nature. It drew him apart and revealed itself wonderfully to him. It sent him out from the woods only to show these revelations through his art. And it took him to itself at last. His fellow artists and other friends and admirers join gladly in this tribute to his character and genius.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

His body is buried at Owen Sound.

[Danielle]

Ontario, near where he was born, August 1877. His grave, located in Leith United Church Cemetery, reads, landscape painter drowned in Canoe Lake July 8, 1917, aged 39 years, 11 months and 3 days. He is buried alongside one of his brothers, who died when he was only nine months old, and his grandfather. The gravesite has become a popular spot for visitors, with many fans of his work leaving pennies or art supplies behind on the headstone as a tribute. In 2004, a historical marker honoring him was moved from its previous location near the center of town to the graveyard in which he is now buried. Through Thompson's paintings, we have a chance to see him and his life at Algonquin park without the noise of the mystery surrounding his death. Through his art, you can picture a man seated in a canoe, holding a stiff, bristled brush and a messy palette of bright paint, trying to capture a sunset. He might have gone over it a few times, thinking to himself, he wasn't doing the scene justice. But he did and it was beautiful. And that is the story of Tom.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Thompson and what I think is his pretty obvious death. But I would love to know what you think after all of that information.

[Cassie]

You know, I get why there's a lot of skepticism around his death and questions because of the way that it was handled when he died. And I think that absolutely the way that his death was handled was inappropriate. From leaving him out on the beach overnight in the hot sun, to not having a coroner examine his body and the burial without his family's permission. I think all of that is extremely traumatizing for the family. And I think that that was handled completely wrong. And I think it is fair to open up a lot of questions of why and how he died, because it is, it is weird, I think, just with no context, because you don't have a coroner. But I think sometimes the most obvious answer is the answer. And my feeling in this is that he probably did fall and hit his head and maybe that triggered a seizure.

[Danielle]

It's.

[Cassie]

I think it had to have been kind of a serious fall if he's bleeding from his ears. But again, that might be something. I don't know anything about decomposition in a lake for a week. So maybe that is something attributed to that. But I think it's very possible that he fell, hit his head and drowned. It was knocked unconscious and drowned or had. It could have been a combination of a medical event too. I mean, you could hit your head hard enough and it trigger a seizure and drown. You know, there's just a lot of things, it's hard. I think something must have happened for his canoe to flip because if it was just a solitary medical event, if he had a heart attack or he had a stroke or a seizure or whatever, he would be found in his boat, not flipped. So something had to have happened prior to that for his, him to capsize. And I think it's possible that there could be foul play here. I think it's possible someone could have tipped him out of this boat and hit him or something. But I think it, it feels far fetched. It feels unlikely. And unfortunately it also feels like we'll never really have answers because no one ever did that first initial examination of his body or an appropriate person never did that examination. And it being from the 19, 19, 17. I mean, medical stuff wasn't as good back then. And even if his family, because throughout it I was like, his family could prove to the world that they have his remains and exhume his body, but that's traumatizing for the family and they should not need to do that.

[Danielle]

And even if they did, if he.

[Cassie]

Drowned, none of that is going to show on his skeletal remains. So I, I don't know.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

At this point, it's over, you know, it's over.

[Cassie]

It happened. I think it's fair for people to question because of the way it was horribly handled, but it feels like it kind of turned into this far fetched rumor that spread like wildfire. And I know local places, especially locals, there's always local lore and there's always people who know something that the authorities don't know. And there's rumors flying, but it doesn't even really feel like there were rumors flying around. This malicious intent that could be between feuding neighbors or anything like that. All of that kind of seemed like it came out later down the line.

[Danielle]

It did.

[Cassie]

Stirred up. Yeah. It just, it feels like the most obvious answer is the answer.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I agree. And I think there is something to really think of in all of this and that, that we didn't, you know, we spent some time addressing, but the family, you know, the family accepts this is what happened to their family member, their brother, their son, and that was enough for them and you know, to just like keep dredging up all of this stuff. And I mean, he, his parents were likely passed away by the time a lot like the meat of all of this really started to resurface and get tossed around and stuff.

[Danielle]

But he had siblings, you know, and other surviving family members that I'm sure.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Are very sick and tired of hearing like what some guy who thought he wanted to go dig around in a.

[Danielle]

Grave thought and then perpetuate, you know.

[Cassie]

Like, and it sounds like that guy had no relation to the story at all. He just knew of it, wanted to find some answers himself and then kind.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Of with a shovel and yeah, it's like, well, here we are.

[Cassie]

Super inappropriate also.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Cassie]

Just dig on the outside of a graveyard.

[Danielle]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Like, don't do that.

[Danielle]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So I don't know. I, I think we've, we're just like kind of beating a dead horse at this point as far as what we think happened and you know, what was.

[Danielle]

What went wrong during this and all that.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

So I think we're on the same page of he likely drowned after some.

[Danielle]

Sort of accident, which was the original story and the original explanation.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

And yes, you know, like, it makes you think. But at the same time, I think we're all going to, we should all just like kind of arrive at this conclusion of let's just try and let his memory be what it is instead of just. Yeah. I don't know. So I just think that it's really interesting that it is such an enduring mystery because I think once you have.

[Danielle]

All the information laid out like this.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

It'S really not that mysterious. Mystery to me. Right. Or am I wrong? I don't know.

[Cassie]

I think that there are some big questions of why he was handled the way he was. And I get why people jumped to all these conclusions and we don't know.

[Danielle]

Right.

[Cassie]

We weren't there.

[Danielle]

And.

[Cassie]

And things change over generations and. And how you mentioned telephone and things are warped and, you know, we don't truly know, but from what we have, it feels like a lot of. A lot of gossip.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Cassie]

And don't get me wrong, I love tea. I love the drama. But when it's affecting someone else's family and it's bringing drama in this kind of way is not. It's not great.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah. Well, long story short, go look up.

[Danielle]

Some of Tom Thompson's paintings.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

If you are into art, I think you'll really enjoy them.

[Danielle]

Justice for Winnie.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yes, she was done dirty and. Yeah, that's it.

[Danielle]

I guess.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

I don't know what else happened. We had just for full disclosure to everyone, like 10 minutes before the. 10 minutes ago, in your time, my camera decided to die and so we took a brief intermission.

[Danielle]

So my head is a little scrambled and I eat a lot of snacks.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

It's really fast. So fast. So I'm like kind of out of breath. I'm like, what am I talking about? Oh, yeah. Tom goes in. That's so funny. My biggest, like, obsession recently is it's gonna maybe sound gross, but it's actually really good.

[Cassie]

Okay, I'm listening.

[Danielle]

Chocolate hummus.

[Cassie]

I've seen it before. I don't know if I've ever had it.

[Danielle]

Oh.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Specifically the Joseph's brand of. The Joseph's brand of dark chocolate hummus. You can eat it with strawberries and stuff and whatever if you want, but I legit, just take a spoon and eat it right out of the tub.

[Danielle]

It's so.

[Cassie]

It's that good. Yeah, it's like your new peanut.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Butter it out. Yeah, try it out. It's not great. I mean, it's like full of sugar and stuff. It's not good for you.

[Cassie]

But it's hummus.

[Danielle]

It's chickpeas, but it's vegetables.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Cassie]

Our chickpeas is health.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

This is a health podcast, right?

[Danielle]

Okay.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Yeah. It's also late because we had a miscommunication and I don't know what's happening. So we gotta go. Yeah.

[Cassie]

We hope you enjoyed.

[Danielle]

Yes.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Hope you enjoyed and we will see you next week.

[Danielle]

In the meantime, enjoy the view, but watch your back.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

Bye, everyone.

[Danielle]

Bye. Thank you for joining us again this week. If you love National Park After Dark and want to hear exclusive bonus stories, join us on Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Patreon subscribers have access to our National Park After Dark booklets, club, live streams, Discord and much more. If you prefer to watch our episodes video episodes are now available on YouTube. If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe on your favorite listening platform. And to follow along with all our adventures, you can find us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X NationalPark.

[Co-host (possibly a third host or guest)]

After dark.

[Grainger Sponsor Voice]

This is the story of the one as an H Vac technician, he and his digital multimeter are in high demand. So when a noisy office H Vac turns out to be a failing blower motor, he doesn't break a sweat. With Grainger's easy to use website and product information. He selects the product he needs to keep everything, everything humming right along. Call 1-800-granger clickranger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.