Summer before last I paddled down the Duex and through the North east lobe of Sturgeon to Allen Creek.  The only dams I crossed were beaver dams on the Duex. A few year ago I went down the Maligne where it flows out of Sturgeon to the first portage/rapids and saw no dam.

"and there was a dam that controlled the water level of Sturgeon and therefore Deux Rivers. True?"

don't know about history, but there is no sign of there ever having been a dam on Malign River - that is a huge span to have put a dam in, especially with the current.  Logical place would have been at the first rapid, but I have never seen even the faintest sign that a dam or any other structure had ever been there - usually, you can see some sign of dams or roads, like the dams on Bentpine Creek which had nothing to do with level of Sturgeon lake, but wer used to raise the water level in the creek for transporting logs.  years ago, you could still see the remains of a houseboat in Bentpine, but I didn't notice that last time through there.

logically, there was no reason whatsoever to raise the level of Sturgon Lake - if you wanted to raise the water level in Deux Rivieres, you could much more easily just put a dam in there.

When I read this post I was reminded that somewhere I saw a map of all the old logging camps in the area before logging was banned and Quetico Park came into being.
I think it showed the man-made dams to move the logs from the logging areas.

I wish I had marked where because so far I can't find it anywhere I've looked.

I did find this. According to the author there WAS a dam on the Maligne River at TWIN Falls which allowed steam powered vessels to go up too?

I'm guessing hauled logs out that came down Maligne?

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Start about page 135

Logging camps in Quetico park. They used wood sluice dams in some spots, I imagine there would be no sign of them except for maybe iron logging relics?


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Start about page 106-

Stairs and long boardwalk at Stanton Bay.

DB said:
"And I still think that it saves no time at all over a French entry. And if you get a late start and a north wind you could become screwed by the wind depending on your objective for the day."

This is where I keep getting stuck on my decision.  If it is a nice day here is how it plays out. (In my mind anyway)

Stanton entry:
I am calling outfitter while driving to update them on arrival time at French Lake.  I'm sure they don't want to sit and wait an hour or more for me.  I arrive and start transferring gear to their vehicle, when they get there, I feel the stress of making sure I have everything.  Then we drive ( I was told it would be 45 minutes to an hour), unload, portage to the lake, start trip.

French Lake entry:
Check in at Ranger station, drive down to put in, sort my gear, unload canoe.  Park car, walk down to lake, go back to car and get what I forgot, or lock the car... Start my trip.  2 hours of paddling and I am where I would be dropped off, but on the south side of the lake.

The problem is if there is a strong west wind blowing down the lake that day.  Then I progress to the Pines, at best.  But probably would be stuck in Stanton bay if I entered there.  In that situation, I would clearly have a head start the next morning crossing a hopefully calm Pickerel from Stanton.

I keep waffling, If it was free, I'd enter Stanton.  I am now leaning toward French.