BAY MILLS — Tragedy nearly struck the Bay Mills Indian Community, but the quick actions of two campers saved the lives of four Bay Mills children.
On Oct. 8 at approximately 7 p.m., Roger and Jean Dowding, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., residents who had spent the summer season camping in the Bay Mills Riverview RV Campground, had sat down for dinner in their RV. At the same time, the four boys had taken a paddleboat out onto the St. Mary's River.
Conditions on the river that day, according to the Dowdings, were rather windy and choppy, which made traveling in a paddleboat near impossible. Once the boys realized this, they abandoned the boat and attempted to swim to shore. Unfortunately, the boys were a couple hundred yards out, and an early fall cold snap had made the normally cool Lake Superior water even colder.
About the time that the Dowdings were debating on whether to have dessert or go to King's Club Casino, Jean noticed that the boys were out of the paddleboat and were struggling against the rough waters. They also noticed that the boys had separated into two pairs—and the pair farther out were in obvious distress.
With little regard for his own safety, Roger whipped off his shirt and shoes and dashed out into the water. However, the frigid river took hold of him immediately.
“The water was so cold that I almost couldn't breathe,” Roger said. Despite the shock, he pushed on, making his way out to the pair of boys who were closer in to shore. He was able to reach them quickly and pulled them into shallower water, allowing them to be able to stand on a sandbar.
While Roger was trudging through the cold river, Jean drove to nearby King's Club Casino in order to contact Bay Mills Emergency Connection and the Bay Mills Police Department. No sooner had she sent the word out, casino employees immediately left the building and quickly proceeded to the shoreline so that they could render assistance.
Roger pushed out to the pair of boys farther out, both who were having trouble staying above the surface. He was particularly concerned about these two boys, as the cold water was affecting them significantly — so much so that one of the boys, according to Roger, was turning blue.
He told them to lay on their backs and kick as he grabbed their shirt collars and started pulling them in. After a few moments, he swam in far enough where he could touch bottom, and then he began carrying the boys in under each arm. About that time, Jean arrived back at the shore and became fearful that they had lost one of the boys because, from the distance, it looked to her that Roger was carrying only one boy.
Fortunately, Roger was able to bring all the boys up to the beach where BMEC and BMPD responded to the accident. Aside from exposure to cold and a traumatic experience, the boys were largely unscathed.
In the days following the rescue, the Dowdings were heaped with praise from grateful community members.
“We were amazed at how appreciative the community was,” Jean Dowding said. “Everywhere we went, people were waving at us and congratulating us.”
Along with the praise came gifts from the community, including a flower bouquet, a hardcover “Gnoozhekaaning, Place of the Pike” book, sage and sweet grass, and complimentary dinners at Sacy's Restaurant. Also, one of the mothers of the boys gave the Dowdings blueberry preserves — the Dowdings were debating about eating a blueberry dessert — and a large candle and a note saying that the Dowdings were “the lighthouse looking after her boys.”
Jean said that the day after the rescue, when they received the bouquet, was when the weight of their actions came to rest on them. She also said that as they were riding their bikes back to the campground, she noticed that people were looking at them, and she remarked to Roger that she was wondering if people had thought they had stolen from the graveyard.
“We did,” said Roger, “but in a good way.”
Roger Dowding recently retired from the Algoma Soo steel mill, but both he and Jean have been camping in Bay Mills for many years.
