THE FOUNDING!
In the early 1900s, the Canadian Northern Railroad (now
known as the Canadian National Railroad) drew a map to build a railroad
through this territory. The company chose two contractors, called the Foley
Brothers, to construct it.
Mr. H. Anderson had constructed the first road starting
at the head of Lake Pishkanogami and ending at Slate Rock, 7 miles west
of Foleyet. For the production of the road, Anderson only used basic tools
such as picks, shovels, bucksaws, and hammers.
The ties and rails for the CNR had already been set up
from the east and the west, so it was just a matter of building until the
two sides met.
They brought supplies from Nimegos by cows in the summer,
and horses during the winter months. Camps were set up for the construction
in 1911. The workers from the east finally met the workers from the west
in 1912. The CNR took approximately three years, it was completed August
31, 1914.
The Foley Brothers wanted to name the town after themselves,
but there had already been a town named Foley. The Brothers got upset and
said,"We'll name this place Foley yet!" The term "Foley yet"
stuck!
On June 15, 1915, the first work train arrived from Capreol,
Ontario. The engineer was the late Jim Scott. The train carried men to build
bridges over Ivanhoe River, Muskego River, and Groundhog River.
The eldest resident in Foleyet, at the time, was Mr. Frank
Linekar. Mr. Linekar herded cattle and butchered it as needed for the town.