On July 7, 1977, James Stackhouse and a companion were camping on a small island north of Hole River on Lake Winnipeg when their boat began to drift toward Deer Island, about six kilometers away. Around 6:00 p.m., with evening light fading, the two men entered the cold lake water clinging to small logs made into improvised rafts and attempted to swim to Deer Island. Lake Winnipeg’s strong currents and rising waves disrupted their makeshift flotation; the men were separated. The companion reached Deer Island, but James was swept away and disappeared.

An extensive search followed, using land, air and water teams, but no trace of James was found. He was described as a Caucasian male, 69 inches tall, about 154 pounds, with brown, curly hair. What details about that night or the search might still help explain what happened to James?