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141 plaques found that match your criteria
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Aqua-Plano Indians of the Upper Great Lakes, The
In 1950, archaeological investigations in this area uncovered a site which had been used as a workshop camp by a group of the earliest known people in this part of the Upper Great Lakes basin. Called Aqua-Plano Indians because they migrated from the western plains to fossil beaches of glacial and post-glacial lakes in this region, they appeared about 9,000 years ago following the retreat of the glaciers and the northward movement of plants and... -
Austin Airways 1934-1987
Austin Airways, a pioneering aviation firm, played a leading role in the economic development of the Ontario north in the mid-twentieth century. At first its main business was flying Toronto mining executives to remote northern sites. Based in Sudbury after 1938, the airline hauled freight, flew medical evacuations, fought forest fires, trained pilots, and transported tourists. In the 1940s, Austin diversified into aerial photography, timber surveying, aerial prospecting, and ice reconnaissance flights over Hudson Bay... -
Bradlo
In 1930 a handful of Slovak immigrants settled eleven kilometres south of Hearst near present-day Highway 583. They helped each other build log houses, clear land and sell wood to pulp and paper mills. Soon other Slovaks were attracted to the community. By the middle of the Depression, Bradlo boasted 150 people, a public school, Catholic church, store, post-office and meeting hall. After their pulpwood was harvested, residents realized that their land would not support... -
Bruce Mines, The
The original claim to the Bruce Mine location was filed in September 1846 by James Cuthbertson. It was acquired the following year by the Montreal Mining Company, and production commenced in 1847-48 at what became the first commercially successful copper mine in Canada. Employing skilled Cornish workers, the company operated the mine until l865 when it was purchased by the West Canada Mining Company. That firm had leased part of the property in 1853 and... -
Capture of Fort William 1816, The
In 1812, the Earl of Selkirk settled dispossessed Scottish highlanders on Red River valley lands granted by the Hudson's Bay Company. The HBC's rival in the fur trade, the North West Company, feared the new colony would block its trade and supplies. Clashes between traders and colonists culminated with the killing of twenty settlers in the Massacre of Seven Oaks on June 19, 1816. News of Seven Oaks reached Selkirk as he was travelling westward... -
Capture of the "Tigress" and "Scorpion," The
Some 25 miles southwest of here lies the Detour Passage between Drummond Island and Michigan's upper peninsula. In August 1814, it was occupied by the armed U.S. schooners "Tigress" and "Scorpion", whose intention was to prevent supplies reaching the British garrison at Michilimackinac. On September 1 a British force of seamen, soldiers and Indians under Lieuts. Miller Worsley, R.N., and Andrew Bulger left Michilimackinac in small boats to attack the enemy. The "Tigress" was boarded... -
Franco-Ontarian Flag, The
The Franco-Ontarian Flag was first raised at the University of Sudbury on September 25, 1975, at a time when Sudbury was experiencing unprecedented growth in Franco-Ontarian arts and culture. Conceived by Gaétan Gervais, historian at Laurentian University, and student Michel Dupuis, the first flag was made by Jacline England, a student and staff member at the university. Refusing to take sole credit for the flag, its creators hoped that the Franco-Ontarian community would claim it... -
Nipigon Canoe Route, The
Indigenous peoples who hunted and traded here thousands of years ago developed a water route by which they could travel from Lake Superior to James Bay via Lake Nipigon and the Albany River. Archaeologists have unearthed evidence that people living in the Lake Nipigon region were part of an intricate system of trade that extended to the Atlantic coast. In the 1600s, native people began to share their knowledge of canoe travel on North American... -
Cobalt Mining Camp, The
About 900 yards southwest of here, on August 7, 1903, two lumbermen seeking timber for railroad ties made the initial discovery of the cobalt silver camp. Named for its discoverers, the McKinley-Darrach mine operated from 1904-1927. In the rush of 1905-06, Coleman township became the scene of the most intensive prospecting hitherto known in Ontario. Though it once boasted over 100 producing mines, the fortunes of the camp waned after 1920, owing to sharply reduced... -
Colonel Elizabeth Smellie 1884-1968
This celebrated Canadian army nurse and public health authority was born in Port Arthur. In 1909 "Beth" Smellie became night supervisor at McKellar General Hospital. Joining the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps in 1915, she served in France and England. Elizabeth Smellie was demobilized in 1920 and three years later became Chief Superintendent of the Victorian Order of Nurses for Canada. She re-entered the army in 1940 and a year later supervised the organization of... -
Colonel John Prince 1796-1870
Here, on a portion of his former estate, is buried Col. Prince who emigrated from England in 1833 and settled at Sandwich, Upper Canada. As commanding officer of the Essex Militia, he stirred up a violent controversy by ordering the summary execution of four members of an armed force sympathizing with Mackenzie's Rebellion which invaded the Windsor area in December, 1838. He represented Essex in the legislative assembly 1836-40 and 1841-54. Prince was appointed the first judge of the Algoma District in 1860. Colourful and eccentric, he became one of early Sault Ste Marie's best known citizens. -
Commanda General Store, The
An outstanding example of a High Victorian commercial structure, the Commanda General Store was built and occupied by James Arthurs (1866-1937) about 1885. It was strategically located on the Rosseau-Nipissing Colonization Road and during the more than two decades that Arthurs, who later served in the house of commons and the Senate, was the proprietor it played a vital service role in the development of Commanda and the surrounding area. A multi-purpose structure that functioned... -
Discovery of the Sudbury Nickel Deposits
The significance of Sudbury's mineral deposits became apparent during construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway through the area in the 1880s. Blacksmith Tom Flanagan, and others, took samples from some reddish rock nearby in 1883. Analysis of the rock revealed copper-nickel sulphides. The famous Murray mine was subsequently established at the site. Ore bodies were soon discovered in abundance throughout the Sudbury area. Entrepreneur Samuel J. Ritchie founded the Canadian Copper Company at Copper Cliff... -
Elise von Koerber and Swiss Settlement
In 1873 a small group of Swiss immigrants arrived in the Parry Sound District and formed the basis for a Swiss colony. The settlement was organized and directed by Elise von Koerber, a native of Baden, Germany, who had been living in Canada for some sixteen years. Appointed immigration agent by the federal government in 1872, she actively promoted immigration as an outlet for poor and socially dislocated persons and by 1877 had brought several... -
Elliot Lake Mining Camp, The
Evidence of radioactive ore prompted Aimé Breton and Karl Gunterman to stake claims south of here near Lauzon Lake in Long Township in 1948. Geologist Franc R. Joubin became interested and persuaded mining financier Joseph H. Hirshhorn to fund drilling operations. In 1953 they located the ore body that became the Pronto Uranium Mine. The discovery of further uranium deposits near Quirke and Elliot lakes led to a mining boom. The town of Elliot Lake... -
Ferguson Highway, The
In 1925 the Ontario government began construction of this 260-mile trunk-road between Cochran and North Bay. The road was intended to link the rapidly developing mining and agricultural communities of "New Ontario" with the province's southern regions. Several sections of rebuilt local roads were incorporated into dense Timagami forest. The highway was officially opened on July 2, 1927, and named in honour of the Hon. G. Howard Ferguson, Premier of Ontario(1923-30) and long-time promoter of... -
Chief Francis Pegahmagabow, 1889-1952
Francis Pegahmagabow, an Ojibwe of the Caribou clan, was born in Shawanaga First Nation. He volunteered at the onset of the First World War and served overseas as a scout and sniper with the Canadian Expeditionary Force's 1st Battalion. He was one of 39 Canadian soldiers awarded the Military Medal and two bars for bravery. He is Canada's most decorated Indigenous soldier. After the war, Pegahmagabow settled on Wasauksing First Nation, where he married and... -
French-Canadian Settlement and the CPR in the Mattawa Area
Francophone settlement rapidly increased in the Mattawa area with the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in 1881. During construction of the rail line, the local economy benefitted from the presence of thousands of French-Canadian workers, some of whom were accompanied by their families. Once the railway was operational, the local lumber industry expanded and Mattawa prospered as a community, a supply and transportation hub, and a lumber depot. Development was also stimulated in... -
French Presence in Hearst, The
French Canadians began to settle in Hearst in 1912 during the construction of the National Transcontinental Railway. Most came to farm but soon turned to the more lucrative forest industry. Sawmills established by French Canadians prospered as family enterprises for decades, before being amalgamated into large forest-product companies by the end of the 20th century. Over the years, the French-speaking community in Hearst - once a minority - grew to 89% of the population with... -
CFCL Radio
The first French-language radio station in Ontario, CFCL-Timmins, began broadcasting in December 1951. The event was greeted with enthusiasm by Franco-Ontarians who until then had heard limited programming in French over the airwaves. The station reached listeners from Kirkland Lake to Hearst, showcasing local talent and creating a sense of community among the widely dispersed francophone population of northern Ontario. Daily features on French life in the region taught cultural pride, the love of one's... -
Moose Factory — Môsonîwi-Miništik
Môsonîwililiw oral tradition describes an ancestral couple, lowered here from a sky world, who were shown how to survive and thrive by animals who also gifted their lives for this purpose. The Creator’s laws, including honesty, courage and šawelihcikewin — sharing with gratitude and generosity — were reinforced over generations by lived experience of the benefits or consequences of upholding or ignoring these principles. After receiving hospitality at this Môsonîwililiw summer gathering site, Hudson’s Bay... -
Canadian Northern Railway, The
Incorporated in 1899 under the leading railway promoters Sir William Mackenzie and Sir Donald Mann, the Canadian Northern undertook construction of a line from Winnipeg to Port Arthur. Avoiding Lake of the Woods, the rail line left Manitoba at Sprague, crossed a small portion of Minnesota, and re-entered Canada at Rainy River. Construction of a rail bridge at Rainy River in 1902 coincided with completion of the railway to Lake Superior. By 1906, the Canadian... -
Canoe Route to the West, The
Here, when the canoe was the principal means of travel, explorers, voyageurs, missionaries and others bound for the West, left the Ottawa River and followed the Mattawa River to Lake Nipissing, the French River and the upper Great Lakes. For over 200 years, the Mattawa River formed part of the route linking the St. Lawrence River settlements with the vast interior of the continent. Among the historic figures who passed here were: Samuel De Champlain... -
Canoe Route to the West, The
The French River formed a vital link in the historic canoe route via the Ottawa and Mattawa Rivers and Lake Nipissing, which connected the settlements on the St. Lawrence with the upper Great Lakes and the far West. Most of the famous Canadian explorers, missionaries and fur traders of the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries followed this waterway. Here passed: Brûlé, discoverer of Lake Huron; Champlain, "Father of New France"; the Jesuit martyrs, Brébeuf... -
Fort Frances Canal 1878
Constructed 1875-1878, during Alexander Mackenzie's administration as part of a larger project intended to improve communication with the West, the Fort Frances Canal provided unbroken communication between Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods. In conjunction with land and water stretches of the "Dawson Road" between Shebandowan and Lake of the Woods, it provided a temporary connection with completed sections of the C.P.R. The importance of the canal diminished when the C.P.R. route was altered...