Blind River, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Population trend:
refining.
Transportation links are Highway 17
(part of the Trans-Canada Highway
), the Huron Central Railway operating on the leased Canadian Pacific Railway
line that runs through the town, and the Blind River Marine Park, a town-owned marina servicing pleasure craft. The town also provides services to the surrounding communities through its District Health Centre, two high schools (W.C. Eaket Secondary School and École secondaire catholique Jeunesse-Nord) and three elementary schools (Blind River Public School, St. Mary's Catholic School and the French-language École Catholique St-Joseph). Blind River has seven churches, as well as a Kingdom Hall located just outside of the town, and a variety of merchants and service industries.
Blind River has many beaches on Lake Huron, including Fourth Sand, Sellers Park, Boom Camp, Forest Glen Beach, as well as many others. Blind River is home to a large uranium
refinery operated by the Cameco Corporation, which is situated just outside of town as well as a world renowned golf course by the name of Huron Pines Country Club, which is just a mile away from one of the longest running businesses in the area, MacIver's Motel & Camp Ltd, which has been family operated for nearly 65 years.
In the 1959 film, Anatomy of a Murder
, the character Mary PIlant, played by Kathryn Grant
, was born in Blind River, Ontario.
- Population in 2006: 3780
- Population in 2001: 3969
- Population in 1996: 3152 (or 4374 when adjusted for 2001 boundaries)
- Population in 1991: 3355
Economy
Its main businesses are tourism, fishing, logging, and uraniumUranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
refining.
Transportation links are Highway 17
Highway 17 (Ontario)
King's Highway 17, more commonly known as Highway 17, is a provincially maintained highway and the primary route of the Trans-Canada Highway through the Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the Manitoba border west of Kenora and ends south of Arnprior at the western terminus of Highway 417, ...
(part of the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
), the Huron Central Railway operating on the leased Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
line that runs through the town, and the Blind River Marine Park, a town-owned marina servicing pleasure craft. The town also provides services to the surrounding communities through its District Health Centre, two high schools (W.C. Eaket Secondary School and École secondaire catholique Jeunesse-Nord) and three elementary schools (Blind River Public School, St. Mary's Catholic School and the French-language École Catholique St-Joseph). Blind River has seven churches, as well as a Kingdom Hall located just outside of the town, and a variety of merchants and service industries.
Blind River has many beaches on Lake Huron, including Fourth Sand, Sellers Park, Boom Camp, Forest Glen Beach, as well as many others. Blind River is home to a large uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
refinery operated by the Cameco Corporation, which is situated just outside of town as well as a world renowned golf course by the name of Huron Pines Country Club, which is just a mile away from one of the longest running businesses in the area, MacIver's Motel & Camp Ltd, which has been family operated for nearly 65 years.
Sports and culture
- The town is home to the Blind River BeaversBlind River BeaversThe Blind River Beavers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Blind River, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey LeagueNorthern Ontario Junior Hockey LeagueThe Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Junior A ice hockey league under the supervision of the Canadian Junior Hockey League, the Northern Ontario Hockey Association, and Hockey Canada. The winner of the NOJHL playoffs competes for the Dudley Hewitt Cup with the winners of the Ontario...
. - Home town to Claude JulienClaude Julien (ice hockey)Claude Julien is Canadian professional ice hockey head coach of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League . He previously served as the head coach for the Montreal Canadiens and the New Jersey Devils...
, current head coach for the Boston BruinsBoston BruinsThe Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
of the National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. - Canadian singer Neil YoungNeil YoungNeil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
makes reference to Blind River in his song "Long May You RunLong May You Run-Side two:-Personnel:* Neil Young – vocals, guitars, piano, harmonica, synthesizer* Stephen Stills – vocals, guitar, piano* Jerry Aiello – organ, piano* George "Chocolate" Perry – bass, backing vocals...
", a story about the demise of his 1948 Buick RoadmasterBuick RoadmasterThe Roadmaster was an automobile built by the Buick division of General Motors. Roadmasters produced between 1936 and 1958 were built on Buick's longest non-limousine wheelbase and shared their basic structure with senior Oldsmobiles. Between 1946 and 1957 the Roadmaster was Buick's top of the line...
hearseHearseA hearse is a funerary vehicle used to carry a coffin from a church or funeral home to a cemetery. In the funeral trade, hearses are often called funeral coaches.-History:...
.
Well, it was back in Blind River in 1962
When I last saw you alive
But we missed that shift on the long decline
Long may you run.
- The Voyageur Hiking TrailVoyageur Hiking TrailThe Voyageur Hiking Trail is a public hiking trail between Sudbury and Thunder Bay in Northern Ontario, Canada. The name honours the early European fur traders of the region who traveled largely by canoe and were known as 'voyageurs’ and ‘coureurs des bois’ The trail is used by all ages and levels...
passes near the town.
In the 1959 film, Anatomy of a Murder
Anatomy of a Murder
Anatomy of a Murder is a 1959 American courtroom crime drama film. It was directed by Otto Preminger and adapted by Wendell Mayes from the best-selling novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker under the pen name Robert Traver...
, the character Mary PIlant, played by Kathryn Grant
Kathryn Grant
Kathryn Grant may refer to:* Kathryn Crosby, American actress who also used the stage name Kathryn Grant* Kathryn Ptacek, American author who also wrote under her married name, Kathryn Grant*Katherine Grant, 12th Countess of Dysart , Scottish peer...
, was born in Blind River, Ontario.