Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands (Canada 2006 Census
population 2,711) is a municipality with "town" status in Manitoulin District in Northeastern
Ontario
, Canada
, approximately 30 kilometres south of Espanola
. Its main town is Little Current, located on the northeast side of Manitoulin Island
. However, its territory also includes most of the small islands surrounding Manitoulin, even those at the far western end of Manitoulin.
The town was created on January 1, 1998 by amalgamating the Town of Little Current with the Township of Howland and the unorganized small islands in Lake Huron
.
and Georgian Bay
. Past names for the community included Waebijewung, Le Petit Courant and Shaftsbury.
The town also includes the smaller communities of Cold Springs, Dinner Point Depot, Eads Bush, Green Bay, Honora, Rockville, Sheguiandah and Turner.
man, selling fuel to the steamers. The westbound passengers on board the vessels were usually from Upper Canada
. One group included the Turner family which disembarked and, being merchants, set up a general store still in business today.
The lumbering trade was foremost in the region at the time and saw mills were established at nearby Low Island, now a park in the community. Settlers cleared the land for farming.
Today the local economy continues to include farming and lumbering but tourism is a main aspect.
Being a safe haven from the ravages of Lake Huron, the community may be found on Canadian Hydrographic Chart #2205. It is well marked from the east by Strawberry Island Lighthouse and from the west by a series of navigational markers.
The only land access to Manitoulin is the Little Current Swing Bridge
, located on Highway 6
, crossing the North Channel of Lake Huron
to the mainland, where the highway continues northward to Espanola
. In summer the swing bridge opens to marine traffic on the hour for 15 minutes from sunrise to sunset, delaying road traffic. The Algoma Eastern Railway (Canadian Pacific Little Current subdivision) terminated at Little Current. The railway line was abandoned in the early 1990s.
Weekend," a weeklong celebration which takes its name from the Haweaters, the name given to one who is born on Manitoulin Island. The main celebrations take place on the first weekend of August, and include a fireworks display, a video dance, street vendors, and a parade.
The prominent American
sportsman John W. Galbreath (1897-1988), owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Major League Baseball
club as well as the Darby Dan Farm
thoroughbred
horse racing
operation, owned a summer retreat here and named one of his horses after the village. Little Current
won the 1974 Preakness
and Belmont Stakes
and was voted that year's United States Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt
.
The town has one community radio station, CFRM
. Some radio stations from Sudbury can also be heard in the area, as can Elliot Lake's CKNR
.
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
population 2,711) is a municipality with "town" status in Manitoulin District in Northeastern
Northeastern Ontario
Northeastern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and east of Lakes Superior and Huron.Northeastern Ontario consists of the districts of Algoma, Sudbury, Cochrane, Timiskaming, Nipissing and Manitoulin; and the single-tier municipality of Greater...
Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, approximately 30 kilometres south of Espanola
Espanola, Ontario
Espanola is a town in Northern Ontario, Canada, and is the seat of Sudbury District. It is situated on the Spanish River, approximately 70 kilometres west of downtown Sudbury, and just south of the junction of Highway 6 and Highway 17.- History :The name "Espanola" has been attributed to a story...
. Its main town is Little Current, located on the northeast side of Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario. It is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe and European settlement of the island, archeological discoveries at Sheguiandah have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and...
. However, its territory also includes most of the small islands surrounding Manitoulin, even those at the far western end of Manitoulin.
The town was created on January 1, 1998 by amalgamating the Town of Little Current with the Township of Howland and the unorganized small islands in Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
.
Communities
Little Current is the largest community within the town, as well as its administrative centre. Formerly an independent town, Little Current was named variously by different groups for the swift strong currents of water running between the narrow passageway which connects the North ChannelNorth Channel (Ontario)
The North Channel is the body of water along the north shore of Lake Huron, in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is bordered on the east by Georgian Bay, on the west by the St. Marys River, to the north by the eastern Algoma District and to the south by the islands of Manitoulin, Cockburn,...
and Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
. Past names for the community included Waebijewung, Le Petit Courant and Shaftsbury.
The town also includes the smaller communities of Cold Springs, Dinner Point Depot, Eads Bush, Green Bay, Honora, Rockville, Sheguiandah and Turner.
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Economy
In the late 19th century lake vessels stopped here to take on wood for fuel. A settlement developed, with George Abotossaway, an AnishinaabeAnishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
man, selling fuel to the steamers. The westbound passengers on board the vessels were usually from Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. One group included the Turner family which disembarked and, being merchants, set up a general store still in business today.
The lumbering trade was foremost in the region at the time and saw mills were established at nearby Low Island, now a park in the community. Settlers cleared the land for farming.
Today the local economy continues to include farming and lumbering but tourism is a main aspect.
Transportation
The only land access to Manitoulin is the Little Current Swing Bridge
Little Current Swing Bridge
The Little Current Swing Bridge is a swing bridge in the Canadian province of Ontario, located at the community of Little Current in the town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands....
, located on Highway 6
Highway 6 (Ontario)
King's Highway 6, also known as Highway 6, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. It crosses a distance of between Port Dover on the north shore of Lake Erie and Espanola on the northern shore of Lake Huron, ending at the Trans-Canada Highway in McKerrow.- Port...
, crossing the North Channel of Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
to the mainland, where the highway continues northward to Espanola
Espanola, Ontario
Espanola is a town in Northern Ontario, Canada, and is the seat of Sudbury District. It is situated on the Spanish River, approximately 70 kilometres west of downtown Sudbury, and just south of the junction of Highway 6 and Highway 17.- History :The name "Espanola" has been attributed to a story...
. In summer the swing bridge opens to marine traffic on the hour for 15 minutes from sunrise to sunset, delaying road traffic. The Algoma Eastern Railway (Canadian Pacific Little Current subdivision) terminated at Little Current. The railway line was abandoned in the early 1990s.
Culture
Each year the town hosts "HaweaterHaweater
Haweater is a nickname given to a person born on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. The name derives from the prevalence of hawberries among the island's vegetation...
Weekend," a weeklong celebration which takes its name from the Haweaters, the name given to one who is born on Manitoulin Island. The main celebrations take place on the first weekend of August, and include a fireworks display, a video dance, street vendors, and a parade.
The prominent American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportsman John W. Galbreath (1897-1988), owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
club as well as the Darby Dan Farm
Darby Dan Farm
Darby Dan Farm is a produce, livestock, and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm founded in 1935 near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio by businessman John W. Galbreath. Named for the creek and for Galbreath's son, Daniel M. Galbreath , it was expanded from an original farm into a 4,000...
thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
operation, owned a summer retreat here and named one of his horses after the village. Little Current
Little Current (horse)
Little Current was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the final two legs of the 1974 U.S. Triple Crown.-Background:Owned and bred by John W...
won the 1974 Preakness
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
and Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
and was voted that year's United States Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt
Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Male Horse
The American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971....
.
The town has one community radio station, CFRM
CFRM-FM
CFRM-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts at 100.7 FM in Little Current, Ontario. The station, a community radio outlet owned by Manitoulin Radio Communication, broadcasts a country music format branded as The Island.-History:...
. Some radio stations from Sudbury can also be heard in the area, as can Elliot Lake's CKNR
CKNR-FM
CKNR-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts an adult contemporary format at FM 94.1 in Elliot Lake, Ontario. The station uses the on-air brand Moose FM.-History:...
.