South River is a village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 located on Highway 11

Highway 11 (Ontario)

King's Highway 11 is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. At , it is the second longest highway in the province after Highway 17. Highway 11 begins at Highway 400 in Barrie, and arches through northern Ontario, around Lake Superior, to the Ontario–Minnesota border...

 near Algonquin Park in the Parry Sound District

Parry Sound District, Ontario

Parry Sound District is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its seat is Parry Sound. Its boundaries are Muskoka to the south, the Sudbury District, the French River and Lake Nipissing in the north, Nipissing District, Ontario and North Bay in the north and east and parts of...

 of 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...

. It is about a half hour drive south of North Bay

North Bay, Ontario

North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...

 or a three hour drive north of Toronto. South River claims to be the second busiest entrance to the Algonquin Park. South River is also the home of Mikisew Provincial Park on nearby Eagle Lake.

The South River railway station

South River railway station

The South River Railway Station is located in the community of South River in Ontario.It is stop for Northlander trains of Ontario Northland....

 is served by the Northlander

Northlander

The Northlander is a Canadian passenger train operated by the Ontario Northland Railway in Ontario.It operates 6 days per week year-round in both directions and connects Cochrane with Toronto...

 six days per week.

History

Logging in the area began in the 1860s, but it was not until 1881 when the first settlers, Robert Carter and his wife, arrived following the completion of the Grand Trunk Railroad. Within a few years, they opened a general store and the new community, located on the eponymous South River, had hotels, a bank, a butcher shop, and jeweller. The river itself provided the power for a sawmill and grist mill, while also being used for log driving

Log driving

Log driving is a means of log transport which makes use of a river's current to move floating tree trunks downstream to sawmills and pulp mills.It was the main transportation method of the early logging industry in Europe and North America...

. In 1907, the village separated from Machar Township and was incorporated, with W.J. Ard as first reeve.

Demographics

Population trend:

• Population in 2006: 1069 (2001 to 2006 population change: 2.8 %)
• Population in 2001: 1040
• Population in 1996: 1098
• Population in 1991: 1141

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 457 (total dwellings: 504)

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 95.3 %
• French as first language: 1.4 %
• English and French as first language: 0 %
• Other as first language: 3.3 %

External links

• Village of South River
• South River Ontario Almaguin Highlands Regional Portal