Saturday, June 10, 2006
North Bay in Wikipedia
The area was first explored by Samuel de Champlain. Outside of Indian tribes, voyageurs and surveyors, there was little activity in the Lake Nipissing area until the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1882. The CPR started its westward expansion from Callender (now Bonfield) where the first spike was driven into sunken railway tie. That was the point where the Canada Central Railway extension ended. The CCR was owned by Duncan McIntyre who amalgamated it with the CPR and became one of the handful of officers of the newly formed CPR. The CCR started in Brockville and extended to Pembroke. It then followed a westward route along the Ottawa River passing through places like Cobden, Deux Rivieres and eventually to Mattawa at the confluence of the Mattawa and Ottawa Rivers. It then proceeded cross-country towards its final destination Callender. Duncan McIntyre and his contractor James Worthington piloted the CCR expansion. Worthington continued on as the construction superintendent for the CPR past Callender. He remained with the CPR for about a year until he left the company. McIntyre was uncle to John Ferguson who staked out future North Bay after getting assurance from his uncle and Worthington that it would be the divisional point and a location of some importance.
In 1882, John Ferguson decided that the north bay of Lake Nipissing was a promising spot for settlement. North Bay was incorporated as a town in 1891. The first mayor was John Bourke. More importantly, Bourke developed the western portion of North Bay after purchasing the interest of the Murray Brothers from Pembroke who were large landholders in the new community. The land west of Klock Avenue (Algonquin Avenue) was known as the Murray block. Bourke Street is named after John Bourke. Murray Street is named after the Murrays.
North Bay is known as a railway town. Besides the CPR, the town became the terminus of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway in 1902 when the Ross government took the bold move to establish a development road to serve the Haileybury settlement. During construction of the T&NO silver was discovered at Cobalt and started a mining frenzy in the northland that continued for many years. The current Canadian National Railway carved its way through the centre of North Bay in 1913.
The Georgian Bay Canal was a mammoth transportation system that proposed to connect the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The entire passageway from the Ottawa River to Lake Nipissing and down the French River to Georgian Bay was surveyed, mapped and ready to go in the first decade of the 20th century. Financing became the giant hurdle and as time passed, transportation patterns changed and interfered with the earlier practicality of the giant venture. Parliament dismissed the project in 1919. Nevertheless, local interests continued to promote the Georgian Bay shipping canal as late as 1930.
North Bay grew through a strong lumbering sector, mining and the three railways in the early days. The town benefited from strong community leadership and names like Ferguson, Cormack, Richardson, Milne, Flannery, McNamara, Browning, Bishop Scollard, Dr MacDougall, Dr Carruthers, McGaughey, George W Lee, Senator Gordon, T J Patton, Charlie Harrison, and many others are responsible for its development. The town boasted a vibrant Board of Trade formed in 1895. In 1919, John Ferguson, acknowledged as the founder, was elected mayor of North Bay and continued to serve as mayor until 1922. North Bay was incorporated as a city in August 1925. A well-planned and widely patronized old home week celebration accompanied the charter presentation.
The Dionne Quintuplets were born in Corbeil, Ontario, on the outskirts of North Bay in 1934. This miraculous birth had a tremendous impact on tourism in the area. In fact, the Dionnes may have saved the economy in the district during the Depression and beyond. North Bay and area lived off this legacy well into the 1960s. Many visitors to the area discovered lakes and summer retreats that were easily accessible and the businesses thrived on the tourist dollars.
In January 1968 the City of North Bay amalgamated with West Ferris and Widdifield townships.
The current engines driving North Bay's economy are the vast university and college population, the hospitals (awaiting construction of a modern new district hospital), a military installation at the airport, tourism, lumbering and a stable provincial government service centre.
Nestor Prisco prepared this overview for Wikipedia June 10, 2006
In 1882, John Ferguson decided that the north bay of Lake Nipissing was a promising spot for settlement. North Bay was incorporated as a town in 1891. The first mayor was John Bourke. More importantly, Bourke developed the western portion of North Bay after purchasing the interest of the Murray Brothers from Pembroke who were large landholders in the new community. The land west of Klock Avenue (Algonquin Avenue) was known as the Murray block. Bourke Street is named after John Bourke. Murray Street is named after the Murrays.
North Bay is known as a railway town. Besides the CPR, the town became the terminus of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway in 1902 when the Ross government took the bold move to establish a development road to serve the Haileybury settlement. During construction of the T&NO silver was discovered at Cobalt and started a mining frenzy in the northland that continued for many years. The current Canadian National Railway carved its way through the centre of North Bay in 1913.
The Georgian Bay Canal was a mammoth transportation system that proposed to connect the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The entire passageway from the Ottawa River to Lake Nipissing and down the French River to Georgian Bay was surveyed, mapped and ready to go in the first decade of the 20th century. Financing became the giant hurdle and as time passed, transportation patterns changed and interfered with the earlier practicality of the giant venture. Parliament dismissed the project in 1919. Nevertheless, local interests continued to promote the Georgian Bay shipping canal as late as 1930.
North Bay grew through a strong lumbering sector, mining and the three railways in the early days. The town benefited from strong community leadership and names like Ferguson, Cormack, Richardson, Milne, Flannery, McNamara, Browning, Bishop Scollard, Dr MacDougall, Dr Carruthers, McGaughey, George W Lee, Senator Gordon, T J Patton, Charlie Harrison, and many others are responsible for its development. The town boasted a vibrant Board of Trade formed in 1895. In 1919, John Ferguson, acknowledged as the founder, was elected mayor of North Bay and continued to serve as mayor until 1922. North Bay was incorporated as a city in August 1925. A well-planned and widely patronized old home week celebration accompanied the charter presentation.
The Dionne Quintuplets were born in Corbeil, Ontario, on the outskirts of North Bay in 1934. This miraculous birth had a tremendous impact on tourism in the area. In fact, the Dionnes may have saved the economy in the district during the Depression and beyond. North Bay and area lived off this legacy well into the 1960s. Many visitors to the area discovered lakes and summer retreats that were easily accessible and the businesses thrived on the tourist dollars.
In January 1968 the City of North Bay amalgamated with West Ferris and Widdifield townships.
The current engines driving North Bay's economy are the vast university and college population, the hospitals (awaiting construction of a modern new district hospital), a military installation at the airport, tourism, lumbering and a stable provincial government service centre.
Nestor Prisco prepared this overview for Wikipedia June 10, 2006
# posted by Nestor Prisco @ Saturday, June 10, 2006
