Nipigon

Nipigon is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located in Thunder Bay District, at the northernmost point of Lake Superior on the west bank of the Nipigon River. The place is also south of Lake Helen Lake Nipigon and the.

History

As with almost all places in Canada, so also the story Nipigons fed from two sources, the First Nations and the immigrants, especially the Europeans. The oldest traces extend back to about 7000 BC. Rock paintings from the period before the fur trade were found approximately at the mouth of the Nipigon River.

1679 was built by the Frenchman Claude Grey Solon Dulhut the first fur trading post, but took over in 1763, the British colonial rule. In 1850 they forced the local Anishinabe to sign a contract, the Robinson Treaty. A reserve of four square miles was established on Gull River near the Nipigonsee on both sides of the river. It was at Chief Mishe - muckqua ( Mishi - Makwa, " Big Bear" ) to pass.

1859 founded the Hudson 's Bay Company ( HBC) trading post Red Rock post. 1872 expected the HBC the development of railways and prepared himself with extensive construction work. Chief Trader Robert Crawford believed, Red Rock Post would be the terminus of the railroad. After these plans were shattered, the post became the main distribution center for goods in the catchment area of ​​the lake. At the harbor steam boats could anchor who came from Lake Superior. 1885 began with the completion of the railway line, a stronger influx of settlers into the region. The economic focus of the city thus shifted from the lakeshore to Front Street. Later, the trading posts " Nepigon " then called " Nipigon ".

1898 moved the HBC their trading post at the station of the Canadian Pacific Railway, but the 1924 one was destroyed by fire. The trading post was rebuilt until 1999. 1908 the settlement was incorporated and the following year the first mayoral elections were held. In the so-called " Mudflats " near the river to settlers settled, the majority survived until 1953 by fishing, hunting and a little animal husbandry, until they were replaced by a plan to "development" ( "development ").

1990 was a part of the collection of the local museum by fire, but survived most of the photos of the collection, the widow of EC Everett had found the museum after the death of her husband in 1984 are available.

On 6 February 2007, the wood processing plant of Multiply Forest Products burned down, which was the largest employer in the region with over 100 employees. A few weeks earlier, had the employees of the owner, the Columbia Forest Products, which are located in Portland, Oregon, bought the company.

Population

Nipigon had 1991, 2338 and 1996 inhabitants still 2210. Since then, the population is shrinking rapidly. 2001 already lived only 1964 people in the town, in 2006 there were still 1752. Moreover, the median rose from 39.5 to 43.8, reflecting the substantial aging of the formerly young population. In addition, due to the economic slump shrank average household income for 9300 CAD to 49,163 CAD.

Traffic

Nipigon forms a bottleneck in the east- west connection in Canada. East of the city just cross two bridges the Nipigon River, a single-track railway bridge from 1885, and a two-lane road bridge of 1937. Both highways 11 and 17 and the two railway routes pass through this bottleneck. The road to Sault Ste Marie (Highway 17) was completed in 1961. To the north of Highway 11, which connects in a wide arc, the region with Toronto leads. He is heavily impacted by truck - distance transport.

Museum and Library

Nipigon has made ​​its own historical museum, however, predominantly devoted to the history of Euro - Canadians. About the local Anishinabe groups is difficult to be able to help.