 |
|
||||
|
HEAD
OF COUNCIL
|
The area encompassed by the Township of Macdonald, Meredith and Aberdeen
Additional originally was inhabited by the Ojibway . After the Canadian
government and the Ojibway signed the Huron-Robinson Treaty of 1850,
surveyors were sent into this area to examine the territory. What later
resulted was the creation of three separate townships. The first of the
three townships created was Macdonald Township in 1863. Named after Sir
John A. Macdonald, this township became home to the village of Echo Bay.
In 1875 Meredith Township was surveyed. This township acquired its name
from the Honourable Sir William Meredith who was elected to the
Legislative Assembly in 1872 and later appointed Chief Justice of
Ontario in 1912. In June 1892 Macdonald Township and Meredith Township
were incorporated as a municipality. The last township was surveyed in
1877. Originally labeled Coffin Additional (and later renamed to
Aberdeen Additional in 1900), this area was known for its wide and
extensive valleys. In 1899, Aberdeen Additional joined the Township of
Macdonald and Meredith to create the municipality which exists today.  This township first
witnessed permanent settlement during the mid-nineteenth century when
geologists filtered into the territory to determine the quality and
quantity of suspected minerals. This occurred as a result of the mining
boom which transpired throughout Canada West. When mining did not
prosper in this area, people ventured into lumbering and agriculture.
All three townships were capable of sustaining a lumbering and/or
agricultural base, and for most of the 1800s, lumbering was the chief
industry. Due to necessity however, agriculture became the most popular
industry. 
Settlement stretched throughout the region and by the 1860s visible communities were located in Sylvan Valley, Bar River, and Echo Bay. With the construction of a Canadian Pacific Railway station in Echo Bay in 1888, the village of Echo Bay expanded as businesses and homes were erected around the station. The C.P.R. station remained the centre of activity well into the twentieth century carrying passengers and freight alike. The C.P.R. closed the Echo Bay station in 1977. Aside from the train station, Echo Bay boasted an active harbour on the shore of Lake George whereby boats trading between Lake Superior and the lower lakes often anchored. This contributed to the bustling of this little village. The communities and homesteads found within this municipality provided what William Rush, an early resident of Macdonald Township, considered "spirit of friendship of neighbourly cooperation which has made and still makes Echo Bay a good place in which to live." For a complete history refer to the Centennial book.
[Echo Bay History ]
Send mail to twpmacd@onlink.net with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
||||
