Almonte, Ontario

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Old Post Office, Almonte
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Old Post Office, Almonte

The former town of Almonte (pronounced "al-mont" as opposed to the original Spanish pronunciation of "al-mon-tay") , in Ontario, Canada, is now a ward of the town of Mississippi Mills, created on January 1, 1998 by the merging of Almonte with Ramsay and Pakenham townships. Almonte is located 50 km south-west of Ottawa, Ontario, at latitude 45.15, longtitude 75.12. Its population as of 2005 is about 5,000.

Almonte's first settler was David Shepherd, who in 1819 was given 200 acres by The_Crown to build and operate a mill. The site became known as Shepherd's Falls. That name was never official, however, as Shepherd sold his patent after his mill burned down. The buyer of the patent, Daniel Shipman, rebuilt the mill and the settlement became known as Shipman's Mills in 1820.

Shipman's Mills expanded due mostly to Scottish settlers. It grew to encompass thirty stores and forty other businesses. A textile mill town almost from the start, at its peak it boasted seven busy woolen mills. During this time of rapid expansion the town changed name from Shipman's Mills to Ramsayville and then to Waterford. When the new Canadian post office pointed out there was already a Waterford in Ontario, the town needed yet another name change.

Relations between the United States and Great Britain had been antagonistic since the War of 1812. Border skirmishes between Mexico and the United States increased this antagonism. Mexican general General Juan Almonte had fought in these skirmishes, and by 1853 had become Mexico's ambassador to the United States.

Since the people of Waterford mistrusted America, and General Almonte had resisted America, they decided to honour Mexico and the general by renaming the town Almonte. This makes Almonte the only town in Ontario -- probably in Canada -- named after a Mexian general. The name change appears to have happened in 1856, though the post office didn't record the new name until 1859.

After the last textile mill closed in the early 1980s, Almonte no longer had a dominant industry. It has since turned its attention towards tourism. It offer museums and several historical spots, such as the home of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. A walk through Almonte is a trip back in history, with many structures from the 19th century still standing. Malcolm Street, for example, contains many excellent 19th century homes, and Daniel Shipman's house still stands on the corner of Bridge and Mill Streets.

[edit] 21st century

Almonte is home to several festivals and events, including Puppets Up, the North Lanark Highland Games, Naismith 3-on-3 Basketball Festival, Riveredge Arts Festival and CeltFest.

Almonte is a quiet town and many people who live there commute into the nearby city of Ottawa. Almonte has three elementary schools: R. Tait McKenzie Public School, Naismith Memorial Public School and Holy Name of Mary Catholic School. Almonte and District High School serves the town of Almonte and much of the surrounding area.

The Mississippi River which runs through Almonte has no connection with the U.S. river of the same name.

[edit] 2001 Census Data (selected items)

Total population 4,649
Visibile minorities 60
Median age of population 40.2
Protestant 2,325
Catholic 1,365
Other religion 235
Average full-time earnings $44,628
Total families 1,225
Average value of dwelling $148,494

[edit] External links

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