Clay Belt

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The Clay Belt is an area between Kapuskasing, Ontario and Ottawa, on the Quebec border. It lies right in the middle of the Canadian Shield, which is a vast rock covered area, stretching from the western edge of Hudson Bay all the way to Labrador and Newfoundland on the Atlantic Ocean. In most of this area, farming is impossible because of the rocks. The Clay Belt is a unique region in the Boreal Forest that has a rich clay soil in contrast to the low fertility of the muskeg and exposed bedrock shield surrounding it. Moreover, the combination of its general fertility, flat topography, high water table and relative accessibility to an extensive network of roads for logging and mining make it suitable for some types of farming.

The Canadian government encouraged immigrants to settle there as farmers during and after World War I. The farming consisted of some grains, mostly oats, and vegetables. The farming was not too successful as the adverse winter weather was worse than the farmers hoped for. The weather turned out to be more of a problem than the rocks. Some of the farmers eventually returned to Toronto and Montreal. Some moved west to the prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta once the Canadian Pacific railroad was completed.

Many of the farmers shifted to mining once minerals were found in the area.