Sturgeon Falls, Ontario

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The community of Sturgeon Falls is located in the District of Nipissing of Northeastern Ontario, Canada and is part of the Municipality of West Nipissing. It is situated on the Sturgeon River, 5 km (3 miles) north of Lake Nipissing and 35 km (22 miles) west of North Bay on Highway 17, part of the Trans-Canada Highway.

At present, about 80% of the residents of the community identify themselves as Francophones; the community has one of the highest proportions of French-speaking residents in Nipissing District.

1 History
2 Community profile
3 People born in Sturgeon Falls
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

The original inhabitants of the area are the N’Biissing, an Anishinabek people, and many N’Biissing still inhabit the area today. Sturgeon Falls is the oldest community in the District of Nipissing. From 1848 to 1879, the Hudson's Bay Company operated a trading post, known as the Sturgeon River House, on the right bank of the river several hundred metres below the falls, trading with the N’Biissing for furs and other goods. James Holditch of Bracebridge, Ontario is generally credited as being the first permanent non-aboriginal settler in the area. He arrived in 1878 and built a cabin on the left bank, near the falls.

In the 1880s, the community grew with the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and a post office in 1881. The erection of sawmills and the rapid growth of the lumbering and pulp and paper industries stimulated the development of the village and attracted many French-Canadian settlers to the area. The town of Sturgeon Falls was incorporated on April 16, 1895. At the time, J. A. Lévis was elected the first mayor and the population was 850.

[edit] Community profile

Power dam on the Sturgeon River in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario.

According to the Canada 2001 Census:

Population in 2001: 5,978
Population in 1996: 6,162
1996 to 2001 population change (%): −3.0
Total private dwellings: 2,715
Population density per square kilometre: 1,032.5
Land area (square km): 5.79

For a complete profile, see 2001 Statistics Canada Community Highlights for Sturgeon Falls

[edit] People born in Sturgeon Falls

Jean-Jacques Blais, former cabinet member in the Canadian government
Louise Charron, first Franco-Ontarian justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
Jean Éthier-Blais, writer
Carl Legault, former federal politician
Moe Mantha, Sr., former NHL player
Denise Meehan, founder and operator of the Lick's hamburger chain
André Paiement, singer and songwriter
Lise Paiement, director of L'écho d'un Peuple, famous franco-ontarian theatre play
Rachel Paiement, singer and songwriter
Gaetan Serré, former federal politician
Raymond Girard, singer, dancer and songwriter