Marathon, Ontario

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Coordinates: 48°45′N, 86°22′W
Town of Marathon, Ontario
Motto: Built On Paper - Laced With Gold! Superior In The Long Run
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Region	Northwestern Ontario
District	Thunder Bay District
Government
- Mayor	Rick Dumas
- CAO	Sharon Hacio
- Councillors	Terry Fox Ray Lake Roger Souckey Iris Sullivan
Elevation	180 m (590.6 ft)
Population (2006)
- City	3,863
- Density	22.7/km² (58.8/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Postal Code	P0T 2E0
Area code(s)	807
Website: Town Website

The Town of Marathon is located in Thunder Bay district, Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Superior north of Pukaskwa National Park, in the heart of the Canadian Shield.

1 History
2 Geography and Demographics
3 Economy and Transportation
4 Education
5 Recreation and Tourism
6 Surrounding Communities
7 External links

[edit] History

Marathon was born as a railroad community named Peninsula, due to it's location on a peninsula on Lake Superior. Constructing the railroad over this terrain was a great engineering feat. It has been said, but not verified, that certain sections of track would be laid one day, only to be devoured by the earth the next. Like most railroad communities, once the railroad had been completed Peninsula's population dwindled considerably. It wasn't until a pulp and paper mill was constructed in the town that the population rose back to 2,500, and the town's name was changed to Marathon. In the early 1980s, gold was discovered at Hemlo. By the late 1980s, three mines were running at Hemlo, doubling the population of Marathon and nearby Manitouwadge making the two towns the largest along the North Shore between Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay.

[edit] Geography and Demographics

Personal residences encompass an area starting from Lake Superior, and stretch out to a new subdivision near Penn Lake, an in-town campsite and beach in the eastern portion of the town. The Pic River is located outside of the town's eastern limits.

The town is adjacent to the Peninsula Harbour and has several coves including Carden Cove, Sturdee Cove and Craddock Cove, all three located west-northwest of Marathon.

Heron Bay is a town located to the south of Marathon, and shares the post office and phone prefix. The Pic River First Nation is located on the outskirts of Pukaskwa National Park.

[edit] Economy and Transportation

Marathon's economy is was built on pulp and paper, but since the mid 1980s has included gold mining operations as well. The pulp mill is owned by Marathon Pulp Inc. Hemlo Operations until recently operated three gold mines in the area: Williams Operating Corporation, David Bell and Golden Giant (Decommissioned 2005).

Marathon is come to the largest indoor shopping mall Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie, which contains Canadian Tire, Saan, Movie Gallery, Pizza Hut, A&W, and more.

Marathon is located 2km west of Trans Canada Highway 17, to which it is connected via Peninsula Road (formerly Highway 626). The town is served by the Canadian Pacific Railway and a geographically important airport (CYSP) just north of the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately 4km (2½mi) northeast of the town.

[edit] Education

Marathon is served by five schools. Two public schools - Twomey Public School (Elementary and Marathon High School Secondary) - and three separate schools - Holy Savior Catholic School, École Val des Bois and École Secondaire Cité-Supérieur.

[edit] Recreation and Tourism

Marathon has a children's park named after Del Earle, one of the town's founders.

There are numerous hotels in the town, including Travelodge, Harbour Inn, Peninsula Inn, Wayfare Inn and the Zerp 100 Motor Inn.

Marathon has a challenging 9 hole golf course, Cross-country skiing trails and down hill skiing, and the only indoor swimming pool between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie.

Recent developments in the town include a new skatepark, basketball courts and the refinishing of the tennis courts.