Temagami, Ontario

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Temagami, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Temagami.

Temagami is a region and a municipality in northeastern Ontario, Canada, in the District of Nipissing with Lake Temagami at its heart.

According to the 2006 Statistics Canada Census for the Municipality of Temagami:

Population: 934
% Change (2001-2006): 4.6
Dwellings: 1325
Area (km²): 1,906.42
Density (persons per km²): 0.5

The Temagami region is known as N'Daki Menan, the homeland of the area's Aboriginal community, most of whom are Anishnabe (Ojibwe), living on Bear Island. The official name for this group is the Temagami First Nation. However, a group that includes these people, plus non-status residents and some non-residents is called the Teme-Augama Anishnabe.

It is also known as the staging point for cottage vacationing and wilderness trips on Lake Temagami, in Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park, and all other vast tracks of wilderness in the area. There are several outfitters here that cater to outdoor activity.

The community is home to the Finlayson Point Provincial Park, which itself offers access to Lake Temagami. An excellent view of the entire Temagami area is offered by the Temagami Fire Tower, a renovated fire lookout tower that visitors can climb for a small fee. The Temagami Fire Tower was last used 25 years ago to spot fires. The original fire tower was 45 feet high and was made of square timber.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Lakes
4 Communities
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

The Anishnabe have been living in the area for thousands of years. Since the main east-west trade route bypassed Temagami to the south, settlement of this area by Europeans did not come until 1850. That year the Hudson's Bay Company built a store on Lake Temagami. The town itself was founded by Daniel O'Connor who in 1903 formed a steamship company on the lake and established its first store on the future townsite. By 1906, he built three hotels on Lake Temagami: Hotel Ronnoco, Temagami Inn and Lady Evelyn Hotel.

Temagami Railroad Station

In the summer of 1904 the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway (now Ontario Northland) from North Bay to New Liskeard was completed, allowing easier access to the area and the "Great Clay Belt" around Lake Temiscaming.

Discoveries of gold, copper, nickel, and particularly silver around 1903 brought mining to nearby Cobalt and accelerated development of the region. Several mines opened around Temagami. Some of these mines were Sherman Mine, Kanichee Mine, Harris Mine and Copperfield's Mine, which once mined the richest copper ore in Canada.

The Forest Reserves Act of 1898 established the 15000 km² (5900 square miles) Temagami Forest Reserve. Because of this reserve, the region was home to the last old growth forests in Ontario. Logging of the vast pine stands only began in the 1920s. Now just a few patches of old growth remain, including the world's largest stand of old-growth red and white pine forest - the Obabika Lake Forest (2500 ha). This has led to confrontation in recent years between loggers and environmentalists when new logging access roads are built or major logging operations are proposed. Access to many old-growth areas is provided on local hiking and canoeing portage trails.

In 1973, The Teme-Augam Anishnabe (TAA) exercised a land caution against development on the Crown land of 10,000 square kilometres-most of the Temagami area. The attorney-general of Ontario pursued legal action against the Band for this caution. The TAA lost this court case in 1984 and the Band proceeded with an Appeal to the Supreme Court. The Band lost this Appeal and eventually the Caution was lifted.

In 1988, the Ontario Minister of Natural Resources, Vince Kerrio approved the expansion of the Red Squirrel logging road, directly through Anishnabe territory. This prompted a series of roadblocks by the TAA and by environmentalists in 1988-1989.

In 1991 the TAA and the Ontario government (now NDP) created the Wendaban Stewardship Authority to decide what to do with the four counties near the logging road. The committee eventually dissolved. An agreement is currently being negotiated and a decision to accept the agreement will be happening in 2007.

[edit] Geography

The Temagami land is part of the Canadian Shield one of the largest single exposure of Precambrian rocks in the world which were formed after the earth's crust cooled. Temagami land has striking similarities to the Sudbury Structure which is one of the richest mining camps in the world. The hills in the Temagami area are the remnants of the oldest mountain ranges in North America that date back during the Precambrian era. These enormous mountains were taller than any that exist today. The uplifting was accomplished as enormous pressure caused the earth to buckle in a process called folding. Other processes such as volcanic activity and geologic faulting in which the earth cracks open also contributed to the formation of these mountains. Over millions of years these mountains were gradually eroded to the land we know it today in Temagami. The rocks that form Temagami to this day are igneous, metamorphic and some sedimentary rock. The Temagami area has good potential to host diamondiferous kimberlites and more diamond bearing kimberlites may continue to be discovered.

There are a number of northwest trending faults in the Temagami East claim block area and are associated with the St. Lawrence Graben system and remains seismically active.

Minerals in the Temagami area include Aragonite, Brochantite, Calcite, Chalcopyrite, Jasper, Magnetite, Molybdenite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine Group and Talc.

The Temagami area provides rugged topography, which is excellent for hiking. There are numerous viewpoints in the Temagami area, including Maple Mountain and Ishpatina Ridge, which is the highest point in Ontario, dot the rugged landscape.

[edit] Lakes

Significant lakes located within Temagami's municipal boundaries include:

Angus Lake
Brophy Lake
Cassels Lake
Chambers Lake
Cross Lake
Duncan Lake
Gull Lake
Herridge Lake
Ingall Lake
James Lake
Jumping Caribou Lake
Lady Evelyn Lake
Lake Temagami
Lowell Lake
Martin Lake
Net Lake
Obabika Lake
Obashkong Lake
Rabbit Lake
Rib Lake
Red Squirrel Lake
Tent Lake
Twin Lake
Wasaksina Lake
Wilson Lake

[edit] Communities

Communities located within Temagami's municipal boundaries are:

Adanac
Bear Island
Devil's Island
High Rock Island
Marten River
Temagami
Temagami North
Temagami Island

	North: Western Unorganized Timiskaming
West: Northern Unorganized Nipissing	Temagami Temagami completely surrounds Bear Island 1	East: Northern Unorganized Nipissing
	South: Northern Unorganized Nipissing

[edit] References

Brian Back, The Keewaydin Way: The story of the world's oldest canoe-trip camp, 2nd edition, 2004.
Matt Bray and Ashley Thomson, Temagami: A Debate on Wilderness
Bruce Hodgins and Jamie Benidickson, The Temagami Experience: Recreation, Resources, and Aboriginal Rights in the Northern Ontario Wilderness, 1989.
Bruce Hodgins, Ute Lischke and David T. McNab, Blockades and Resistance: Studies in Actions of Peace and the Temagami Blockades of 1988-1989
Hap Wilson, Temagami Canoe Routes, 7th edition 1992, ISBN 0-9693258-1-9
Ottertooth.com: Temagami's online magazine
Temagami Integrated Planning Background Information, 2005, ISBN 0-7794-7060-5, Online version