Rossport is a locality on the north shore of Lake Superior in Thunder Bay District, Northwestern Ontario. A designated place served by a local services board, Rossport had a population of 66 in the Canada 2006 Census, a decrease of 41.1% since 2001.[1]
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Rossport is named after John Ross (c1820-1898), construction manager for the north shore of Lake Superior route of the Canadian Pacific Railway from August 1882-June 1885. His construction headquarters during that time period were in Port Arthur, Ontario and at Rossport, then known as McKay's Harbour.
McKay's Harbour was named after Alexander McKay who operated a small fur trading post at Pays Plat and his son Charles McKay who was lighthouse keeper at nearby Battle Island, 1878-1913.
After the end of CPR construction in 1885, Rossport became an important commercial fishing centre. Bowman Street is named after John Bowman (1858–1950) who operated a fishing company there.
In 1911 the luxury steam yacht Gunilda foundered on the McGarvey Shoal and sank 8 kilometers from Rossport.
Rossport is managed by a local services board. Rossport has a water treatment plant which serves 45 households. The hamlet falls within the provincial and federal ridings of Thunder Bay-Superior North.
Parks Canada, the federal agency, has proposed the creation of the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area, which would include the waters off Rossport.
in 2009, the Wilson Islands, an eight-island archipelago just off Rossport were purchased from private owners and will become a Canadian federal natural area under a joint deal backed by the Nature Conservancy, the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.[2].
The Voyageur Hiking Trail passes through the town.
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