Minden Hills

Minden Hills, Ontario, Canada
Township (lower-tier)
Township of Minden Hills

Municipal office
Minden Hills
Coordinates: 44°56′N 78°44′W / 44.933°N 78.733°W / 44.933; -78.733Coordinates: 44°56′N 78°44′W / 44.933°N 78.733°W / 44.933; -78.733
Country  Canada
Province  Ontario
County Haliburton
Settled 1850s
Formed January 1, 2001
Government
  Type Township
  Reeve Brent Devolin
  Federal riding Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock
  Prov. riding Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock
Area
  Land 878.17 km2 (339.06 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
  Total 5,655
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal Code K0M
Area code(s) 705
Website www.mindenhills.ca
Minden

Minden Hills is a township in and the county seat of Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgam of the townships of Snowdon, Lutterworth, Anson, Hindon and Minden. It is usually referred to as Minden, after its largest community.

The township was formed on January 1, 2001, by combining the townships of Lutterworth, Snowdon, and Anson Hindon & Minden.

Communities

The primary residential and commercial centre of the township is Minden, located just off Highway 35 (44°55′34″N 78°43′33″W / 44.92611°N 78.72583°W / 44.92611; -78.72583).

The township also includes the smaller communities of Blairhampton, Brady Lake, Buller, Carnarvon, Deep Bay, Dutch Line, Gelert, Hindon Hill (abandoned community), Howland, Ingoldsby, Irondale, Kilcoo Harbour, Lochlin, Lutterworth, Miners Bay, and Moore Falls.

Minden

Minden, named after a town in the North Rhine–Westphalia federal state in Germany, was first surveyed in 1858. Before that, the settlement was called Gull River.[2][3] Settlers were first drawn to the region (via the Bobcaygeon Road, an original colonization road), because of its timber resources. The town lies on the banks of the Gull River and during the 19th and 20th centuries, loggers used the river to move timber to sawmills downstream.

Since the 1940s the town has become an increasingly popular summer destination given its close proximity to larger cities in southern Ontario. The population grows dramatically during the summer months as a result of tourism. The Minden Times and The Highlander are the local newspapers, and the local post office on Water St. serves residents with lock boxes and three rural routes.

The Minden Hills Cultural Centre is home to the Agnes Jamieson Gallery, named after Dr. Agnes Jamieson, the first female coroner in Ontario. The Gallery houses the largest known collection of André Lapine's work. Both Lapine and Jamieson lived in Minden during part of their lives. The Cultural Centre is also home to the Minden Hills Museum, which includes seven heritage buildings, including a school, a blacksmith shop and a church. R.D. Lawrence Place, an interactive learning centre celebrating Canadian author Ron Lawrence, is also located here.

Minden is home to one of the Ontario Camps Association's most prestigious camps, Onondaga. Located on Rackety Trail off highway 35, Onondaga dates from 1918, when it was first established at Port Dover. It moved to Middle Bob Lake, near Minden, in 1931.[4]

2013 flood

The Gull River flooded in April 2013, leading to a state of emergency declaration on April 20.[5] By May 3, officials were predicting another two weeks of abnormally high water levels in the Trent-Severn Waterway system. The excess water that was held back in the reservoir lakes north of Minden was being slowly released and moved through the village so as not to cause increased damage. The use of the reservoir lakes north of Minden to collect water was necessary to avert a threat to the essential utilities of water, hydro and sewage treatment. However, it extended the flood damage area north throughout the entire Gull River Watershed. Many of the properties on those lakes were damaged.[6]

Residents of the area were evacuated from their homes on short notice and remained out until mid-May.[7] Claims by residents to the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program totaled 1.8 million dollars by November 2013, in addition to an estimated 2.2 million dollars in insured claims. The township spent $370,000 on flood related costs.[8]

2015 Pan Am Games

Minden Wild Water Preserve was a venue of the 2015 Pan Am Games hosting canoe events.

Demographics

Canada census – Minden Hills community profile
2011 2006
Population: 5655 (1.8% from 2006) 5556 (4.6% from 2001)
Land area: 878.17 km2 (339.06 sq mi) 847.76 km2 (327.32 sq mi)
Population density: 6.4/km2 (17/sq mi) 6.6/km2 (17/sq mi)
Median age: 50.1 (M: 49.5, F: 50.6)
Total private dwellings: 6020 6220
Median household income: $48,739
References: 2011[9] 2006[10] earlier[11]

Population trend:[12]

Mother tongue:

See also

References

  1. "Minden Hills census profile". Canada 2011 Census. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  2. Murray, Florence B. 1963. Muskoka and Haliburton 1615-1875: A Collection of Documents. Florence B. Murray, ed. The Champlain Society for the Government of Ontario, University of Toronto Press
  3. Item Display - Post Offices and Postmasters - ArchiviaNet - Library and Archives Canada
  4. Onondaga Camp website
  5. Minden Hills still under water after two weeks — and may be for two more, GlobalNews.ca, May 1, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2013
  6. Flood release #24, Minden Times, May 3, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2013
  7. Township of Minden Hills - Flood Related
  8. Flood-related Cost Estimate
  9. "2011 Community Profiles". Canada 2011 Census. Statistics Canada. July 5, 2013. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  10. "2006 Community Profiles". Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  11. "2001 Community Profiles". Canada 2001 Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012.
  12. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
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