Black River-Matheson is a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

in the

Cochrane District Cochrane District is a district and Census divisions of Canada, census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1921 from parts of Timiskaming District, Timiskami ...

of the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. The municipality is astride the Black River, for which it is partly named. The

Matheson railway station Matheson station is located in the township of Black River-Matheson in Ontario, Canada. History An original station was built on the line circa 1908 by the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway; it was destroyed in the Matheson Fire in 1916. ...

was serviced by the

Northlander The ''Northlander'' was a passenger train operated by the Ontario Northland Railway in Ontario, Canada. The ''Northlander'' operated six days per week year-round in both directions and connected Cochrane with Toronto. The train typically con ...

until 2012. Matheson was first known as McDougall's Chute after an early trapper. Renamed for Arthur J. Matheson (1842-1913), provincial Treasurer and M.P.P. for South Lanark. Became part of Timmins on January 1, 1973. Mining, forestry and farming are some of the principal industries in the area, augmented by outdoor tourism in the summer, such as fishing and hunting. There are three elementary schools within the municipality.

Communities

The communities in the township are Holtyre, Matheson, Ramore, Shillington, Val Gagné and Wavell. The main community of Matheson is located at the intersection of highways 11 and 101.

History

Prospecting started in 1909. The Croesus Mine (1914-1918) became "one of the richest mines in Canada," according to Barnes. Gold was like "plums in pudding" and "one gold nugget was egg shaped, two inches long and one and a quarter across." A total of 16 companies operated in the Harker Holloway area from 1917 to 1925, including Harker Gold Mines. P.A. McDermott found a gold-bearing zone in 1922, which became American Barrick's Holt-McDermott Mine in 1988. Located in the

Abitibi greenstone belt The Abitibi greenstone belt is a 2,800-to-2,600-million-year-old greenstone belt that spans across the Ontario–Quebec border in Canada. It is mostly made of volcanic rocks, but also includes ultramafic rocks, mafic intrusions, granitoid rocks, ...

, the mine produced 60,000 ounces of gold in 1994. The Great Fire of 1916 left 243 dead.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Black River-Matheson had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Population trend:Statistics Canada 1996 Census
Community Highlights for Black River-Matheson
/ref> * Population in 2016: 2,438 * Population in 2011: 2,410 * Population in 2006: 2,619 * Population in 2001: 2,912 (or 2,886 when adjusted for 2006 boundaries) * Population in 1996: 3,220 * Population in 1991: 3,451

Notable people

Harry Brightwell Arthur Harry Brightwell (born 4 August 1932) was a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1984 to 1993. He was a veterinarian by career. Born in Matheson, Ontario, he attended the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario where he ...

, Member of Parliament; born in Matheson. *

Bob McCord Robert Lomer "Bob" McCord (March 20, 1934 – October 21, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 316 games in the National Hockey League between 1963 and 1973. He played for the Minnesota North Stars, Detroit Red Wings, St. ...

, professional hockey player; born in Matheson. *

Dianne Poole Dianne Poole (born June 28, 1949) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She served as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1995. Background Poole has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Trent Univers ...

, Member of Provincial Parliament; raised in Matheson.

References

External links