Burk's Falls is an incorporated

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in the

Almaguin Highlands The Almaguin Highlands Region (colloquially known as Almaguin, also referred to as 'the Highlands') in Ontario, Canada, covers approximately comprising the eastern half of Parry Sound District. It is bounded by Muskoka in the south, and by Lake ...

region of Parry Sound District,

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 ...

, Canada, located north of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and south of

North Bay, Ontario North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. North Bay developed as a railroad centre, and its airport was an important military ...

. The village, and the waterfall on the site, were named (for himself) by

David Francis Burk David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

Oshawa Oshawa ( , also ; 2021 population 175,383; CMA 415,311) is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of Downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the G ...

, after he selected the land surrounding the waterfall in the Free Land Grant Act. Burk's Falls is part of the Magnetawan River waterway.

Geography

Located about west of Algonquin Provincial Park in picturesque cottage country, Burk's Falls is at the intersection of

Ontario Highway 11 King's Highway 11, commonly referred to as Highway 11, is a Ontario Provincial Highway Network, provincially maintained highway in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. At , it is the second longest highway in the ...

and the Magnetawan River.Burks Falls, Ontario, Canada — Welcome to our thought-provoking, exciting Village
/ref> It is an enclave within Armour Township. The area is set amid the fresh-water bodies that make Northern Ontario famous; the largest of which are Horn Lake to the Northwest, Pickerel Lake to the Northeast, Three Mile Lake to the Southeast, and the joined Doe and Little Doe Lakes to the Southwest.

History

The area around Burk's Falls was first settled by loggers during the 1860s. At that time, the only access to the region was via the Magnetawan River from

Georgian Bay Georgian Bay (french: Baie Georgienne) is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To ...

, or through the forests of the unsurveyed townships, north of Bracebridge. After 1875 the Rosseau-Nipissing Colonization Road allowed access from Muskoka, to the south. In 1879

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

service was established to the foot of the falls, from the historic village of Magnetawan. Railway service came to Burk's Falls in 1886, with the opening of

Northern and Pacific Junction Railway The Northern and Pacific Junction Railway (N&PJ) is a historic railway located in northern Ontario, Canada. It connected the Northern Railway of Canada's endpoint in Gravenhurst to the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) at Nipissing Junction, near No ...

, absorbed by the Grand Trunk Railway in 1888. The Village of Burk's Falls was incorporated in 1890. A rare swing bridge was completed over the Magnetawan, just west of Burk's Falls.

Growth of the village

This growth has been limited and Burk's Falls has not amalgamated with any nearby towns such as Katrine. The population has remained steady over the last decades, standing around 1000. Expansion of Highway 11 as a dual carriageway has prompted a new interchange. Also located in Burk's Falls is the Outward Bound Canadian Base Camp.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

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 ...

, Burk's Falls 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.

Transportation

The village is served by provincial highways 11 and

520 __NOTOC__ Year 520 ( DXX) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rusticus and Vitalianus (or, less frequently, ye ...

. Intercity motor coach service to Burk's Falls is provided by

Ontario Northland The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), or simply Ontario Northland, is a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario responsible for providing transportation services for passengers and goods in northern Ontario. It reports to ...

along its Toronto–Barrie–Parry Sound–Sudbury route's local schedule; it is bypassed by express schedules, but still receives twice-daily service northbound and southbound.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Municipalities in Parry Sound District Single-tier municipalities in Ontario Villages in Ontario Magnetawan River