Killarney, Ontario

Killarney is a municipality located on the northern shore of Georgian Bay in the Sudbury District of Ontario, Canada. Killarney is commonly associated with Killarney Provincial Park, which is a large wilderness park located to the east of the townsite which occupies much of the municipality's expanded boundary. In addition to the community of Killarney itself, the communities of Hartley Bay and Bigwood, and the ghost towns of French River, Collins Inlet and Key Harbour, are also located within the municipal boundaries. The eastern end of the La Cloche Mountain Range is also located within the municipality of Killarney.

History

Killarney's established community was founded in 1820 by Etienne De La Morandiere (although indigenous peoples were living there prior), a French Canadian originally from Varennes, Quebec and a fur trader in Sault St Marie, Michigan, along with his wife Josette Sai Sai Go No Kwe, an indigenous woman from Michigan and a close relative of Chief Kitchi, meaning Big Gun. Soon after the arrival of the De La Morandieres, many French Canadian families started to settle in Killarney, including the Proulxs and the Roques, starting many fishing businesses in the process. Although there was already an existing settlement here at that time, they are credited with the founding of the settlement.

The population increased when the logging industry took off in Colins Inlet in the late 1800s. Hundreds of people from around Ontario went to Colins Inlet for work and established a large community in the area. The logging industry collapsed in the early 1900s because of the low demand and the population declined. Remains of the large village can be seen across from the present-day Mill Lake lodge.

Another key industry that had a major impact on Killarney's economy was the fishing industry. There were many fishing companies in Killarney including C.W.L (Charles William Low), The Nobles, Charles Low/Joseph Roque partnership, and Albert Lowe. The collapse of the fishing industry at the end of the 1950s affected many families in Killarney including the Low, Roque, Jackman, Proulx, and Herbert families. Recreational fishing was also an industry. A fishing camp was run by the Fruehauf Trailer Company out of Detroit, Michigan. Roy Fruehauf, president of the company from 1949 to 1961, was primarily responsible for operating Killarney Mountain Lodge. Clients and guests would be flown in via Mallard sea planes for vacations during the warmer summer months.

A quarry in Killarney Bay had fixed this issue for many families by creating more employment opportunities in the area. The quarry is located on the westside of the Landsdowne channel and had been very financially efficient after the downfall of the fishing industry.The quarry eventually was shut down in 2016 over a labour dispute and the industry that replaced it was tourism.

The major tourism businesses in Killarney were the Killarney mountain lodge, the Sportsmans Inn, the Killarney Bay Inn, the Pines Inn, Herbert fisheries, and Pitfield's General Store. The booming tourism industry brought hundreds of thousands of dollars to the businesses of Killarney as well as the many families that contributed to it. The current tourism businesses of Killarney include the Killarney Mountain Lodge, the Sportsmans Inn, Gateway Marina, Aunt Beas Corner Kitchen, Herbert fisheries, and Pitfield's General Store.

When and why the place name Shebahonaning was changed to Killarney is unknown. Lady Dufferin, wife of the Governor-General of Canada, has often been credited with the name change, but the passage in her journal which describes their stop in Killarney is dated 1874 -- almost twenty years after the Post Office had replaced the Shebahonaning postal stamp with one reading Killarney.

In July 1962, Highway 637 was established, connecting Killarney to major highways like Highway 69 and Highway 17, making it easier for people to travel to major cities like Toronto or Sudbury.  Before that, the people of the town had to either go by boat in the summer to Little Current and then take a train to Sudbury or other areas to obtain food and resources or by horse and buggy in the winter.

The current municipality was incorporated on January 1, 1999, when the Ontario provincial government expanded the boundaries of the township of Rutherford and George Island, the former governing body of the community of Killarney. The municipality was also transferred from the Manitoulin District to the Sudbury District at that time. In 2006, the municipality was enlarged again when it annexed the unorganized mainland portion of Manitoulin District.

The larger municipality of Killarney now encompasses virtually all of Killarney Provincial Park and the French River delta, and in fact extends all the way to Highway 69, over 70 kilometres from the townsite. Despite the municipality's geographic size, most of its population continues to reside in the community of Killarney itself, although smaller settlements also exist at Hartley Bay and Bigwood.

The municipal boundaries of Killarney encompass the geographic townships of Rutherford and George Island, Hansen, Goschen, Sale, Attlee, Kilpatrick, Travers, Struthers, Allen, Bigwood, Killarney, Humboldt and Carlyle, and the northern part of Henvey.

List of mayors

Municipality of Killarney:
* Laurier Low: 1999−2006

*Morgan Pitfield: 2006−2014
*Ginny Rook: 2014−2020
*Nancy Wirtz: 2020−2022
*Michael Reider: 2022-Incumbent

Election Results

2018 Election results

2022 Election Results

The Killarney Provincial Park

The Killarney Provincial Park was created in 1967 on Canada's centennial anniversary after a cabinet minister proposed a 4,000 square mile brand new provincial park to conserve the beautiful La Cloche Mountain range ecosystem. The boundaries of the Killarney Provincial Park roughly follow highway 17 on the North, highway 6 on the West, highway 69 on the East and Georgian Bay South. The Killarney Provincial Park consists of one campground surrounding George Lake, the provincial park also has backcountry campsites on many lakes near and along the La Cloche Mountain range. On the North side of the provincial park is the La Cloche Mountain range which consists of quartzite and granite and to the south Georgian Bay and an access point called Chikanishing Creek where thousands of kayakers and canoeists paddle out of every year. Located within the park is the 100km backcountry La Cloche Silhouette trail. This trail is rated difficult and takes the experienced hiker 6-8 days to complete. Paddler’s can also complete the trail using the established canoe route and portages.

Economy

The Killarney area's economy is based primarily on tourism, consisting mainly of wilderness lodges, campgrounds and retail services geared toward campers and other visitors to Killarney Provincial Park. Killarney Outfitters, located just outside of the town, is the primary place where folks go to prepare for backcountry camping. All ones camping needs can be found here as well as delicious Kawartha Dairy ice cream.

A community museum, the Killarney Centennial Museum, is located in Killarney adjacent to the municipal government offices. One tourism website listed 21 things to do in the area, although much of the content is related to the provincial park.21 Sites, Sights and Things to do in Killarney, Ontario
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Although not officially part of the Sudbury East region, Killarney participates in the regional Sudbury East Planning Board with the municipalities of French River, St. Charles and Markstay-Warren.

Killarney Provincial Park is also home to the Killarney Provincial Park Observatory.

During spring and summer 2020, the area's tourism suffered because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada and restrictions on travel to Canada from other countries, including the US.

The fishing industry

There were many fishing companies in Killarney including C.W.L ( Charles William Low), The Nobles, Charles Low/Joseph Roque partnership, and Albert Lowe. Most of these people at some point worked together in Killarney to sustain the fishing needs of the community. The main difference between the many different fishing businesses in Killarney was how they fished. for example, Albert Lowe used Gill nets which would catch the gills of the fish making them unable to escape. On the other hand, Charlie Low used "pound" nets that impounded the fish to catch them. Charles Low spent most of his life fishing, owning and operating his own fishing business, called CWL, collaborating with two of his sons: Cecil and William. Building many fishing outposts around Killarney Including one on "Low island" which he bought from the government in the early 1920s. On "Low island" Charles built three cabins during the 1920s: the log cabin used for sleeping, the first kitchen by the water used to clean and file the fish he caught (which was later torn down), and the second kitchen which was more modern and was used for cooking and storage. The log cabin and second kitchen cabin still stand today. Many other fishing families and businesses in town built fishing outposts in the area of Georgian Bay surrounding the village of Killarney. The collapse of the fishing industry at the end of the 1950s  affected many families in Killarney including the Low, Roque, Jackman, Proulx, and Herbert families. The collapse caused many families of Killarney to either go broke or have to look into other means of employment in order to support their families.

The Tourism industry.

The major tourism businesses in Killarney were the Killarney Mountain Lodge, the Sportsmans Inn, the Killarney Bay Inn, the Pines Inn, Herbert Fisheries, and Pitfields General Store. The booming tourism industry brought hundreds of thousands of dollars to the businesses of Killarney as well as the many families that contributed to it. The current tourism businesses of Killarney include the Killarney Mountain Lodge, the Sportsmans Inn, Gateway Marina, Aunt Beas Corner Kitchen,Herbert fisheries, and Pitifelds General Store. Both the Killarney Mountain Lodge and the Sportsmans Inn were at one point owned and operated by members of the East family who had speerheaded the tourism industry in the town since the 1960s. Although in 2015 the East family sold the Killarney Mountain Lodge to Holden Rhodes a lawyer from London who has ancestrial roots to the town. A few years later Rhodes bought the Sportsman Inn as well as the Killarney Bay Inn, although he used the Killarney Bay Inn, for staff housing instead of hospitality for tourists. Throughout Holden Rhodes ownership of the Killarney Mountain Lodge, Sportsmans Inn, and Killarney Bay Inn he renovated and rejuventated the properties in many ways and helped the marketing of the town which increased its tourism and contributed to its economy. Holden Rhodes also merged the Killarney Mountain Lodge and the Sportsmans Inn, into sister properties which meant the guests of each resort were able to use the amenities of either property. The Killarney Mountain Lodge broke history when they built the largest log conference centre in the world with a steak house, large gym, and a large dinning hall built for weddings and large venues. The Killarney Mountain Lodge also broke history when they built the largest canoe paddle which is a major attraction and brought many tourists to the town.

Transportation

The only road access to Killarney is via Highway 637. The town is also served by the small Killarney Airport. It is also possible to travel to Killarney by boat, usually from the town of Little Current.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Killarney 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.

See also

*List of townships in Ontario

References

External links

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Municipalities in Sudbury District
Populated places on Lake Huron in Canada
Single-tier municipalities in Ontario
Company towns in Canada
Fruehauf Trailer Corporation