Otonabee–South Monaghan 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 central-eastern

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, in

Peterborough County Peterborough County is located in Southern Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Peterborough, which is independent of the county. The southern section of the county is mix of agriculture, urban and lakefront properties. The northern section of th ...

. The township, located along the

Trent–Severn Waterway The Trent–Severn Waterway is a canal route connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, at Port Severn. Its major natural waterways include the Trent River, Otonabee River, Kawartha Lakes, Lake Simcoe, Lake Couchiching an ...

, was formed on January 1, 1998, through the amalgamation of Otonabee and South Monaghan Townships.

Communities

The township comprises the communities of Assumption, Bailieboro, Bensfort, Bensfort Bridge, Blezard, Cameron, Campbelltown, Drummond, Hall Landing, Indian River, Jermyn, Keene, Lang, Mathers Corners, Pengelley Landing, Pleasant Point, Stewart Hall, Villiers, Wallace Point, and Zion. It has interesting shops, artisans, gardens, and history, with fishing and camping or resorts close at hand.

Geography

The main attraction in the area is the Serpent Mounds Campgrounds and Historical Site. It has an

effigy mound An effigy mound is a raised pile of earth built in the shape of a stylized animal, symbol, religious figure, human, or other figure. The Effigy Moundbuilder culture is primarily associated with the years 550-1200 CE during the Late Woodland Peri ...

in the shape of a snake, constructed as an earthwork nearly 2,000 years ago by

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

of the

Hopewell culture The Hopewell tradition, also called the Hopewell culture and Hopewellian exchange, describes a network of precontact Native American cultures that flourished in settlements along rivers in the northeastern and midwestern Eastern Woodlands from ...

. Formerly a Provincial Park, the government returned the site to the

Hiawatha First Nation The Hiawatha First Nation (formerly Mississaugas of Rice Lake) is a Mississauga Ojibwe First Nations reserve located on the north shore of Rice Lake east of the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada. It is found in Otonabee Township less than 15& ...

as a historically significant

burial ground A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

for the Indigenous people. In addition to the mounds and campgrounds, the park also has a groomed beach for swimming and several kilometers of walking and biking trails. Another popular pastime in the area is fishing. Rice Lake is known to many as a great spot for some boating and fishing. There are also several resorts with water access points.

Education

Keene has a school of approximately 600 students called North Shore Public School. This school is the main elementary school for families in Keene, as well as those on outlying farms. North Shore is a feeder school for Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School.

Transportation

The area is served by the small

Keene/Elmhirst's Resort Airport Keene/Elmhirst's Resort Airport is located east of Keene, Ontario, Canada. See also * Keene/Elmhirst's Resort Water Aerodrome Keene/Elmhirst's Resort Water Aerodrome is located east of Keene, Ontario, Canada Canada is a country ...

and

Keene/Elmhirst's Resort Water Aerodrome Keene/Elmhirst's Resort Water Aerodrome is located east of Keene, Ontario, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into ...

Attractions

Lang Pioneer Village Museum Lang Pioneer Village Museum is a living history museum located in the hamlet of Lang in Peterborough County, Ontario. It was established in 1967 by the County of Peterborough. Lang Pioneer Village is situated on the shores of the historic Indian ...

is a

living history Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...

museum located in the hamlet of Lang.
Lang Pioneer Village
is owned and operated by the County of Peterborough and is open to the public from approximately mid-May to mid-September. In addition to the regular season, Lang Pioneer Village offers various education programs and hosts a number of popular special events throughout the summer and fall seasons. Th
Lang-Hastings Trail
is a 33 km rail trail that runs between Peterborough and Hastings, and passes through Keene and other areas. It is part of the

Trans-Canada Trail The Trans Canada Trail, officially named The Great Trail between September 2016 and June 2021, is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic oceans. The trail extends ...

, the longest trail build in the country.

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 ...

, Otonabee–South Monaghan 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. Mother tongue: * English as first language: 93.1% * French as first language: 0.9% * English and French as first language: 0% * Other as first language: 6.0%

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Otonabee-South Monaghan Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Municipalities in Peterborough County Township municipalities in Ontario Populated places established in 1998 1998 establishments in Ontario