Gurd Township is an historical
geographic township
The term township, in Canada, is generally the district or area associated with a town. The specific use of the term to describe political subdivisions has varied by country, usually to describe a local rural or semirural government within the co ...
in central
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, 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 District Municipality of Muskoka, M ...
region of
Parry Sound District
Parry Sound District is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its boundaries are District of Muskoka to the south, the Sudbury District to the north-northwest, the French River and Lake Nipissing in the north, Nipissing Distri ...
.
It was first surveyed in and was named after
Robert Sinclair Gurd, a businessman and one-time mayor of Sarnia. In 1970, Gurd was annexed by the incorporated (Township municipality of)
Nipissing.
The township was shaped like an "L" wrapping around Nipissing. It was bounded on the north and northwest by
Patterson Township on the west by
Pringle Township, on the east and northeast by Nipissing, on the east by
South Himsworth Township and on the south by
Machar Township. It included the community of
Hotham and part of
Commanda.
When it was annexed, Gurd had a population of 260 while Nipissing had 550. Today, the population is approximately 300 (419 including the nearby community of
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...
).
Gurd is home to the
Bray Lake Conservation Reserve,
South River Forest Provincial Conservation Reserve and the
John P. Webster Nature Preserve.
Highway 522 runs through the south of the township while
Highway 534 cuts through the north at Hotham. Gurd is home to Lockharts Mountain , the highest elevation in the Township of Nipissing at 432m (1,417ft).
Etymology
This township in Parry Sound District was named in 1875 for Robert S. Gurd, a
Sarnia
Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes, ...
lawyer. He was a personal friend of
Timothy B. Pardee, Ontario commissioner of crown lands at the time.
See also
*
List of townships in Ontario
This is a list of township (Canada), townships in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. Townships are listed by List of census divisions of Ontario, census division.
Northern Ontario Northeastern Ontario Algoma D ...
References
External links
Heritage Perspectives: How Some Townships Got Their Name
Geographic townships in Ontario
{{Ontario-geo-stub