Kearney is a town and municipality in the Almaguin Highlands 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 ...

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 ...

. With a landmass of 528 square kilometres and a year-round population of 974 in the

Canada 2021 Census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada, 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%, whic ...

, Kearney claims to be the "Biggest Little Town in Ontario."

History

Perry Township was opened to settlement in 1873 and the first two

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

s in the township were established at Scotia and Emsdale, on the Muskoka Road. In 1879, in the north-east corner of the township, settlers Arthur J. O'Neil and his partner William Kearney opened a store on the 12th Concession, near what is now Cherry Hill Road, (west of Beaver Lake). In the following year a post office was opened in "Kearney Store" and inherited the name. In those days the closest railway was the Northern at Gravenhurst from which all supplies were brought up the Muskoka Road. Kearney prospered as a logging town with many sawmills and lumber camps. The logs were floated down the

Magnetawan River The Magnetawan River is a long river in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada. The river flows 175 km from its source of Magnetawan Lake inside Algonquin Provincial Park to empty into Georgian Bay at the community of Britt, Ontario, Britt on ...

, some as far as Byng Inlet. With the arrival of the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway in 1895, a siding was built at the foot of what was known as Long Lake (now Perry Lake). The commerce of the village shifted to the east side of the lake, near the railway station, where logs would be loaded onto the train after only a few days drive. In 1908, Kearney separated from the township of Perry, and it was incorporated as a town. The original parcel of land included 600 acres (2.4 km²). The Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway was absorbed into the Canada Atlantic Railway, which was sold to the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; ) was a Rail transport, railway system that operated in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the List of states and territories of the United States, American sta ...

in 1905. In 1923 the Grand Trunk became part of the

Canadian National Railways The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue an ...

. The track from Kearney into

Algonquin Park Algonquin Provincial Park is an Ontario provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Canada. Addit ...

was abandoned in 1959. The rail bed was converted into a road to allow continued access to the now

ghost towns A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

of Ryan and Ravensworth, and Rain Lake in Algonquin Park. Sections of the original frontier roads around Ryan and Ravensworth now serve as snow-mobile trails, while others have been completely abandoned and allowed to grow wild. Through the 1970s Kearney claimed to be "The Smallest Town in Ontario." On December 1, 1979, legislation was passed to amalgamate the town of Kearney, with the geographic townships of Proudfoot and Bethune, as well as the portions of Butt and McCraney townships in

Nipissing District Nipissing District is a district in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1858. The district seat is North Bay. In 2021, the population was 84,716. The land area is ; the population density was , making it o ...

that were not part of

Algonquin Provincial Park Algonquin Provincial Park is an Ontario Ontario Parks, provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River, mostly within the Nipissing, Unorganized, South Part, Ontario, Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established i ...

. In the mid 90s, a town councillor and Kearney Youth Group founder, Dale Louise Germaney, coined the name "Ontario's 'Biggest Little Town'" which is still used to this day.

Community

Kearney is a gateway to

wilderness with three access points - one at Tim Lake, one at Magnetawan Lake and most popular, at Rain Lake. Both canoe and hiking routes can be accessed from these park entry points. In the early years, the train took visitors right into the park, with many side trips available from there. Today the roads run right back into the park's three access points. Kearney is well known as a tourist centre, and has a seasonal population of over 2500 people. Kearney's popularity is not only because of its proximity to Algonquin Park, but for its swimming, water sports, camping and fishing. Lakes within the town boundaries, including Clam, Beaver, Fisher, Grass, Island, Loon and

Sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

Lakes, are vacation destinations for many visitors - boasting cottages, resorts, and campgrounds. Bear, moose and deer hunting provides sport for hunters coming to the area. The Kearney Community Centre, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2000, houses the municipal offices, library, and seniors room and banquet facilities. The centre offers indoor activities during the weekdays such as card parties and special interest classes. Kearney also has a number of groups including the Royal Canadian Legion, the

Lions Club Lions Clubs International, is an international service organization, currently headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. , it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members (including the youth wing Leo clubs, Leo) in more than 200 ge ...

, and various church and other groups.

Events

Annual events include the Blackfly Festival, Lions Club Lobsterfest, Creative Changes Art Show, Sand Lake Regatta, Kearney Regatta, Kearney Lions Club Pancake Breakfast, Christmas Fun Fair and Craft Sale, th
"Kearney Dog Sled Races"
and Sand Lake Thanksgiving Sunday Turkey Shoot. Kearney is also well known for its grand and impressive firework show that is held every July. Visits can be made to the restored pioneer log church at Sand Lake as well as many other points of interest along the way. Kearney's history of

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucksdog sled A dog sled or dog sleigh is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow, a practice known as mushing. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for Sled dog racing, dog sl ...

races in the winter. The races, which are organized by the Kearney Dog Sled Race Committee, have grown in popularity with both spectators and racers since its inception in 1995. The mushers can choose from a number of scenic trails used for four, six, and forty mile races, and as of February 2010, a 120-mile overnight race. In addition to the races, the weekend has a full roster of family events, including

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

and

ice fishing Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities. Shelters L ...

. The local postal code of Kearney is P0A 1M0. The post office services the town with lock boxes and a rural route. Kearney is located 43 km north of

Huntsville, Ontario Huntsville is a town in Muskoka district, Ontario. It is located north of Toronto and south of North Bay. Of the three major Muskoka towns (the others being Gravenhurst and Bracebridge), Huntsville has the largest population (21,147 per 2 ...

. From Huntsville, follow Hwy 11 north until exit 244 (Emsdale), then Hwy 518 east to Kearney.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Kearney 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. Age Groups * 0–14 years: 8.5% * 15–64 years: 62.1% * 65 years and over: 28.2% Mother Tongue * English: 92.6% * French: 2.3% * Other: 5.1%

Notable people

* Jim Proudfoot (1933– 2001), Canadian sports journalist

Image gallery

Image:Kearney Town Council 2006.jpg, Mayor J Jeffrey Johnston and Town Council (2006) Image:2005-11-13 Remembrance Ceremony, Kearney, ON 03.JPG, Remembrance Day Ceremony (2005)

References

External links

* {{Parry Sound District Logging communities in Canada Municipalities in Parry Sound District Single-tier municipalities in Ontario Towns in Ontario Magnetawan River 1880 establishments in Ontario 1908 establishments in Ontario Populated places established in 1880 Populated places established in 1908