Unorganized West Part Manitoulin District is an

unorganized area An unorganized area or unorganized territory () is any geographic region in Canada that does not form part of a municipality or Indian reserve. In these areas, the lowest level of government is Provinces and territories of Canada, provincial or te ...

Manitoulin District Manitoulin District is a district in Northeastern Ontario within the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1888 from part of the Algoma District. The district seat is in Gore Bay. It comprises Manitoulin Island primarily, as well as a ...

in northeastern

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 ...

, encompassing the portion of

Manitoulin Island Manitoulin Island ( ) is an island in Lake Huron, located within the borders of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, in the bioregion known as Laurentia (bioregion), Laurentia. With an area of , it is the Lake ...

which is not part of an incorporated municipality. It comprises the geographic townships of Robinson and Dawson. Separate local services boards provide services in Robinson and Dawson townships.

Communities

The division includes the communities of Burnt Island, Cook's Dock, Fernlee, Meldrum Bay, and Silver Water.

Meldrum Bay

Meldrum Bay () is located at the western terminus of Highway 540, west of Gore Bay. Settled in the 1870s by

Scottish people Scottish people or Scots (; ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the Scotland in the Early Middle Ages, early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who f ...

from southern Ontario, and named after the namesake bay on which it is located, Meldrum Bay developed as a commercial fishing and lumbering centre. Its first mill opened in 1880. Once the village was home to stores, hotels, blacksmiths, school, and boarding houses, as well as a busy fishing fleet and Great Lakes steamers tied up at the docks. From the 1920s, steamers of the

Owen Sound Transportation Company The Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited is a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario responsible for operating seasonal ferry services within Ontario, Canada. OSTC is based in Owen Sound and was originally established in 1921 as a pr ...

provided weekly ferry service between Meldrum Bay and

Thessalon Thessalon is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located at the junction of Highway 17 and Highway 129 on the north shore of Lake Huron. It is surrounded by, but not part of, the municipality of Huron Shores, and is part of Algoma Di ...

, on its route between

Owen Sound Owen Sound (2021 Canadian Census, 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat, seat of government of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi River, Pottawatomi and Sydenham River ...

and

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in northern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of the St. Mary's River directly across from its "twin city," Sault Ste. Marie, in the state of Michigan. The city's population was 72,051 at the 2021 census, makin ...

. However, the 1962 opening of the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

, and other road improvements, made this service unprofitable. Now during the summer, the docks are busy again, lined with pleasure craft from around the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

. This area holds some of the best

chinook salmon The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Oncorhynchus, Pacific salmon. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other vernacular names for the species include king salmon, quinn ...

fishing in all of Canada. Many residents of the area are employed by Lafarge, whose quarry west of Meldrum Bay produces dolomite used in concrete, road construction and metallurgical processing. This Lafarge Canada site opened in the 1980s and is the home of the "largest Canadian marine quarry," with loading docks on the

Mississagi Strait The Mississagi Strait is a narrow strait or channel in Manitoulin District, Ontario, Canada, located in Lake Huron. It connects the North Channel to the main water body, and also separates Manitoulin Island Manitoulin Island ( ) is an isl ...

Silver Water

Silver Water () is located on Highway 540 approximately west of Gore Bay. Named after, or around the same time as, nearby Silver Lake, it has a year-round population of approximately 62 families, which almost doubles during the summer months. It is a vibrant rural community, with the majority of the population being retired seniors. The community contains a well equipped community center as well as a popular country-style diner, both of which are well used community gathering sites. Silver Water has an all volunteer fire department, servicing the Robinson geographic township, consisting of 1 pumper and 2 tankers. This helps in keeping the residents homeowners insurance rates down. Silver Water also has a very active membership in the local United Church.

Demographics

References

External links