Manitouwadge is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

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 ...

. It is located in the

Thunder Bay District Thunder Bay District is a district#Ontario, district and Census divisions of Canada, census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The County seat, district seat is Thunder Bay. Most of the district (93.5%) is uni ...

, at the north end of Highway 614, east of

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...

and north-west of Sault Ste. Marie.

History

Manitouwadge (''Manidoowaazh'' in

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

, meaning "Cave of the Great Spirit") is part of the wide-ranging territory of the

people. The town itself was founded by General Engineering Co Limited (later Noranda; now part of

Xstrata Xstrata plc was an Anglo-Swiss Multinational corporation, multinational mining company headquartered in Zug, Switzerland and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It was a major producer of coal (and the world's largest exporter o ...

) after staking claims in 1953 in support of a

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

mine. The other mine in Manitouwadge is the Willroy mine, named after two of the "Weekend Prospectors" William Dawidowich and Roy Barker. Full production at Geco and Willroy began in 1957. From 1954 to 1974 Manitouwadge was classified as an Improvement District. The community became an incorporated township in 1975. In the early 1980s,

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

was discovered at Hemlo, near the intersection of highways 614 and 17, about south of the town. Noranda acquired the mining rights to a significant portion of the ground in that area, and built the Golden Giant Mine. It offered housing in Manitouwadge to many of the employees of the new mine, and the town boomed. When the Geco mine closed in 1995, Manitouwadge's population decreased significantly. After peaking at nearly 4000 people in the early 1990s, it decreased to less than 3000 by 2001. With the closing of the Golden Giant Mine in 2006, the population dropped to 2,100 by 2011.

Today

While mining has always been at the forefront of the

economic activity Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyse ...

of Manitouwadge, forestry also plays a significant part in the Town's economy. The town is currently seeking new industry and residents and offers some of the lowest housing and commercial property prices in Ontario. The Township boasts year-round outdoor recreation including a 10-run ski hill; snowmobile trails; excellent summer and winter fishing; kilometers of ATV trails, canoe and kayak routes.

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 ...

, Manitouwadge had a population of , a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Recreation

Hiking and skiing

Trails for hiking in the summer and trails for snowmobilers in the winter are also abundant. Thirteen runs for downhill skiing are present at the Kiwissa Ski Club, as well as two locations with cross country ski trails managed by the Northern Trails Ski Club. From the top of the Kiwissa Ski Hill, the whole town is visible.

Climate

Manitouwadge has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

( Dfb) bordering on a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(Dfc), typical in

Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on p ...

. Summers are generally warm and rainy with cool nights. Winters are typically very cold and very snowy. Winter usually begins mid November and lasts into April.

References

External links

* {{Thunder Bay District Company towns in Canada Mining communities in Ontario Municipalities in Thunder Bay District Single-tier municipalities in Ontario Township municipalities in Ontario