Algoma District is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

and census division in

Northeastern Ontario Northeastern Ontario is a secondary region of Northern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, which lies north of Lake Huron and east of Lake Superior. Northeastern Ontario consists of the districts of Algoma, Sudbury, Cochrane, Timiskami ...

in the Canadian province of

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 C ...

. The name was created by an American ethnologist, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (1793-1864), who was appointed Indian agent to the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

in Sault Ste. Marie region in 1822. "Al" is derived from Algonquin, while "goma" is a variant of gomee, meaning lake or water. Algoma District has shoreline along

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

and Lake Huron. It has an international border crossing to the American state of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, at Sault Ste. Marie. Historically, it was known for its lumber and mining industries. The rugged scenery of the region has inspired works by Canadian artists, particularly the

Group of Seven The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental political forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non-enumerated member". It is officiall ...

. They rented a boxcar from the

Algoma Central Railway The Algoma Central Railway is a railway in Northern Ontario that operates between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst. It used to have a branch line to Wawa, Ontario. The area served by the railway is sparsely populated, with few roads. The ra ...

to travel on excursions through this region.

History

Surviving prehistoric remains in Algoma District are concentrated around

waterway A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...

s. These remains date as far back as the Archaic period. There are also sites from the later Woodland period, with evidence of extensive Late Woodland habitation. Ceramics at Late Woodland sites show predominantly southeastern links, having originated from the

Huron Huron may refer to: People * Wyandot people (or Wendat), indigenous to North America * Wyandot language, spoken by them * Huron-Wendat Nation, a Huron-Wendat First Nation with a community in Wendake, Quebec * Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi ...

–

Petun The Petun (from french: pétun), also known as the Tobacco people or Tionontati ("People Among the Hills/Mountains"), were an indigenous Iroquoian people of the woodlands of eastern North America. Their last known traditional homeland was sou ...

complex (broadly Ontario Iroquoian) as well as from modern-day

. French explorers arrived in the area by the mid-17th century. As the French penetrated into North America, they established lines of forts and trading posts, often at river mouths to control trade, especially the lucrative fur trade. In Algoma, they established

Fort Michipicoten A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

, located at the mouth of the

Michipicoten River The Michipicoten River is a river in Algoma District of northern Ontario, Canada, which flows from Dog Lake and joins with the Magpie River to empty into Michipicoten Bay on Lake Superior near the town of Wawa. This river is in length (includ ...

where it empties into

. The Michipicoten was one of the geographic features depicted by Samuel de Champlain on a 1632 map. This helped the French bridge the distance to

Fort Kaministiquia Fort Kaministiquia (former spellings include Fort Camanistigoyan, Fort Kanastigoya, Fort Kamanastigoya and others), was a French fort in North America. It was located on the north shore of Lake Superior at the mouth of the Kaministiquia River, in ...

at the head of Lake Superior, and protected the route up the Michipicoten to

James Bay James Bay (french: Baie James; cr, ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, Wînipekw, dirty water) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean, of which James Bay is the southernmost pa ...

, providing a significant crossroads of water routes.

Administrative history

Algoma was created by proclamation in 1858Proclamation to take effect 1 May 1858, ''Canada Gazette'' (April 17, 1858), p. 676-677. New Proclamation to take effect 1 Oct 1859, ''Canada Gazette'' (Sept 10, 1859), p. 2226. as a provisional judicial district of the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on th ...

comprising territory north of the French River as far west as Pigeon River, including all Canadian islands in Lakes Huron and Superior. The authorizing act of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was ''An Act to provide for the Administration of Justice in the unorganized Tracts of Country within the limits of this Province'' (known by its short title as ''The Temporary Judicial Districts Act, 1857)''. The district seat has been Sault Ste. Marie since 1858. As the population grew and the northern and northwestern boundaries of Ontario were determined by the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Aug ...

, Algoma shrank. Other districts were created from it by the provincial government of Ontario: *

Thunder Bay District Thunder Bay District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The district seat is Thunder Bay. In 2016, the population was 146,048. The land area is ; the population density was . Most ...

in 1871 *

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 1888 *

Sudbury District The Sudbury District is a district in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1894 from townships of eastern Algoma District and west Nipissing District. The overwhelming majority of the district (about 92%) ...

in 1894 *

Timiskaming District Timiskaming is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The district was created in 1912 from parts of Algoma, Nipissing, and Sudbury districts. In 1921, Cochrane District was created from pa ...

in 1912

Geography

Rivers

Algoma District is crossed by a number of rivers, which historically were used as transportation and trade corridors. The

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

chose key riverside or river mouth locations for a number of its trading posts in the district. One example was

, located at the Michipicoten River's mouth. The rivers flow in a number of directions, some crossing through other districts to ultimately empty into faraway water bodies such as

. Others drain into the

Great Lakes Basin The Great Lakes Basin consists of the Great Lakes and the surrounding lands of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada, whose dir ...

via Lake Huron or

. Major rivers in Algoma District include: * Batchawana River (empties into Batchawana Bay on Lake Superior) *

(empties into Michipicoten Bay on Lake Superior) *

Missinaibi River The Missinaibi River is a river in northern Ontario, Canada, which flows northeast from Missinaibi Lake, north of Chapleau, and empties into the Moose River, which drains into James Bay. This river (including Missinaibi Lake and Moose River t ...

(originates at

Missinaibi Lake Missinaibi Lake ( cr, masinâpôy sâkahikan, ᒪᓯᓈᐴᔾ ᓵᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ) is a lake in Ontario, Canada, about north of Chapleau, Ontario, Chapleau. It is the source of the Missinaibi River, which rises from the lake and flows northeastwar ...

and empties into the Moose River, then ultimately into James Bay) *

Mississagi River The Mississagi River is a river in Algoma and Sudbury Districts, Ontario, Canada, that originates in Sudbury District and flows to Lake Huron at Blind River, Algoma District. Etymology The river's name comes from the Ojibwe ''misi-zaagi'', ...

(originates in Sudbury District and flows into Lake Huron) *

Kapuskasing River The Kapuskasing River is a river in the James Bay drainage basin in Cochrane District and Algoma District in northeastern Ontario, Canada. Shows the river course. The river is a left tributary of the Mattagami River. Course The river begins at ...

(begins at Kapuskasing Lake and flows northward to James Bay)

Forests

In the Algoma section, the characteristic

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

mixture consists of yellow birch, white spruce, balsam fir, sugar maple, hop-hornbeam, and eastern white cedar. Eastern white pine and occasional red pine (''Pinus resinosa'') dominate on the upper, steep south-facing slopes; white spruce, eastern white cedar, and balsam fir occupy the middle and lower slopes. A white spruce–

balsam fir ''Abies balsamea'' or balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada (Newfoundland west to central Alberta) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to ...

association, which usually includes

white birch ''Betula papyrifera'' (paper birch, also known as (American) white birch and canoe birch) is a short-lived species of birch native to northern North America. Paper birch is named for the tree's thin white bark, which often peels in paper like ...

and black spruce, is prominent on the river terraces and adjoining flats in the northern part of the Section (Rowe 1972).Rowe, J.S 1972. Forest regions of Canada. Can. Dep. Environ., Can. For. Serv., Ottawa ON, Publ. 1300. 172 p.

Subdivisions

Communities within these subdivisions are added in parentheses.

Cities

Towns

Townships

Villages

Reserves

Unorganized areas

* North Part (incl. local services boards of Aweres,

Batchawana Bay Batchawana Bay is a small bay in Algoma District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Superior, approximately north of Sault Ste. Marie. The name "Batchawana" is derived from the Ojibwe word ''obatchiwanang'' (o ...

, Goulais and District,

Hawk Junction Hawk Junction is a community with a local services board in the Canadian province of Ontario,

, Missanabie, Peace Tree, Searchmont and Wharncliffe and Kynoch) * South East Part

Demographics

As a census division in the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the 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%, which is sli ...

conducted by Statistics Canada, the Algoma District had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of −0.3% from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Highways

King's Highways

* #17 * #101 * #108 * #129

Secondary highways

* #519 * #532 * #538 * #546 * #547 * #548 * #550 * #552 * #553 * #554 * #556 * #557 * #563 * #565 * #631 * #638 * #639 * #651 * #670

Tertiary highways

* #821

Protected areas

* Algoma Headwaters Provincial Park * Aubinadong River Provincial Park * Aubrey Falls Provincial Park *

Batchawana Bay Provincial Park Batchawana Bay Provincial Park is a park in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada, located from Sault Ste. Marie on Ontario Highway 17, and on Batchawana Bay on Lake Superior. It is a day-park (no overnight camping), and is operated by the Ontario ...

* Batchawana River Provincial Park * Chapleau Crown Game Preserve * Chapleau-Nemegosenda River Provincial Park * Delta Provincial Nature Reserve * Fort Creek Conservation Area * Goulais River Provincial Park * Hiawatha Highlands Conservation Area * La Cloche Provincial Park *

Lake Superior Provincial Park Lake Superior Provincial Park is one of the largest provincial parks in Ontario, covering about along the northeastern shores of Lake Superior between Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa, Ontario, Wawa in Algoma District in No ...

* Little White River Provincial Park * Marks Bay Conservation Area * Matintenda Provincial Park * Michipicoten Post Provincial Park * Missinaibi Provincial Park *

Mississagi Provincial Park Mississagi Provincial Park is a natural environment-class provincial park north of Elliot Lake, in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It lies on the Boland River, a tributary of the Little White River, which is itself a tributary of the Missi ...

* Mississagi River Provincial Park * Montreal River Provincial Park * Nagagami Lake Provincial Park * Nagagamisis Provincial Park * Nemegosenda River Wetlands Provincial Park * North Channel Islands-La Cloche Provincial Park * North Shore Waterwat Provincial Park * Obatanga Provincial Park *

Pancake Bay Provincial Park Pancake Bay Provincial Park was established in 1968 by Ontario Parks. It is a recreation-class provincial park created to help preserve the fragile beach dune ecology. There are 325 campsites, including 160 with electricity. There are three com ...

* Pichogen River Provincial Nature Reserve * Pokei Lake-White River Wetlands Provivncial Nature Reserve * Potholes Provincial Nature Reserve *

Pukaskwa National Park Pukaskwa National Park ( ) is a national park located south of the town of Marathon, Ontario in the Thunder Bay District of northern Ontario, Canada. Established in 1978, Pukaskwa is known for its vistas of Lake Superior and boreal forests. The ...

* River aux Sables Provincial Park * Sandy Islands Provincial Nature Reserve * Sayme-Aubinadong-Gong Provincial Park * St. Joseph's Island National Marine Bird Sanctuary * Wenebegon River Provincial Park

Attractions

Agawa Canyon The Agawa Canyon is a shallow canyon located deep in the sparsely populated Algoma District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It was created 1.2 billion years ago by faulting along the Canadian Shield and then enlarged by the erosive action of th ...

(Algoma, Unorganized, North Part) * Algoma University (Sault Ste. Marie) * Fire Tower Lookout (Elliot Lake) * Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site (St. Joseph) * High Falls of the

(Wawa) * Mount Dufour Ski Resort (Elliot Lake) * Sault Ste. Marie Airport (Sault Ste. Marie) * Sault Ste. Marie Canal (Sault Ste. Marie) *

Sault College Sault College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded college in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It began in 1965 as the Ontario Vocational Centre. Today, Sault College offers full-time and part-time opportunities for students in post-sec ...

(Sault Ste. Marie) * Searchmont Ski Area * Stone Ridge Golf Resort (Elliot Lake) * Crimson Ridge Golf Course * Batchawana Bay Provincial Park * Hub Trail (hiking, bicycling, and cross-country ski trail through Sault Ste. Marie) * Rocking On The River (Wandering-Elk Promotion & Productions), Concert Venue @ 135 Royer Rd., Blind River.

References

External links

Algoma District's Historic Bridges

Ontario's Algoma Country
{{Subdivisions of Ontario