Temagami, formerly spelled as Timagami, is a municipality in

northeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

Ontario, Canada, in the Nipissing District with Lake Temagami at its heart. The Temagami region is known as ''n'Daki Menan'', the homeland of the area's First Nations community, most of whom are Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), living on Bear Island. The official name for this group is the Temagami First Nation. However, a larger group that includes these people, plus non-status residents and some non-residents is called the Teme-Augama Anishnabai. Some of the main tourist attractions within the community include old-growth red and white pine, Lake Temagami, Caribou Mountain, fishing, showings of Grey Owl from the 1930s, and over of canoe routes. It is also known as the staging point for cottage vacationing and

wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

canoeing trips on Lake Temagami, in Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park, and vast tracts of wilderness in the area. There are several

outfitter An outfitter is a shop or person that sells specialized clothes (an ''outfit'' is a set of clothing). More specifically, it is a company or individual who provides or deals in equipment and supplies for the pursuit of certain activities. In North ...

s here that cater to outdoor activity. The community is home to the Finlayson Point Provincial Park, which itself offers access to Lake Temagami. An excellent view of the entire Temagami area is offered by the Temagami Fire Tower on Caribou Mountain, a renovated -tall

fire lookout tower A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. It is a small building, usually on the summit of a mountain or ...

that visitors can climb for a small fee. The Temagami Fire Tower was last used in the 1970s to spot fires. The original fire tower built here was high and made of square timber. The Municipality of Temagami also includes the communities of Lake Temagami,

Marten River The Marten River is a short river in central Alberta. The Marten is one of the major inflows of Lesser Slave Lake, which drains through the Lesser Slave River, a major tributary of the Athabasca River. Significant debate exists regarding the or ...

, and

Temagami North Temagami North, formerly known as Goward, is a community comprising part of the municipality of Temagami in Nipissing District, Ontario, Canada. It is a residential subdivision centred on Spruce Drive, about north of Temagami itself. In 192 ...

History

Anishnabai legends describe them migrating from the east coast of North America after a warning from prophets concerning the arrival of a danger from the east. The land was divided into familial hunting and trapping territories. Since the main east-west fur trade route bypassed Temagami to the south, settlement of this area by Europeans did not come until 1834. That year the Hudson's Bay Company built a store on Temagami Island, which later relocated to Bear Island. The town itself was founded by Dan O'Connor, who in 1903 formed the O'Connor Steamboat and Hotel Company on the lake and established its first store on the future townsite. By 1906, he had built three hotels on Lake Temagami: Hotel Ronnoco, Temagami Inn, and

Lady Evelyn Hotel The Lady Evelyn Hotel was a hotel on the northeast point of Deer Island in the North Arm of Lake Temagami in Temagami, Ontario, Canada. The -story, 108-bed building was the largest of three hotels operated on Lake Temagami by the Temagami Steamboa ...

and by 1910 the company operated ten steamships on the lake including the ''

Belle of Temagami ''Belle of Temagami'', generally referred to as ''Belle'', was a wooden steamboat built and used in Temagami, Ontario, Canada during the first half of the 20th century. She operated as a passenger steamer on Lake Temagami where she brought travell ...

''. Discoveries of gold, copper, nickel, and particularly silver in 1903, brought mining to nearby Cobalt and accelerated development of the region. Several mines opened in Temagami, including Big Dan Mine,

Little Dan Mine Leckie Mine, also known as Penrose Mine, Little Dan Mine and Sterling Mine, is an abandoned gold producing underground mine in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the eastern shore of Arsenic Lake north of the town of Temagami. It is ent ...

Barton Mine Barton Mine, also known as Net Lake Mine, is an abandoned surface and underground mine in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is located about north of the Temagami Arena in Temagami North and just east of the Ontario Northland Railway in northwest ...

Hermiston-McCauley Mine Hermiston-McCauley Mine is a large abandoned underground gold mine in Strathy Township of Temagami, Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is located between the southwestern arm of Net Lake and the south arm of Kanichee Lake. History Hermiston-McCaul ...

, Temagami-Lorrain Mine, Priest Mine, Beanland Mine, Sherman Mine, Kanichee Mine,

Northland Pyrite Mine The Northland Pyrite Mine, also known as James Lake Mine, Rib Lake Mine, Harris Mine or simply Northland Mine, is an abandoned underground mine in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the southwestern shore of James Lake in Best Township of Te ...

and Copperfields Mine, which once mined the richest copper ore in Canada. The Forest Reserves Act of 1898 established the Temagami Forest Reserve. Because of this reserve, the region was home to the last

Old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

s in Ontario.

Logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

of the vast pine stands only began in the 1920s. Now just a few patches of old growth remain, including the

White Bear Forest The White Bear Forest is an old growth forest, located in Temagami, Ontario, Canada. The forest is named after Chief White Bear,red and white pine forest - the Obabika Old-Growth Forest or Wakimika Triangle Forest part of the Obabika River Waterway Provincial Park (). This has led to confrontation in recent years between loggers and environmentalists when new logging access roads are built or major logging operations are proposed. Access to many old-growth areas is provided on local hiking trails and canoe routes. The inspiration and wonder of the area were brought to millions around the world in 1907 when Grey Owl arrived in Temagami. He was employed by Keewaydin Canoe Camp as a guide, and later by the

Ontario Department of Lands and Forests The Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that is responsible for Ontario's provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands ...

as a ranger. His subsequent books and extensive lecturing in Britain and the United States brought tremendous attention to northeastern Ontario and wildlife conservation. In 1968, Temagami was incorporated, first as an Improvement District, and 10 years later as a Township, consisting of the geographic townships of

Strathy Strathy ()Gaelic and Norse in the ...

and Strathcona, together with parts of Briggs,

Chambers Chambers may refer to: Places Canada: * Chambers Township, Ontario United States: * Chambers County, Alabama *Chambers, Arizona, an unincorporated community in Apache County *Chambers, Nebraska * Chambers, West Virginia *Chambers Township, Holt ...

Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

, Cassels, and Yates townships. In 1973, The Teme-Augama Anishnabai (TAA) exercised a land caution against development on the

Crown land Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...

of , most of the Temagami area. The

Attorney General of Ontario The Attorney General of Ontario is the chief legal adviser to His Majesty the King in Right of Ontario and, by extension, the Government of Ontario. The Attorney General is a senior member of the Executive Council of Ontario (the cabinet) and ...

pursued legal action against the Band for this caution. The TAA lost this court case in 1984 and the Band proceeded with an appeal to the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

. The Band lost this appeal and eventually the caution was lifted. In 1988, the Ontario Minister of Natural Resources,

Vince Kerrio Vincent George Kerrio (February 5, 1924 – October 30, 2009) was a businessperson and politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal from 1975 to 1990, and was a cabinet minister in the government ...

approved the expansion of the Red Squirrel Road, directly through Anishnabe territory. This prompted a series of roadblocks by the TAA and by the Temagami Wilderness Society in 1988-1989. The Temagami First Nation's former chief

Gary Potts Gary Potts (Dec. 1, 1944 – June 3, 2020) was a chief of the Temagami First Nation and the Teme-Augama Anishnabai in Temagami, Ontario, Canada. He was chief in August 1973 when the Temagami Land Caution began with land claims being filed with tit ...

was the leader of the TAA blockades. In 1991 the TAA and the Ontario government created the Wendaban Stewardship Authority to decide what to do with the four townships near the logging road. On January 1, 1998, the Township of Temagami was greatly enlarged through the merger with 17 unincorporated townships and became the Municipality of Temagami with

town status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose. Historically, city status ...

Transportation

Rail

Temagami Railway Station In the summer of 1905, the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway (now the Ontario Northland Railway) was completed from North Bay to

New Liskeard New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz Albums and EPs * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartn ...

and allowed direct access to the area and the

Clay Belt The Clay Belt is a vast tract of fertile soil stretching between the Cochrane District in Ontario, and Abitibi County in Quebec, covering in total with of that in Ontario. It is generally subdivided into the Great Clay Belt to the north runni ...

around

Lake Timiskaming Lake Timiskaming or Lake Temiskaming (french: Lac Témiscamingue) is a large freshwater lake on the provincial boundary between Ontario and Quebec, Canada. The lake, which forms part of the Ottawa River, is in length and covers an area of a ...

, opening up the region to settlement and development. The original Temagami station, which opened in 1907, burnt down in 1909 and was rebuilt. Temagami station was a stop on the '' Northlander'' railway service before it was cancelled in 2012.

Bus

Temagami is served by

Ontario Northland The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), or simply Ontario Northland, is a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario responsible for providing transportation services for passengers and goods in northern Ontario. It reports to ...

's intercity motor coach service along its North Bay– Hearst route, which also serves many communities along the former ''Northlander'' route. There is currently no local bus service in Temagami.

Geography

The Temagami land is part of the

Canadian Shield The Canadian Shield (french: Bouclier canadien ), also called the Laurentian Plateau, is a geologic shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It forms the North American Craton (or Laurentia), the anc ...

, one of the largest single exposure of

Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...

rocks in the world which were formed after the Earth's crust cooled. Temagami land has striking similarities to the Sudbury Structure, which is one of the richest mining camps in the world. The hills in the Temagami area are remnants of the oldest mountain ranges in North America that date back during the Precambrian era. These enormous mountains were taller than any that exist today. The uplifting was accomplished as enormous pressure caused the earth to buckle in a process called folding. Other processes, such as volcanic activity and

geologic fault In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...

ing in which the earth cracks open also contributed to the formation of these mountains. Over millions of years, these enormous mountains were gradually eroded to the land we know today in Temagami. The rocks that form Temagami to this day are igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rock. The Temagami area has good potential to host diamondiferous kimberlites and more diamond bearing kimberlites may continue to be discovered in the area. The Temagami area also contains some pillow lava about 2 billion years old, indicating that great

submarine volcano Submarine volcanoes are underwater vents or fissures in the Earth's surface from which magma can erupt. Many submarine volcanoes are located near areas of tectonic plate formation, known as mid-ocean ridges. The volcanoes at mid-ocean ridges ...

es existed during the early stages of the formation of the Earth's crust. There are a number of northwest trending faults in the Temagami East claim block area and are associated with the

Saint Lawrence rift system The Saint Lawrence rift system is a seismically active zone paralleling the Saint Lawrence River. The rift system trends northeast and southwest and forms a half-graben that links the Ottawa-Bonnechere and the Saguenay grabens. The rift system e ...

and remains

seismically active An active fault is a fault (geology), fault that is likely to become the source of another earthquake sometime in the future. Geologists commonly consider faults to be active if there has been movement observed or evidence of seismic activity duri ...

. The most recently felt earthquake in the Temagami area occurred in the year 2000. Minerals in the Temagami area include aragonite,

brochantite Brochantite is a sulfate mineral, one of a number of cupric sulfates. Its chemical formula is Cu4SO4(OH)6. Formed in arid climates or in rapidly oxidizing copper sulfide deposits, it was named by Armand Lévy for his fellow Frenchman, geologist ...

calcite Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...

, Chalcopyrite, jasper, magnetite, molybdenite, pentlandite, pyrite, pyrrhotite,

serpentine Serpentine may refer to: Shapes * Serpentine shape, a shape resembling a serpent * Serpentine curve, a mathematical curve * Serpentine, a type of riding figure Science and nature * Serpentine subgroup, a group of minerals * Serpentinite, a ...

, and talc. A bright white palladium

mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

telluride mineral was discovered on Temagami Island in 1973 called temagamite, named after its discovery locality in Copperfields Mine, originally known as Temagami Mine. Temagami provides rugged topography, which is excellent for

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...

and hiking. There are numerous viewpoints in the municipality, including High Rock and Caribou Mountain, which contains a fire tower on its summit.

Lakes

Lakes located within the Municipality of Temagami include: * Angus Lake *

Anima Nipissing Lake Anima may refer to: Animation * Ánima (company), a Mexican animation studio founded in 2002 * Córdoba International Animation Festival – ANIMA, in Argentina Religion and philosophy * Animism, the belief that objects, places, and creatures ...

* Arsenic Lake *

Blueberry Lake This is a list of lakes in Nova Scotia. Cape Breton Island All Four Counties * Bras d'Or Lake Cape Breton Regional Municipality * Anse aux Cannes Pond *The Barachois *Bear Cove Pond *Bear Gulch Ponds * Beaverdam Pond *Belle Lake *Benn ...

Brophy Lake Brophy is an Irish surname of ancient origin, which is derived from the Irish "Uí Bhróithe" or "Ó Bróithe" septs that were located mostly around Ballybrophy, Laois, and in counties Carlow and Kilkenny. The family has been prominent in the hi ...

* Cassels Lake * Chambers Lake * Cross Lake * Duncan Lake *

Gull Lake Gull Lake may refer to: Native American entities *Gull Lake Indian Reservation, located near Brainerd, Minnesota, surrounding Gull Lake *Gull Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa, whose descendants are located on the White Earth Indian Reservation L ...

Herridge Lake Herridge Lake is a lake in the Temagami region of northern Ontario. The lake is in length, and located 54 miles north of North Bay. Herridge Lake has many bays, inlets, weed beds, and shoals. The lake is 159 feet deep in some spots. There are ...

Ingall Lake Ingall is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Francis Ingall (1908–1998), British Indian Army officer * Lisa Ingall (born 1980), English snooker player * Marjorie Ingall (born 20th century), American non-fiction writer * Micha ...

* James Lake * Jumping Cariboo Lake * Lake Temagami * Link Lake *

Lowell Lake Lowell may refer to: Places United States * Lowell, Arkansas * Lowell, California * Lowell, Florida * Lowell, Idaho * Lowell, Indiana * Lowell, Bartholomew County, Indiana * Lowell, Maine * Lowell, Massachusetts ** Lowell National Historical ...

* Lower Redwater Lake *

Lower Twin Lake Freeborn County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state, state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 30,895. Its county seat is Albert Lea, Minnesota, Albert Lea. Freeborn County comprises the Albert ...

* Martin Lake * Net Lake * Obabika Lake * Obashkong Lake *

Poison Pond Poison Pond is a small freshwater lake in the Temagami region of Northeastern Ontario, Canada, located near Pecours Bay of Snake Island Lake. Poison Pond is in the White Bear Forest and is typically approached from the Peregrine Trail, which adjo ...

* Rabbit Lake * Rib Lake *

Red Squirrel Lake Red Squirrel Lake is located within the municipality of Temagami, in Nipissing District, Ontario, Canada. The lake can be accessed from the Red Squirrel Road. Fish in the lake include northern pike, trout, walleye, Aurora trout and smallmouth ...

* Snake Island Lake * Snowshoe Lake *

Tent Lake A tent () is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using ...

Tetapaga Lake Tetapaga Lake, also known as Lake Tetapaga, is a narrow east–west trending lake in the Temagami region of Northeastern Ontario, Canada, located at the abandoned iron-bearing Sherman Mine. A gravel road crosses the central portion of the la ...

* Turtle Lake *

Upper Redwater Lake Upper Redwater Lake is a narrow freshwater lake in the municipality of Temagami of Northeastern Ontario, Canada, located southeast of the former Rabbit Creek ballast pit along Rabbit Creek Road that comes out at Highway 11. The settlement of Redw ...

Upper Twin Lake Freeborn County is a county in the state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 30,895. Its county seat is Albert Lea. Freeborn County comprises the Albert Lea Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Freeborn Coun ...

* Wasaksina Lake * Wilson Lake Temagami townsite from air

Localities

Localities located within Temagami's municipal boundaries are:

Settlements

* Bear Island * Doherty *Gillies Townsite *Kitts Trailer Park *

* Milne Townsite * Owaissa * Redwater *''Temagami'' *

Townships

*Askin Township *Aston Township *Banting Township *Belfast Township * Best Township *

Briggs Township Briggs Township is a geographic township comprising a portion of the municipality of Temagami in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is used for geographic purposes, such as land surveying and natural resource explorations. Neighbouring geograph ...

*Canton Township *Cassels Township * Chambers Township *Cynthia Township * Joan Township *Law Township *LeRoche Township * Milne Township *Olive Township *

Phyllis Township Phyllis Township is a geographic township in Nipissing District of Northeastern Ontario, Canada. The township is bordered on the north by Joan Township, on the east by Yates Township, on the south by Vogt Township and on the west by Scholes To ...

*Riddell Township *Sisk Township *

Strathcona Township Strathcona Township is a geographic township comprising a portion of the municipality of Temagami in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is used for geographic purposes, such as land surveying and natural resource explorations. A portion of the northe ...

* Strathy Township *Torrington Township *Vogt Township *Yates Township Note: Only the eastern halves of Scholes and Clement townships are within the municipality of Temagami.

Camps

Camps Camps may refer to: People *Ramón Camps (1927–1994), Argentine general *Gabriel Camps (1927–2002), French historian *Luís Espinal Camps (1932–1980), Spanish missionary to Bolivia *Victoria Camps (b. 1941), Spanish philosopher and professor ...

include: *Camp Acouchiching *Camp Agamik *Camp Bigwee *Camp Cayuga *Camp Chimo *Camp Cochrane * Keewaydin *Northwoods Camp *Camp Wabikon *Camp Wabun *Camp Wanapitei *Camp White Bear *Camp Temagami (formerly Camp Wigwasati, formerly Camp Pays D'en Haut) *Northwaters and Langskib Wilderness Programs

Demographics

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 Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), 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 cultur ...

, Temagami 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.

Film and television

Temagami and surrounding areas have been used as a location to shoot feature films and TV episodes. Films include the 1930 docudrama '' The Silent Enemy'' and from 2006 ''

That Beautiful Somewhere ''That Beautiful Somewhere'' is a Canadian feature film written, directed and produced by Robert Budreau, produced by Ian Murray and executive produced by Bill Plumstead and Matthew Stone for Loon Film Inc. and Lumanity Productions. The film stars ...

''. TV includes ''

Survivorman ''Survivorman'' is a Canadian-produced television program, broadcast in Canada on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), and internationally on Discovery Channel and Science Channel. The title refers to the host of the show, Canadian filmmaker and su ...

'' episodes (Plane Crash, and Temagami Hunting Deep Woods) and '' Mantracker'' episodes (Ryder and Brendyn, and Ben and Darrell).

Notable people

* Benjamin Chee Chee, Canadian artist of Ojibwe descent * Grey Owl, British-born Archibald Belaney who pretended to be First Nations * Dan O'Connor, Canadian politician, businessman and prospector, founded the community *

, former chief of the Temagami First Nation and the Teme-Augama Anishnabai

References

External links

* {{Authority control Temagami Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Mining communities in Ontario Single-tier municipalities in Ontario Strathy Township