Greater Madawaska is an incorporated township in

Renfrew County Renfrew County is a county and census division in the Canadian province of Ontario. It straddles the west bank of the Ottawa River. There are 17 municipalities in the county. Its county seat is Pembroke, which is geographically within the county ...

eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

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 ...

, created on January 1, 2001, through the amalgamation of the Township of Bagot and Blythfield, the Township of Brougham, and the Township of Griffith and Matawatchan. , it has a population of 2,864.

Geography

The township is composed of the geographic townships of Bagot, Blythfield (also spelled Blithfield), Brougham, Griffith and Matawatchan. The township borders in downstream order Centennial Lake,

Black Donald Lake Black Donald Lake is a reservoir lake in the Township of Greater Madawaska, Renfrew County, and the Township of North Frontenac, Frontenac County, in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is on the Madawaska River and is part of the Saint Lawrence River ...

, Norcan Lake and

Calabogie Lake Calabogie Lake ( ) is a reservoir lake in the municipality of Greater Madawaska, Renfrew County, in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin, and is located on the Madawaska River system, in the geographic ...

, all four on the Madawaska River, and is located in the northern section of the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...

Valley.

Communities

The largest communities in the township are the villages of Calabogie and Griffith. The municipal offices are located in Calabogie. Other communities in the township include Ashdad, Barrett Chute, Barryvale, Black Donald, Camel Chute, Hurds Lake, Lower Dacre, Matawatchan, Mount St. Patrick, Springtown, Spruce Hedge and Wilson. The

ghost town 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 ...

s of Khartum and Balvenie are also located in the township. Two fire towers were located in the township in the middle of the 20th century. These were located at Jameison's Mountain north of Griffith (the cupola now sits on the property of the Pembroke MNR office) and at Matawatchan. These were put out of use in 1970 as aerial forest fire fighting techniques took over.

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; ), 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 ...

, Greater Madawaska 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.

Recreation

The

Calabogie Peaks Calabogie Peaks is a ski resort in the municipality of Greater Madawaska, Renfrew County in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is located west of Ottawa, and was founded in . Although the resort is named after the nearby community of Calabogie and C ...

ski resort is located in the township. The

Kingston and Pembroke Railway The Kingston and Pembroke Railway (K&P) was a Canadian railway that operated in eastern Ontario. The railway was seen as a business opportunity which would support the lumber and mining industries, as well as the agricultural economy in eastern On ...

ran through the town, with stations at Ashdad and Calabogie, until it was abandoned in 1986. It has now become a hiking trail, the

K&P Rail Trail The K&P Trail is a recreational trail that runs along the old Kingston and Pembroke Railway (K&P) bed in Ontario, Canada. The trail currently consists of several unconnected sections between Kingston, Ontario, Kingston and Renfrew, Ontario, Renf ...

. The

Calabogie Motorsports Park Calabogie Motorsports Park is the longest road course in Canada, at , located east of the community of Calabogie in the township of Greater Madawaska, Ontario, Canada. It hosts regional road racing and is the main circuit in the Ottawa metropo ...

is a racing venue that hosts regional road racing and is the main circuit in the Ottawa metropolitan area. Calabogie Farmers' Market run on Saturday's from June to September from 9am - 1pm.

In film

* Much of the

National Film Board The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

's classic 1968 film ''

The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar ''The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar'' is a 1968 National Film Board of Canada (NFB) drama directed by Peter Pearson, produced by John Kemeny and written by Joan Finnigan. The 49-minute drama stars Chris Wiggins and Kate Reid, alon ...

'' was shot on farmland around Barryvale.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Municipalities in Renfrew County Township municipalities in Ontario