Sand Point is a community in the township of McNab/Braeside, Ontario, Canada, along 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 ...

, roughly six miles to the west of

Arnprior Arnprior is a town in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Arnprior has experienced significant growth in populations with the widening of the Ontario Highway 417 to four lanes. The town experienced an increase in population by 8.4% from 2011 to 2 ...

on the River Road. In September 1865 an extension of the Brockville and Ottawa Railway opened to Sand Point making it the terminus. Senator Asa Belknap Foster built an extension from Sand Point to

Renfrew Renfrew (; ; ) is a town west of Glasgow in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is the historic county town of Renfrewshire. Called the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" for its early link with Scotland's former royal house, Renfrew gaine ...

that opened 4 December 1872, subsequently acquired by the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

. At one point Sand Point boasted a hotel, a dance hall, a general store, and a post office.

Sand Point Ferry ''Norvic''

For decades Sand Point was the Ontario terminus of the Sand Point, Ontario-Norway Bay, Quebec ferry which provided access to the CPR and Arnprior. From 1923 to 1963 the eight car ferry, '' Norvic'', landed at the Norway Bay Wharf. The ''Norvic'' was originally owned by Colonel Courtney, and her father-in-law James Young, both of Ottawa, with Dudley Gamble as manager. The ferry was sold in 1963 to Mr. Charles Bond of the Bond Marina at Manotick, Ontario. Mr. Gamble who owned the ferry paid the wharfage fees charged each year by the federal government. Gamble died in 1966

The ferry has been revived as a tour boat in the 1000 Islands system. The boat was the successor to the old Norway Belle destroyed by ice when it was pushed off the Norway Bay wharf in 1919. The "Norvic" derived its name from its home harbor, Norway Bay, and its builders, Vicker's Marine of Montreal. Seventy two feet long with a beam of twenty two feet, solid steel hull with diesel engine, built in 1922.Some of the captains who sailed the ''Norvic'' were Captains Charier and Fleming, Dudley Gamble,the Bailey brothers, Jack, George and Lincoln and Jim McKnight. For those who are familiar with the Norvic, the vessel had a very distinctive and unique bow and stern shape. In approximately the year 2003, the easily recognizable hull of the boat was sited as the base of a refurbished yacht tied up at a marina on the Ottawa River near Rideau Falls. The boat was refurbished by Ottawa developer Bill Teron and relaunched in 1989.

Sand Point Golf Club

In 1924 several Arnprior residents began construction of a golf course and club on the hill above Sand Point where it remains a mainstay of the community. In 2018 the golf club was sold, and renamed as "Sand Point Golf Club".

Algonquin Trail

In 2018 the former railbed was converted into a recreational multi use trail for pedestrians, snowmobiles, horses and ATVs. The trail connects Arnprior with

Renfrew, Ontario Renfrew is a town on the Bonnechere River in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Located one hour west of Ottawa in Eastern Ontario, Renfrew is the fourth largest town in the county after Petawawa, Pembroke and Arnprior. The town is a small tran ...

via Braeside, Sand Point and Castleford. Users are advised to limit their speeds to 20 km/h when going through Sand Point by a new sign installed in 2020

Rhoddy's Bay

Rhoddy's Bay just west of Sand Point along the River Road is a popular summer cottage destination with great beaches and sandy river bottoms. You can find a

Little Free Library Little Free Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes neighborhood book exchanges, usually in the form of a public bookcase. More than 150,000 public book exchanges are registered with the organization and branded as Little Free ...

on Sullivan's Point in the community. This small structure is open to anyone to donate, and borrow books within Rhoddy's Bay

Rail accident

On February 9, 1904, Canadian Pacific train 7 collided head on with Canadian Pacific train 8 about two miles west of Sand Point.Significant Dates in Ottawa Railway History
Thirteen people were killed: *Joseph Jackson, engineer,

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

*W. Mullen, newsagent,

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

*Robert Thompson, express messenger, Montreal *John O'Toole, baggageman, Ottawa *Ernest Dubois, firefighter, Hochelaga *Nelson Robertson, express manager, Montreal *Joseph Chalu *Dolphis Seguin *J. Carriere *M. LeBrun *William Pouilotte, Whitney, Ontario *two unidentified persons

References

{{authority control Communities in Renfrew County Ferries of Ontario