Severn 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 south-central

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, located between

Lake Couchiching Lake Couchiching ( ; from the Anishinaabe language, Ojibwe ''gojijiing'' meaning "inlet") is a medium-sized lake in Central Ontario, Canada, separated from Lake Simcoe by a narrow channel. Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching are popular spots for fishin ...

, and the Severn River (both are part of the

Trent–Severn Waterway The Trent–Severn Waterway is a canal route connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, at Port Severn. Its major natural waterways include the Trent River, Otonabee River, Kawartha Lakes, Lake Simcoe, Lake Couchiching ...

) in

Simcoe County Simcoe County is a county and census division located in the central region of Ontario, Canada. The county is located north of the Greater Toronto Area, and forms the north western edge of the Golden Horseshoe. The county seat is located in Mi ...

Communities

The township comprises the communities of Amigo Beach, Ardtrea, Buckskin, Buena Vista Park, Burnside, Carlyon, Coldwater, Cumberland Beach, Fesserton, Hamlet, Hampshire Mills, Happyland, Hawkins Corner, Hydro Glen, Lovering, Maple Valley, Marchmont, Menoke Beach, Mordolphin, Mount Stephen, Port Severn, Port Stanton, Scarlet Park, Severn Bridge, Severn Falls, Sparrow Lake, Swift Rapids, Uhthoff, the Uhthoff Hunt Camp, Wilson Point, and Washago.

History

Chief John Aisance and his band of

Chippewas The Ojibwe (; syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the northern plains, extending into the subarctic and throu ...

(also known as Ojibwa) settled along the Coldwater River in 1830, calling the place ''Gissinausebing'', which means "cold water." They built a grist mill on the site in 1833, which the Native people owned until 1849. In 1835 a post office was established, and the community was called Coldwater. Coldwater was opened to European settlement in 1836, and was incorporated as a village in 1908. Three weekly newspapers have been published in the community: the ''Coldwater Planet'' (1896 to 1928), the ''Coldwater News'' (1895 to 1956); and the ''Coldwater Canadian'' in 1956. At the mouth of the Severn River, another community sprang up. The residents called it Severn Mills after a sawmill was built there around 1850. Lumber from this area was sent out on ships. The village was renamed to Port Severn in 1868. In 1875, the

Georgian Bay The Georgian Bay () is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To its northwest is t ...

Lumber Co. was formed, soon to become the major lumber producer in the Severn River watershed. The settlement expanded rapidly over the next 20 years. In 1896, the mill was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. Since the timber supply in the area had been greatly reduced, the mill was not rebuilt and the population of the village began to decline. With the completion of the

in this area in 1915, economic activity shifted from lumber to tourism. The current township of Severn was founded on January 1, 1994, as part of the restructuring of Simcoe County, by amalgamating the village of Coldwater with the townships of Matchedash and Orillia, plus portions of the townships of Medonte and Tay.

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 ...

, Severn 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.

Notable people

Cody Caetano Cody Caetano is a Canadian writer from Toronto, Ontario, whose debut memoir ''Half-Bads in White Regalia'' was the winner of the Indigenous Voices Award for English prose in 2023. Caetano, of mixed Portuguese and Anishinaabe descent, studied crea ...

, writer, spent part of his childhood in HappylandDavid Song
"Cody Caetano named Writer in Residence for 2023 Whistler Writers’ Festival"
''

Pique Newsmagazine ''Pique Newsmagazine'' is the only newspaper serving the resort community of Whistler, British Columbia. It was founded in 1994 and operated as an independent, locally owned weekly newspaper until July 2013, when it was purchased by Glacier Media ...

'', August 18, 2023. *

Glenn Howard Glenn William Howard (born July 17, 1962) is a retired Canadian curler who is one of the most decorated curlers of all time. He has won four world championships, four Briers and 17 Ontario provincial championships, including a record eight s ...

- curler, four time

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

In film

* The television series,

Paradise Falls ''Paradise Falls'' is a weekly soap opera television series which aired nationally on the Showcase channel in Canada, starting in 2001. It was filmed in the summer cottage community of Muskoka, Ontario at Grandview Resort. Like many major soa ...

, was shot in the township between 2001 and 2008. Port Stanton, Severn Falls and various locations around Sparrow Lake were used.

References

External links

* * {{Simcoe County Township municipalities in Ontario Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Municipalities in Simcoe County Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Trent–Severn Waterway