Matheson in Cochrane District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Great Fire of 1916
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 3, 2022
1. Great Fire of 1916 Marker
On July 29, 1916, fires which had been burning for some weeks around settlers' clearings along the Timiskaming & Northern Ontario Railway were united by strong winds into one huge conflagration. Burning easterly along a 40-mile front, it largely or completely destroyed the settlements of Porquis Junction, Iroquois Falls, Kelso, Nushka, Matheson, and Ramore. It also partially razed the hamlets of Homer and Monteith, while a smaller fire caused widespread damage in and around Cochrane. The 500,000-acre holocaust took an estimated 223 lives, more than any other forest fire in Canadian history, and led to the development of improved techniques and legislation for the prevention and control of forest fires.
Erected 1966 by Archaeological and Historic Sites Board of Ontario.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Horticulture & Forestry • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Ontario Heritage Foundation series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 29, 1916.
Location. 48° 32.294′ N, 80° 27.873′ W. Marker is in Matheson, Ontario, in Cochrane District. Marker can be reached from Fourth Avenue (Provincial Highway 101) just north of 2nd Street, on the left
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 3 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Croesus Mine Ore Skip (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); The Chute (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); MacDougall's Chute (approx. 0.4 kilometers away).
Also see . . .
1. Matheson Fire.
As was common practice at the time, settlers cleared land using the slash-and-burn method. That summer, there was little rain, and the forests and underbrush burned easily. In the days leading up to July 29, several smaller fires that had been purposely set merged into a single large firestorm. Because of forest fire smoke that had covered the region for several weeks and the absence of a forest fire monitoring service, there was almost no warning that the conflagration was upon the communities. Some people escaped on the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway (now the Ontario Northland Railway), while others were saved by wading into the nearby Black River or one of the small lakes in the area.(Submitted on March 8, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. A century later, Great Matheson Fire of 1916 still deadliest in Canadian history.
By the time the flames were extinguished,(Submitted on March 8, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)some 200 people had suffocated or burned to death, with coffins piled up on the railway tracks. Whole communities were completely destroyed, including Matheson and Iroquois Falls. The village of Nushka was wiped off the map as well. When it was rebuilt, it was renamed Val Gagne, for local priest Wilfrid Gagne, who died rescuing his parishioners from the flames.Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 3, 20222. Ontario Forestry Association Marker(located beside the blue Ontario Heritage Foundation marker)
Erected in co-operation with the Ontario Forestry Association to mark the 50th anniversary of the Matheson fire.
July 29, 1966
Ontario Department of Lands and Forests
Hon. A. Kelso Roberts, Q.C. • Minister
G. H. U. Bayly • Deputy Minister
3. The Great Fire of 1916 - Matheson, Ontario, Canada.
For several days, the fire shared headlines with the First World War, and the newspapers were filled with stories of horror and heroism, of sudden death and miraculous escape. Most of those who survived owed their lives to the proximity of some body of water, while others escaped by train. Fire-fighting efforts were largely futile, and it was only rain early in August that finally removed the danger of the further outbreak.(Submitted on March 8, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
4. This Was the Worst Forest Fire in Canadian History.
By the time the blaze died down, it had incinerated more than 500,000 acres (an area the size of Toronto, Montreal and Calgary combined). At the time, Ontario was the only province lacking any regulation of the practice(Submitted on March 9, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)of burning brush to clear land. All of that changed a year later with the introduction of the landmark Forest Fires Prevention Act of 1917. Along with requiring permits for all land-clearing fires, the government began investing in the prevention, detection and suppression of forest fires, creating a provincial firefighting corps and hiring 1,000 rangers to patrol the lands. A network of hundreds of fire lookout towers were built across the province, where watchmen surveyed the horizons until the 1960s, when aerial fire detection planes took over.Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 3, 20223. Great Fire of 1916 Marker(marker is mounted near ground level on a large boulder overlooking the Black River landing)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 9, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 8, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 201 times since then and 68 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 8, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
