Iroquois Falls in Cochrane District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

The Founding of Iroquois Falls / La fondation d'Iroquois Falls

The Founding of Iroquois Falls Marker<br>(<i>south side • English</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022

1. The Founding of Iroquois Falls Marker
(south side • English)

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

[English] This region's first inhabitants were aboriginal peoples who were attracted by its abundant natural resources and extensive water routes. Europeans arrived in the late 1600s to acquire furs and establish trade with the First Nations. During the early 1900s, Montreal businessman Frank Anson recognized the region's potential for paper manufacturing and, in 1912, he and Shirley Ogilvie were granted a pulpwood concession of over one million acres. Anson oversaw the establishment of Abitibi Power & Paper Company, Limited — the largest newsprint mill in North America at the time. The extension of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway further supported the development and rapid growth of the area. Initially a company-owned and planned town, Iroquois Falls was incorporated in 1915. The Great Fire of 1916 destroyed a large portion of the town but the community was able to rebuild. In 1920, Anson initiated a beautification program that incorporated some elements of Garden City planning ideals, which remain evident today.

[Français] Les premiers habitants de la région sont des peuples autochtones,

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attirés par l’abondance des ressources naturelles et l’étendue des vastes voies navigables. Les Européens arrivent à la fin des années 1600 pour faire l’acquisition des fourrures et établir un commerce avec les Premières Nations. Au début des années 1900, l'homme d'affaires montréalais Frank Anson prend conscience du potentiel de la région pour la fabrication de papier et, en 1912, il se voit accorder, avec Shirley Ogilvie, une concession de bois à pâte de plus d'un million d'acres. Il supervise alors la création de la Abitibi Power & Paper Company, Limited, la plus grande usine de papier journal de l’époque en Amérique du Nord. L’expansion du Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway contribue à favoriser le développement et la croissance rapide de la région. Initialement propriété de la société qui l’a bâtie, la ville d’Iroquois Falls est constituée en personne morale en 1915. Le grand incendie de 1916 a détruit une grande partie de la ville, mais la collectivité renaît de ses cendres. En 1920, Frank Anson entame un programme d'embellissement qui incorporait certains des concepts d’aménagement d’une cité-jardin, que subsistent encore de nos jours.

Erected 2009 by Ontario Heritage Trust / Fiducie du patrimoine ontarien.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters

La fondation d'Iroquois Falls Marker<br>(<i>north side • Français</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022

2. La fondation d'Iroquois Falls Marker
(north side • Français)

• Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Ontario Heritage Foundation series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.

Location. 48° 45.822′ N, 80° 40.919′ W. Marker is in Iroquois Falls, Ontario, in Cochrane District. Marker is at the intersection of Cambridge Avenue and Synagogue Avenue, on the left when traveling north on Cambridge Avenue. Marker is located at the northwest corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Iroquois Falls ON P0K 1E0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 11 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Iroquois Falls (within shouting distance of this marker); Iroquois Falls Public School (approx. half a kilometer away); The Historic Shay 70 Locomotive (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Frank Harris Anson Memorial (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); The Historic Gibbens and Davis Boats (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Sergeant Aubrey Cosens, V.C. (approx. 10.5 kilometers away).

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . .

The Founding of Iroquois Falls Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022

3. The Founding of Iroquois Falls Marker

(looking north • Cambridge Avenue on right)

1. Provincial plaque commemorates founding of Iroquois Falls.

(10/01/2009) Today, the Ontario Heritage Trust, the Iroquois Falls Community Development Team and the Town of Iroquois Falls unveil a provincial plaque commemorating the town's founding. In the early 1900s, when the Ontario government built the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway from North Bay to Cochrane it opened the region to settlement. Frank Harris Anson, a native of Michigan and Montreal businessman, originally planned to come north for the prospect of finding gold in the Abitibi basin. His scouts did not find gold but returned with reports of impressive forests and potential waterpower, inspiring Anson to develop a newsprint mill in the area.

(Submitted on March 12, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Iroquois Falls History.

Frank Anson had been influenced by the garden city movement of urban planning and was committed to building an elaborate town. The town's park and commercial developments were clearly separated from the paper mill, and the residential streets curved with a focus on the centre of the town. Anson's company town had a hospital, a school, and a company hotel. Employee homes were designed with gambrel roofs to resemble New England farmhouses, and their
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022

4. La fondation d'Iroquois Falls Marker
(looking south • Synagogue Avenue in left background)
design and location reflected the employee's rank at the mill.

(Submitted on March 12, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. People, Paper, Power and Trees.

Derided at first as "Anson’s Folly," Abitibi Pulp and Paper became the largest producer of newsprint in North America. Iroquois Falls remains a single industry town and the name "Abitibi" has been a staple in conversations, homes and lives since 1914, as has the name of the company’s founder.

(Submitted on March 12, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Iroquois Falls Pioneer Museum image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022

5. Iroquois Falls Pioneer Museum

(located 1 block north of marker)

Iroquois Falls Pioneer Museum Plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022

6. Iroquois Falls Pioneer Museum Plaque

This plaque commemorates with pride the founding of Iroquois Falls.
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1912-2012
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Cette plaque commémore avec fierté la fondation d'Iroquois Falls.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 10, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 110 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on March 12, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.