New Liskeard in Temiskaming Shores in Timiskaming District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Staking a Claim
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Revendication d'un territoire
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 1, 2022
1. Staking a Claim / Revendication d'un territoire Marker
The Town of New Liskeard is situated at the mouth of the Wabi River where it flows into Lake Temiskaming, a location long known as a haven from storms.
This was once the seasonal home of the Wabigigic family of the Alonquin nation who hunted and trapped in the area and gave their name to the river. However it wasn't until 1891 that two former surveyors from Haliburton, Irwin Heard and William Murray, staked their claim to farm lots along the Wabi River, making them the first European settlers. The town's first mayor was John Armstrong, a provincial Crown Lands Agent appointed in 1893 to dispose of newly surveyed townships in the Little Clay Belt agricultural area.
First known as the Wahbe Settlement, in 1894 the community was named Liskeard by members of the “Huntsville Syndicate”, then renamed Thornloe after an Anglican bishop. Finally, when the town incorporated in 1903, the name New Liskeard was chosen.
Although the fur trade first brought European settlement, and lumbering and mining soon became and continue to be important factors in the local economy, it was agriculture that sustained settlement in Temiskaming and by and large supports the community of New Liskeard today.
[image captions]
• Wabi River
• John Armstrong
• ox and wagon
• New Liskeard bridge
La ville de New Liskeard est située à l'embouchure de la rivière Wabi, qui se déverse dans le lac Temiskaming à l'endroit réputé être un refuge contre les tempêtes.
Là s'installaient périodiquement des membres de la famille algonquienne des Wabi-Kiijk qui s'adonnaient à la chasse et au piégeage et ont donné leur nom à la rivière. Toutefois, ce n'est qu'en 1891 que deux anciens arpenteurs de Haliburton, Irwin Heard et William Murray, se sont établis sur des fermes le long de la rivière Wabi et sont devenus les premiers colons européens. Le premier maire de la ville a été John Armstrong, un agent de la Couronne nommé en 1893 pour disposer des cantons tout juste arpentés de la zone agricole de Little Clay.
Connue d'abord sous le nom de village Wahbe, la collectivité a pris le nom de Liskeard en 1894, à l'instigation de membres du « Huntsville Syndicate », et ensuite celui de Thornloe en l'honneur d'un évêque-anglican. Enfin, en 1903, elle a opté pour New Liskeard au moment de sa constitution en corporation.
Bien que le commerce des fourrures ait d'abord attiré les colons européens, et que l'exploitation du bois et des mines soit rapidement devenue le principal moteur de l'économie locale qu'elle est encore aujourd'hui, c'est l'agriculture qui constitue les bases du village d'autrefois et de la collectivité d'aujourd'hui.
[légendes d'images]
• la rivière Wabi
• John Armstrong
• boeuf et chariot
• le pont de New Liskeard
Topics.
this page online
Location. 47° 30.376′ N, 79° 40.111′ W. Marker is in Temiskaming Shores, Ontario, in Timiskaming District. It is in New Liskeard. It is on Riverside Drive 0.2 kilometers east of South May Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker is beside the parking lot on the west side of the New Liskeard Waterfront Marina. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 199 Riverside Drive, Temiskaming Shores ON P0J 1P0, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northeastern Ontario and specifically in Northern Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking
2. Marker detail: John Armstrong
Also see . . . New Liskeard (Canadian Encyclopedia).
(by Matt Bray) Excerpt: Located at the mouth of Wabi Creek, the history of this farming community dates back to 1893 when the Ontario government first opened the area to settlement. The agricultural potential of the Little Clay Belt, a 56-km strip of land stretching to the northwest, quickly attracted farmers from elsewhere in the province.(Submitted on July 10, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)By 1896, New Liskeard was a thriving village. Its role as service center to the surrounding farming community was furthered when the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway arrived in 1905. Its growth has been shaped by the varying fortunes of agriculture.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 2, 2022
3. Staking a Claim / Revendication d'un territoire Marker
The marker is on the right side of this interpretive kiosk near the New Liskeard Waterfront Marina.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 9, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 7 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 10, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
