Red Lake is a municipality with town status in the Canadian province of Ontario, located 535 km (332 mi) northwest of Thunder Bay and less than 100 km (62 mi) from the Manitoba border. The municipality consists of six small communities—Balmertown, Cochenour, Madsen, McKenzie Island, Red Lake and Starratt-Olsen—and had a population of 4,107 people in the Canada 2016 Census.
Red Lake is an enclave within Unorganized Kenora District. The municipality was formed on 1 July 1998, when the former incorporated townships of Golden and Red Lake were merged along with a small portion of Unorganized Kenora District.
The name of the town comes from a local legend telling of two men from the Chippewa tribe who stumbled across a large moose. The men proceeded to kill the moose, the blood of which drained into a nearby lake. The blood turned the lake's waters red in colour, ultimately giving the area its name.[5] The name appears on the Bouchette map of 1875, and was officially approved on 7 December 1909.[6]
History
Red Lake downtown 1936. From left: Red Lake Cafe & Meat Market (almost hidden at extreme left, later Buffalo Bakery and Lakeview Bakery & Cafe – still in existence 2016), Mason-Goodison Block, McCuaig's Hotel and Red Lake Supply Store (and Red Lake Hotel in background)Aerial view of Red Lake 1936. Log boom full of saw logs at McDougall's Sawmill is visible at bottom right.
According to archeological surveys in the area, it is proposed that First Nations people have inhabited the Red Lake area for 2,000 years. The first people to live on the land were members of the Sioux and Cree tribes. Ojibwe people began to inhabit the area approximately 200–300 years ago, effectively becoming the predominant people at the time.[5]
In 1897, the R.J. Gilbert expedition discovered gold and staked eight claims. These claims were surveyed by James Tyrrell, brother of Joseph Tyrrell, as well as a rock sample from an 8-meter shaft assayed 0.6 ounces gold per ton. However, the remoteness of the site precluded further exploration until 1922. A report by Department of Mines geologist and former head of geology at Queen's University Dr. Everend Lester Bruce indicated gold-bearing quartz was to be found in the greenstone around the lake. Fred Carroll then staked what would become the Cochenour-Willans Mine, and Herbert Tyrell staked what would become McMarmac Mine to the north of the Cochenour Willans mine. In 1925, Lorne and Ray Howey, along with brother-in-law George McNeely, plus W.F. Morgan staked claims which became the Howey and Hasaga Mines. Marius Madsen staked claims which became the Madsen Mine. The McDonough brothers staked the future Red Lake Gold Shore Mines.[7]
The town experienced a sudden surge of economic, industrial and population growth with the development of the gold mines. By 1936, Red Lake's Howey Bay airport was the busiest in the world, with more flights landing and taking off per hour than any other.[8]
By 1941, the Howey Mine had produced 421,592 ounces of gold. Hasaga Gold Mines produced 218,213 ounces over 14 years. McKenzie Red Lake Gold Mines produced 651,156 ounces by 1966, the Madsen Mine produced 2,416,609 ounces by 1976, and the Cochenour-Willans Mine produced 1,244,279 ounces by 1971. Jack Hammell developed Uchi Lake which produced 114,467 ounces by 1943. H. Dewitt Smith developed the Berens River, which produced 157,341 ounces by 1948. George Campbell started the second Red Lake gold rush in 1949 with the development of Campbell Red Lake Mines. It produced a peak of 300,472 ounces in 1993, the same year cumulative production reached 8,000,000 ounces. The Dickenson Red Lake Gold Mine had produced 3,000,000 ounces of gold by 1993.[7]
In 1995 Goldcorp, the then owners of the Red Lake Mine, discovered that it contains the world's richest grade gold ore (two troy ounces of gold per metric ton). Shortly thereafter, the mine suffered through a four-year-long miners' strike. In 2004, the site was declared the richest gold mine in the world.[9]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Red Lake had a population of 4,094 living in 1,703 of its 1,899 total private dwellings, a change of -0.3% from its 2016 population of 4,107. With a land area of 602.93 km2 (232.79 sq mi), it had a population density of 6.8/km2 (17.6/sq mi) in 2021.[4]
The climate of the area is warm-summer humid continental (KöppenDfb). Snow usually starts falling around late October or early November, and starts melting around March but is not normally fully melted until late April, whilst late-season snow in May is not rare. This long winter is ideal for the local snowmobilers and for ice fishing, although the wind is often very cold and temperatures may drop to below −35 °C (−31 °F). During winter, residents and visitors participate in snowmobiling, ice fishing, skiing, ice hockey, and downhill sliding.
During the summer, the area experiences a moderate climate with little humidity, which is ideal for fishing, camping, boating, canoeing, and hiking.
The three primary sources of employment in Red Lake are support services for the numerous mines surrounding the town, small scale logging and a tourism sector specializing in hunting and fishing. It is known as the "Norseman Capital of the World", referring to the Noorduyn Norseman aircraft which played a significant role in the development of the area.[8]
Transportation
Red Lake is located at the northern terminus of Highway 105, and is the northernmost town in Ontario that is located on a primary King's Highway. A short spur route, Highway 125, extends northerly from Highway 105 to the communities of Balmertown, Cochenour and McKenzie Island, while Highway 618 extends westerly from Highway 105 to the communities of Madsen and Starratt-Olsen. Only one highway in the province, the secondary Highway 599, extends further north than the terminus of Highway 125.
The town acts as a cargo, passenger, and tourism hub for Northwestern Ontario. With Pickle Lake, Red Lake services over twenty northern fly-in communities. Today, Red Lake Airport is a "mini-hub" facilitating travel to and from all northern communities in Northwestern Ontario. Four airway companies take advantage of Red Lake's close proximity to the northern communities. North Star Air, Bearskin Airlines, Superior Airways, and Wasaya Airways all operate out of "YRL".
Attractions
Balmertown
Red Lake has the Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre, a museum of local art and history, and is close to Woodland Caribou Provincial Park and Pakwash Provincial Park. Some local restaurants are Antonio's, Spud&Dog, and The Howey. Red Lake is a prime location for summer sport fishing, as the lake contains several types of fish including walleye, northern pike, lake trout, whitefish and sauger. Other popular recreational summer activities include golfing at the Red Lake Golf and Country Club, swimming at Rahill and Kinsmen Beach, and even exploring the many bays and arms of Red Lake by boat.[citation needed]
Hunting is another activity in the region that attracts tourism, especially during the fall season. Red Lake is known for its abundance of game in the District, including moose, ruffed grouse, spruce grouse, duck, and bear. Some citizens even participate in the fur industry with established trapping lines interspersed throughout the local forests. The gray wolf, white-tailed deer, red fox, beaver, and many bird species also inhabit the area.[citation needed]
The Northern Sun News was a weekly broadsheet newspaper serving Red Lake and the surrounding Northern Communities. It had a circulation of 1600. On 28 August 2015, it announced via Facebook that its last issue would be 2 September 2015.[19]
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