Elk
Lake
Elk
Lake is a small community at the junction of Highways 65 and 560, on the banks
of the Montreal River. Both anglophone and francophone, Elk Lake sits at the
western edge of the Temiskaming Clay Belt and is primarily a forestry town.
(Scroll down
to the bottom of the page for more photos.)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
According to Museums North, remnants of pictographs on rocks show that the Elk Lake area was along trade routes used by the Cree and Anishnabai people. These routes were already well established prior to the establishment of the Fur Trade of the mid 1600s. Remnants of an Aboriginal graveyard that can be seen on the south side of town indicate that Elk Lake was settled long before Europeans arrived. The local Ojibway peoples named the lake after the huge herds of elk that roamed the area at this time.
Although forestry had been going on in the area since the mid 1800s, Elk Lake didn't become settled by Europeans until silver was discovered in the area in 1906. The town was set up in 1909, road connections to Elk Lake were built (previously, you could only get there by steamboats on the Montreal River, from Latchford) and eventually there were 30 active mines in the area, and the town peaked with a population of 10 000. A line of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway was built to the town in 1913.
Elk Lake Today
Today, Elk Lake is home to about 400 people. The town straddles the shore of the Montreal River, which makes for some beautiful views, especially when the sun shines off the shimmering water. I was pretty impressed with how clean and tidy Elk Lake was - the village could make for a nice getaway if you're willing to go off the beaten path in search of quiet, solitude, and relaxation. It's also not too far from Long Lake, which has even more hunting, fishing, boating, and swimming opportunities.
Elk
Lake's major employer is the Elk Lake Planing Mill, owned by forest industry
giant Domtar. You can call 678-2210 to go for tours in the plant. Mining has
all but disappeared, although high metals prices have re-ignited exploration
in the area. Being at the western edge of the Temiskaming Claybelt, there
is also some agriculture in and around Elk Lake, largely beef and horse farms.
Elk
Lake, surprising to some, has gotten a bit of a reputation for being a community
with a green outlook. The town is known as a proponent of sustainable forestry.
It is also the site of the Elk Lake Eco Resource Centre, a conference/banquet/retreat/hotel
facility which was built with local economic and environmental sustainability
in mind. Citizens of Elk Lake were also instrumental in the fight against
Adams Mine, when the Ontario government was proposing to use the former Kirkland
Lake mine site as a dumping ground for Toronto's garbage.
As for services, I've only been to Elk Lake once so I can't comment too much. In addition to the Eco Centre, there's a chip stand (year-round!), an LCBO, gas, some motels, a small grocery store and an outfitters. I know there are a number of tourist camps, lodges, and cottage rental places in the area that offer outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, snowshoeing, canoeing, and camping. Elk Lake is also home to a cross-country ski club that maintains about 15 kilometres of trails. The municipal campground has a boat launch, a beach, and hiking along the Bear Creek Rapids. The town is also close to the northernmost point of Makobe-Greys River Provincial Park.
In 2009, the Township of James (in which Elk Lake is situated) will celebrate their 100th Anniversary.
Hayden - Elk Lake Serenade
Elk Lake, I think, is also the inspiration for the title of Hayden's CD Elk Lake Serenade, which I can say (and can many others) is probably one of his best albums. (Hayden is a Toronto-based folk-rock musician, who was heralded as the next Beatles in the mid 1990s when he released a home-made tape recorded in his bedroom. Evidently, that level of fame never panned out, however, he is still a fantastic musician nonetheless.)
Email me to add to this page at info (at) highway11 (dot) ca, or comment below. (Scroll down to the bottom of the page for more photos.)
 |
||||
 |
-
ELK LAKE - |
 |
||
 |
||||
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Tell me about Elk Lake. Post about Elk Lake below.
