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Iroquois Falls facts for kids

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Iroquois Falls
Town
Iroquois Falls municipal office
Iroquois Falls municipal office
Country  Canada
Province  Ontario
District Cochrane
Established 1912
Incorporated 1915
Government
 • Type Town
Area
 • Land 599.43 km2 (231.44 sq mi)
Population
 (2006)
 • Total 4,729
 • Density 7.9/km2 (20/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal code span
P0K
Area code(s) 705
Website Town of Iroquois Falls

Iroquois Falls is a town in Northern Ontario, Canada, with a population of 4,595 at the 2011 census.

The town centre lies 11 km east of Hwy 11 on the banks of the Abitibi River, west of Lake Abitibi. Timmins, one of the largest cities in northern Ontario, is approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) to the southwest. The following communities are also within the municipal boundaries: Monteith, Nellie Lake, and Porquis Junction.

Iroquois Falls' primary industry was a large mill producing newsprint and commercial printing papers. In December 2014, the owner, Resolute Forest Products, announced its permanent closure. There are also three hydro-electric dams nearby. The Monteith Correctional Complex, a provincial prison serving a regional catchment area, is located in the community of Monteith (named for Samuel Nelson Monteith).

History

Iroquois Falls was built as a company town by Frank Harris Anson, owner of the Abitibi Power and Paper Company. Anson had been influenced by the garden city movement of urban planning, and was committed to building an elaborate town. A Chicago architectural firm was hired to design the landscaping and houses, and work crews began clearing land in 1913. The town's park and commercial developments were clearly separated from the paper mill, and the residential streets curved with a focus on the center of the town. A large church was built, the first English Catholic Parish in Northern Ontario, and today remains a historic landmark. 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 design and location reflected the employee's rank at the mill. Papermakers lived in double-adjoined homes, while senior managers lived on separate streets in single-family homes.

Much of the town was destroyed by fire in 1916, though Anson continued his beautification program during the 1920s as the community rebuilt. The town's avant-garde style earned it the nickname "Anson's Folly". The paper mill created a dramatic change to the area, and people migrated to the community for work. The creation of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway (now Ontario Northland Railway) greatly boosted the economy as there were few roads at the time.

Images for kids

  • Frank Harris Anson

    Frank Harris Anson

  • Iroquois Hotel - Iroquois Falls, Ontario, Canada

    Iroquois Hotel, 1916

  • Iroquois Falls, Ontario, 1917

    Street in Iroquois Falls, 1917

  • Abitibi Power and Paper Company - Iroquois Falls, Ontario, Canada (1930)

    Abitibi paper mill, 1930

  • Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway, Iroquois Falls, Ontario (c. 1930)

    Iroquois Falls railway station, c. 1930

  • Ontario Northland Railway - Monteith, Ontario, Canada

    Ontario Northland Railway train crossing Driftwood River in Monteith, 2010

  • Iroquois Falls mill

    Former Resolute Forest Products mill in Iroquois Falls

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