Iroquois Falls

The background of the town's name varies depending on the source, attributing it to invasions by the Iroquois on Huron or Ojibway villages. It is also unclear who has relayed the tale, settlers or the First Nations people themselves.{{Cite web |url=http://museumsnorth.org/iroquois_falls/history.html |title=Iroquois Falls: History & Legend |access-date=28 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928004439/http://museumsnorth.org/iroquois_falls/history.html |archive-date=28 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}

File:Frank Harris Anson.jpg

File:Iroquois Hotel - Iroquois Falls, Ontario, Canada.jpg

File:Iroquois Falls, Ontario, 1917.jpg

File:Abitibi Power and Paper Company - Iroquois Falls, Ontario, Canada (1930).jpg

File:Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway, Iroquois Falls, Ontario (c. 1930).jpg

File:Ontario Northland Railway - Monteith, Ontario, Canada.jpg train crossing Driftwood River in Monteith, 2010]]

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 centre 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.{{cite book | last = Abel | first = Kerry M. | title = Changing Places: History, Community, and Identity in Northeastern Ontario | publisher = McGill-Queen's University | year = 2006 | isbn = 9780773530386 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Hukj0am0UlIC&pg=PP1 }}

Much of the town was destroyed by fire in 1916, though Anson continued his beautification program during the 1920s as the community rebuilt.http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_1_10324_1.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916052723/http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_1_10324_1.html |date=16 September 2011 }} Ontario Heritage Trust Founding of Iroquois Falls

The town's avant-garde style earned it the nickname "Anson's Folly".

The town was incorporated in 1915, and a board of trade was chartered in 1926.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

The paper mill created a dramatic change to the area, and people migrated to the community for work.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

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.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

As Iroquois Falls grew, two new communities within the town began to emerge. An area known first as "The Wye" (because the rail tracks split at this point) grew to the south, and was at first a ramshackle collection of cabins and shacks. It later became known as Ansonville, and was home to a number of business people and others who were shut out from the company town. In contrast to Iroquois Falls, Ansonville had little town planning, and no water, sewer, or electrical service. Insurance companies would not insure homes there because the risk of fire was too great, and the first residents were French-Canadians, Russians and Ukrainians. Animosity was frequent between Ansonville and Iroquois Falls, and many residents of Iroquois Falls condemned Ansonville "as a dark den of foreigners engaged in regular street brawls, illegal alcohol consumption, and other unsavoury activities"{{rp|85}}

In 1921, Ansonville began to levy taxes, which led a group of residents to establish a third community named Victoria in the north-west section of the town. The name was later changed to Montrock.

In 1979, the three communities were amalgamated into one town named Iroquois Falls.

The paper mill, then called Abitibi-Price, merged with Stone-Consolidated, and then with Donohue Forest Products, and finally with Bowater to create Abitibi-Bowater. On 17 April 2009, Abitibi-Bowater sought bankruptcy protection, emerging from it as Resolute Forest Products.

A tragic event occurred in 1984 at the coffee shop at Joe's Texaco in nearby Porquis Junction. Ontario Provincial Police constable Vern Miller was drinking coffee with his partner constable Norm Tiegen, when 23-year-old Gregg Prevost of Iroquois Falls entered and shot Miller with a shotgun, killing him instantly. The community was shocked and outraged, and Prevost was sentenced to life in prison. The town of Matheson renamed their local arena the Vern Miller Memorial Arena in his honour.{{cite web | last = Grech | first = Ron | title = Cop killer seeks return home | publisher = The Daily Press (Timmins) | date = 10 January 2013 | url = http://www.timminspress.com/2013/01/10/cop-killer-seeks-return-home}}

Iroquois Falls falls within the northern periphery of the humid continental climate (Dfb) despite extreme January and February record lows that exceed that of many subarctic regions. In January 1935, the town set the record low temperature for Ontario of {{convert|−58.3|°C|°F|0}}, the town also happens to hold the unofficial February record low of {{convert|-55.6|°C|°F|0}}. set in February 1899 (before the town was officially incorporated but weather was taken) and tied in February 1934 but it wasn't recorded at the location used for official temperature readings. Winter typically lasts from the end of October to well into April.

{{Weather box

|location = Iroquois Falls

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|collapsed = yes

|Jan record high C = 8.3

|Feb record high C = 10.0

|Mar record high C = 21.7

|Apr record high C = 31.7

|May record high C = 35.0

|Jun record high C = 38.0

|Jul record high C = 41.1

|Aug record high C = 37.2

|Sep record high C = 33.3

|Oct record high C = 28.9

|Nov record high C = 19.4

|Dec record high C = 14.5

|year record high C = 41.1

|Jan high C = -11.0

|Feb high C = -8.2

|Mar high C = -1.3

|Apr high C = 7.6

|May high C = 16.1

|Jun high C = 21.8

|Jul high C = 24.1

|Aug high C = 22.4

|Sep high C = 15.8

|Oct high C = 8.6

|Nov high C = 0.1

|Dec high C = -7.8

|year high C = 7.4

|Jan mean C = -17.9

|Feb mean C = -15.6

|Mar mean C = -8.6

|Apr mean C = 0.9

|May mean C = 9.1

|Jun mean C = 14.5

|Jul mean C = 17.2

|Aug mean C = 15.8

|Sep mean C = 10.0

|Oct mean C = 3.9

|Nov mean C = -4.2

|Dec mean C = -13.8

|year mean C = 0.9

|Jan low C = -24.7

|Feb low C = -23.0

|Mar low C = -15.9

|Apr low C = -5.9

|May low C = 2.0

|Jun low C = 7.3

|Jul low C = 10.2

|Aug low C = 9.1

|Sep low C = 4.2

|Oct low C = -0.8

|Nov low C = -8.6

|Dec low C = -19.8

|year low C = -5.5

|Jan record low C = -58.3

|Feb record low C = -45.6

|Mar record low C = -42.2

|Apr record low C = -30.0

|May record low C = -13.3

|Jun record low C = -9.4

|Jul record low C = -3.0

|Aug record low C = -3.3

|Sep record low C = -8.3

|Oct record low C = -16.1

|Nov record low C = -32.8

|Dec record low C = -46.1

|year record low C = -58.3

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 49.4

|Feb precipitation mm = 30.6

|Mar precipitation mm = 49.7

|Apr precipitation mm = 45.1

|May precipitation mm = 60.9

|Jun precipitation mm = 81.5

|Jul precipitation mm = 93.3

|Aug precipitation mm = 85.9

|Sep precipitation mm = 96.6

|Oct precipitation mm = 68.5

|Nov precipitation mm = 57.2

|Dec precipitation mm = 57.4

|year precipitation mm = 776.0

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 2.7

|Feb rain mm = 2.9

|Mar rain mm = 16.2

|Apr rain mm = 31.0

|May rain mm = 58.0

|Jun rain mm = 81.4

|Jul rain mm = 93.3

|Aug rain mm = 85.9

|Sep rain mm = 96.2

|Oct rain mm = 62.9

|Nov rain mm = 25.2

|Dec rain mm = 5.6

|year rain mm = 561.2

|snow colour = green

|Jan snow cm = 46.7

|Feb snow cm = 27.6

|Mar snow cm = 33.5

|Apr snow cm = 14.1

|May snow cm = 2.9

|Jun snow cm = 0.1

|Jul snow cm = 0.0

|Aug snow cm = 0.0

|Sep snow cm = 0.4

|Oct snow cm = 5.6

|Nov snow cm = 32.0

|Dec snow cm = 51.8

|year snow cm = 214.8

|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 12.0

|Feb precipitation days = 9.1

|Mar precipitation days = 9.3

|Apr precipitation days = 9.0

|May precipitation days = 11.7

|Jun precipitation days = 14.2

|Jul precipitation days = 14.4

|Aug precipitation days = 13.7

|Sep precipitation days = 16.3

|Oct precipitation days = 15.0

|Nov precipitation days = 13.7

|Dec precipitation days = 14.4

|year precipitation days = 152.6

|unit rain days = 0.2 mm

|Jan rain days = 0.18

|Feb rain days = 0.61

|Mar rain days = 2.0

|Apr rain days = 6.1

|May rain days = 11.3

|Jun rain days = 14.2

|Jul rain days = 14.4

|Aug rain days = 13.7

|Sep rain days = 16.2

|Oct rain days = 13.3

|Nov rain days = 5.0

|Dec rain days = 0.93

|year rain days = 97.9

|unit snow days = 0.2 cm

|Jan snow days = 11.9

|Feb snow days = 8.6

|Mar snow days = 7.7

|Apr snow days = 3.3

|May snow days = 0.67

|Jun snow days = 0.04

|Jul snow days = 0.04

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.11

|Oct snow days = 2.6

|Nov snow days = 9.6

|Dec snow days = 13.6

|year snow days = 58.2

|source 1 = Environment Canada{{cite web

| url = https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?searchType=stnProv&lstProvince=ON&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=4154&dispBack=0

| title = Iroquois Falls, Ontario

| work = Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000

| date = 19 January 2011

| publisher = Environment Canada

| language = en, fr

| access-date = 13 February 2013}}

|date=August 2010

}}

{{Historical populations

|title = Historical populations

|type = Canada

|align = right

|width =

|state =

|shading =

|percentages =

|footnote =[http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1932-eng.aspx?opt=/eng/1932/193201450107_p. 107.pdf], Canada Year Book 1932[http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1955-eng.aspx?opt=/eng/1955/195501690143_p. 143.pdf], Canada Year Book 1955[http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1967-eng.aspx?opt=/eng/1967/196702230191_p. 191.pdf], Canada Year Book 1967 Population figures reflect the town's 1979 amalgamation.

|1921|1,178

|1931|1,476

|1941|1,302

|1951|1,342

|1961|1,681

|1991|5,999

|1996|5,714

|2001|5,217

|2006|4,729

|2011|4,595

|2016|4,537

}}

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Iroquois Falls had a population of {{val|4418|fmt=commas}} living in {{val|1977|fmt=commas}} of its {{val|2153|fmt=commas}} total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:4418-4537}}|4537|1}} from its 2016 population of {{val|4537|fmt=commas}}. With a land area of {{convert|599.03|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|4418|599.03|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000203&geocode=A000235 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Ontario | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=9 February 2022 | accessdate=30 March 2022}}

{{Canada census

|location = Iroquois Falls

|2021_population=4,418 | 2021_pop_delta=-2.6 | 2021_land_area=599.03 | 2021_pop_density=7.4

|2021_median_age=48.0 | 2021_median_age_m=45.2 | 2021_median_age_f=49.6

|2021_total_pvt_dwell=2,153 |2021_occ_pvt_dwell=1,977 |2021_mean_hh_income=75,000

|2021_geocode=2021A00053556031 | 2021_access_date=2023-10-19

|2016_population=4,537 | 2016_pop_delta=-1.3 | 2016_land_area=600.01 | 2016_pop_density=7.6

|2016_median_age=49.6 | 2016_median_age_m=48.5 | 2016_median_age_f=51.0

|2016_total_pvt_dwell=2,245 | 2016_mean_hh_income=64,400 | 2016_access_date=2019-06-10

|2011_population=4,595 | 2011_pop_delta=-2.8 | 2011_land_area=599.92 | 2011_pop_density=7.7

|2011_median_age= | 2011_median_age_m= | 2011_median_age_f=

|2011_total_pvt_dwell=2,192 | 2011_mean_hh_income= | 2011_access_date=2012-02-17

|2006_population=4,729 | 2006_pop_delta=-9.4 | 2006_land_area=599.43 | 2006_pop_density=7.9

|2006_median_age=46.3 | 2006_median_age_m=45.7 | 2006_median_age_f=46.9

|2006_total_pvt_dwell=2,223 | 2006_mean_hh_income=56,160 | 2006_access_date=2012-02-17

|2001_population=5,217 | 2001_pop_delta=-8.7 | 2001_land_area=599.42 | 2001_pop_density=8.7

|2001_median_age=41.3 | 2001_median_age_m=40.7 | 2001_median_age_f=41.9

|2001_total_pvt_dwell=2,359 | 2001_mean_hh_income=44,570 | 2001_access_date=2012-02-17

}}

File:Iroquois Falls mill.JPG

Resolute Forest Products announced the permanent closure of its mill in Iroquois Falls on 5 December 2014, eliminating 180 jobs. Mayor Michael Shea commented: "it's going to affect every village in Northern Ontario."

In 2015, the Town of Iroquois Falls entered into an agreement with Resolute Forest Products, and Riverside Developments, regarding redeveloping the former mill site into a multi-use industrial facility, commercial-industrial park, or possibly a greenhouse complex.{{cite web | last = Ross | first = Ian | title = "New day" for idled Iroquois Falls paper mill | publisher = Northern Ontario Business | date = 25 January 2016 | url = https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/industry-news/forestry/new-day-for-idled-iroquois-falls-paper-mill-371746}}{{cite web | last = Hale | first = Alan S. | title = Iroquois Falls Releases Heavily Redacted Purchase Agreement for Mill Site Redevelopment | publisher = Timmins Press | date = 19 May 2016 | url = http://www.timminspress.com/2016/05/19/iroquois-falls-releases-heavily-redacted-purchase-agreement-for-mill-site-redevelopment | access-date = 31 October 2016 | archive-date = 1 November 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161101102043/http://www.timminspress.com/2016/05/19/iroquois-falls-releases-heavily-redacted-purchase-agreement-for-mill-site-redevelopment | url-status = dead }}

{{unreferenced section|date=September 2017}}

The Jus Jordan Arena arena and curling rinks were completed in 1955. The arena was designed and construction supervised by then Abitibi Paper Company engineer Jus Jordan.https://www.mycochranenow.com/37466/news/photo-of-the-week-the-official-opening-of-the-abitibi-community-arena-1957/{{cite web | url=https://www.iroquoisfalls.com/jus-jordan-arena-iroquois-falls-sports-complex | title=Jus Jordan Arena & Iroquois Falls Sports Complex }} entirely through the volunteer effort of townspeople.

There is a Hockey rink with a full surrounding of seats, a Curling rink with five playing surfaces, a cafeteria and a licensed lounge. A pool was added in 1979, and the complex was renovated in 2007.

The Iroquois Falls Curling Club is located at the arena.

The arena is currently home to the Iroquois Falls Storm and was formerly home to the Abitibi Eskimos,{{Cite web|url=https://www.hockeydb.com/stte/abitibi-eskimos-4570.html|title=Abitibi Eskimos hockey team [NOJHL] statistics and history at hockeydb.com|website=hockeydb.com|accessdate=14 April 2023}} Iroquois Falls Jr. Eskis and Iroquois Falls Eskis of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.

Each summer brings the "Search for Moby Pike" fishing derby on Lake Abitibi.

'MusicMusicMusic' was an annual live event on the second weekend of August, and featured local musicians

raising funds for community charities.

The Porquis Blues Festival, later renamed the Porquis Music Festival, was an annual festival in Porquis Junction, a small community south-west of Iroquois Falls. The last festival was in 2022.

Iroquois Falls is served by:

• District School Board Ontario North East
• Conseil scolaire de district du Nord-Est de l'Ontario
• Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grandes-Rivières

• Henry Abramson, dean at Lander College of Arts and Science, Touro College, New York.
• Aubrey Cosens, recipient of the Victoria Cross.{{Cite web |title=Aubrey Cosens - The Canadian Virtual War Memorial |url=https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/2662995 |url-status=live}}
• Paul Gagné, professional hockey player.
• Ryan Garlock, professional hockey player.
• Roger Lemelin, professional hockey player.
• Patricia O'Callaghan, soprano opera singer
• Yvan Patry, Québécois documentary filmmaker.
• Gerry Rioux, professional hockey player.
• Caitlin Romain, professional curler.

Canadian musician Stompin' Tom Connors sang "May, the Millwright's Daughter" on his 1967 album The Northlands' Own Tom Connors:

In a little town called Ansonville,

not very far from the papermill.

There lives a girl I'm thinkin' of,

May, the millwright's daughter, the girl I really love.{{cite web | title = May, The Millwright's Daughter | publisher = Lyrics Feast | url = http://lyricsfeast.com/song-may-the-millwright-s-daughter-lyrics-stompin-tom-connors.html | access-date = 13 January 2014}}

• List of francophone communities in Ontario
• Iroquois Falls Airport

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{official website|http://www.iroquoisfalls.com}}

{{Geographic location

| Centre = Iroquois Falls

| North = Unorganized North Cochrane

| East = Unorganized North Cochrane

| South = Black River-Matheson

| West = Unorganized North Cochrane

| Southwest = Timmins

}}

{{Cochrane District}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Municipalities in Cochrane District

Category:Single-tier municipalities in Ontario

Category:Towns in Ontario