Almonte (Ontario)
| Almonte | |||
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| Location in Ontario | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | Ontario | ||
| County : | Lanark County | ||
| Coordinates : | 45 ° 14 ′ N , 76 ° 12 ′ W | ||
| Area : | 4.94 km² | ||
| Residents : | 4649 (as of 2006) | ||
| Population density : | 941.1 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Time zone : | Eastern Time ( UTC − 5 ) | ||
| Postal code : | K0A 1A0 | ||
The former city of Almonte in Ontario , Canada , is now a borough of Mississippi Mills . Mississippi Mills was created on January 1, 1998 by the amalgamation of the city of Almonte with the parish of Ramsay and with Pakenham. Almonte borders Ottawa to the northeast and Carleton Place to the southeast . The population in 2005 was around 5,000.
history
Almonte's first settler was David Shepherd, who was given a larger area of land by the British Crown in 1819 to build and maintain a mill. The area became known as Sheperds Falls , but the name never became official. Shepherd sold his rights to the land after the mill burned down. The buyer of the land rights, Daniel Shipman, rebuilt the mill and the adjacent settlement and since 1820 it has been known as Shipmans Mills .
It was Scottish settlers to whom Shipmans Mills owed its growth. Soon there were thirty shops and forty other shops there. Known early on as the city of textile factories, Almonte had seven profitable wool factories at peak times. During this period of rapid growth, the town's name changed from Shipmans Mills to Ramsayville and then to Waterford . When the new Canadian post offices indicated that there was already Waterford (Ontario) in Ontario , it was decided that the city would have to change its name again.
The background to the last renaming lies in the foreign policy situation at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Relations between the United States and the British Kingdom - which Canada was a part of - had remained hostile since the War of 1812. The differences were exacerbated by border disputes between Mexico and the United States. Juan Almonte distinguished himself as a Mexican general in those skirmishes, and in 1853 he was appointed Mexico's ambassador to the United States. By renaming the city to Almonte, the residents of Mexico City, who were skeptical towards the United States, wanted to honor General Almonte. This makes Almonte the only city in Ontario, and probably all of Canada, that was named after a Mexican general. The name change is said to have taken place in 1856, but the post office kept the old name until 1859.
On December 27, 1942, a serious railway accident occurred in the city's train station . 36 people died and more than 200 were injured.
After the last textile goods factory was closed in the early 1980s, Almonte had played out its role as an industrial center. Since then the structures have changed and the focus is now on tourism. The city offers museum tours and some places of historical importance, such as the birthplace of James Naismith , the inventor of basketball. A stroll through Almonte is a journey back in time, where conditions have remained unchanged since the 19th century. Malcolm Street z. B. is home to many fine 19th century buildings and Daniel Shipman's house is still on the corner of Bridge Street and Mill Street.
present
Today Almonte is a small, quiet town, and many residents commute to the nearby city of Ottawa every day. Nevertheless, there are numerous festivities and cultural events, such as
- the puppet show days Puppets Up ,
- the North Lanark Highland Games , a cultural and homeland festival to commemorate Scottish immigrants,
- the Naismith 3-on-3 Basketball Festival , a basketball tournament played on the streets of Almonte,
- the Riveredge Arts Festival , a festival starring music, dance, song and drama, and
- the CeltFest , an event that focuses on folklore and music adopted from Scotland.
The Mississippi River , which flows through Almonte, has no connection with the American river of the same name.
Born in Almonte
- James Naismith (1861–1939), doctor and educator and inventor of the sport of basketball
- Stephen Michael Vincent Ryan (1826-1896), Bishop of Buffalo
- Kent Huskins (born 1979), ice hockey player
- Mitch O'Keefe (* 1984), ice hockey goalkeeper
- Perianne Jones (* 1985), cross-country skier
