Morley, Ontario
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| Location in Ontario | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | Ontario | ||
| Local community: | Township of Morley | ||
| Coordinates : | 48 ° 45 ′ N , 94 ° 10 ′ W | ||
| Area : | 375.61 km² | ||
| Residents : | 492 (as of 2006) | ||
| Population density : | 1.3 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Mayor : | Gary Gamsby | ||
| Website : | www.townshipofmorley.ca | ||
Morley is a rural area, more precisely a township , in the Canadian province of Ontario . It is located in the Rainy River District and had 492 residents in 2006. The most important place is the Stratton , created in 1901 with around 125 inhabitants, which has a high proportion of Mennonites .
history
The Sault Indian Reserve , an Indian reservation was on the site of the former village of the local Ojibwa emerged. It was a well-known gathering place of the surrounding tribes. There is also a burial site in the form of a hill, a so-called burial mound . Many of the residents fell victim to epidemics, the survivors were relocated to the Manitou Reserve .
Morley Township was founded in 1879 and was named after John Morley. The first settlers came from southern Ontario. There were mostly English, Irish and Scots. They mostly came by train to Rat Portage ( Kenora ), then by boat across the Lake of the Woods to the Rainy River , which forms the border with the USA here. With ships like the Edna Bridges , the Agwinda, and the Keenora , furniture and livestock, food and mail came. When they got to Long Sault and Manitou , the Indians there pulled the ships on with ropes for a few sacks of flour. The earlier settlers, in turn, sold wood to the ships that powered their engines with it.
The first plots of land were initially given out along the river in the form of so-called lots of always the same area. The small cluster of shops owned by Edmund Boucher and Tom Ward, plus McTague's tinsmiths, was soon called Boucherville. In 1883 Cameron built a log cabin and barn west of what is now the city park, and a post office was opened here. The first settlers such as James and RJF Marsh, Hennessey, Campbell, Michael Oster and Robert Muldoon followed on the river, which was still called Beaver Mills at that time .
James and Mac Robertson, Dormer and George Watts moved to the area north of Boucherville. Flavius Orlando Gamsby's home was created; it later became the farm of Clarence and Albert Gamsby. Archie Robertson moved a mile north, in 1891 the Weir moved north and started their own hamlet called Weirton. A Methodist church and school was established there, which was moved to Stratton in 1904, while the school continued to operate until 1922. A small inn, called a halfway house , provided travelers with food, shelter, and information.
In 1884, a major fire destroyed the entire forest between the Rainy River and Off Lake . Gamsby Hut burned down and his wife and three children were killed. In the area of the burned forest, the township Pattullo was established, which was named after the Minister of Public Works, George Pattullo . Other families settled here. So in March 1899 Alec Anderson brought his family overland from Wabigoon and built a sawmill; but later he also moved to Stratton. Ed Lockhard opened a forge, but also moved there.
In 1901 the Canadian Northern Railway came to the region and the hamlet of Stratton was created. It was named after JR Stratton, the provincial secretary. The main street was called Strathcona.
In 1903 the Municipality of Morley was created , which combined Morley and Pattullo, the two townships. Boucher became the first mayor, or Reeve , as they are called in Northern Ontario, Fred Watts treasurer. Guy Gamsby was an employee until 1958, his son Fred followed him until 1976, his son Gary Gamsby is today's Reeve.
Boucher moved his shop here, Ward his hotel, McTague his business. Jack and Dave Lougheed took over and expanded the shop. Nat Lougheed specialized in building barns. Fred Upton Sr. built schools and homes. TB Wilson and Fred Watts ran a slaughterhouse in a shop that Lorne Langstaff built in 1914 and which still stands today. It was run by Otto and George Meyers for decades.
The oldest building in town was built in 1901 by the Canadian Order of Foresters . It is now part of Ralph Wardman's house. Oliver Mineilly built the Stratton Hotel, but it burned down at the end of the century. After a murder at the Ward Hotel, the city voted for an alcohol ban in 1911.
The Catholic Church was founded in 1902. Father JC St. Amant was the first priest. The first church on the reservation was built by the Anglican missionary Johnson, to whom The Peoples Church of 1904 goes back, in the vicinity of the cemetery. His successor named Cousins built a second church. A Presbyterian church was built in 1907 but burned down in 1915. With the union to the United Church of Canada in 1926, the church was shared, but replaced by a new one in 1981.
The first one-room schools were built at Camerons and Campbells. The Campbellville School was moved to Dilke , which Fred Upton built for $ 776 . Another school at Anderson Farm was simply called No. 7 . There was also a school in the former reservation. At first it was difficult to get teachers, but in 1921 the Stratton Ward built a three-room school called Morley Consolidated , later Morley Central . The first teachers were Myrtle Young and Marie Gerber, the students came by bus. Schools were also located in Pattullo Township, but they were all closed. In 1973 the Stratton school also closed, and the students moved to a larger school on Sturgeon Creek.
Highway 11 to Fort Frances was completed around 1920 , but it still took a full day to get there with the first cars.
The first telephone line in Stratton was moved by Joe Oster from his to his brother Isaac's and on to Clarence Gamsby's. The route was expanded to Birchdale , users paid 1.90 dollars per month, and the transfer was done manually. Soon the municipality took over the service, finally Bell Canada bought it .
The population remained small and many properties were not sold. From the 1930s, Europeans came to the region as new settlers, especially Dutch. In the 1960s, Mennonites from Mexico and Manitoba took over numerous farms.
During World War I , the local women's group, founded in 1905, supported the Canadian army by collecting money and knitting socks. In 1929 they were able to build a meeting hall which, although no longer owned by the association, is still used by the community. Of the 41 local men who volunteered in World War I, 12 were killed; 68 volunteered in World War II , including two women.
In 1949 electrical energy came into the place for the first time.
In 2004, the non-incorporated townships of Sifton and Dewart became part of the Corporation of the Township of Morley .
population
The population increased from 495 to 526 between 1991 and 2001, but has been falling since then. Morley lost 34 inhabitants between 2001 and 2006, bringing their number down to 492.
economy
In 1997, the place created a development plan for the rural area, which should preserve its original character.
Web links
- The Corporation of the Township of Morley
- The Full History (Morley Township)
Remarks
- ^ Morley, Statistics Canada
- ↑ Official Plan (July 1998) ( Memento of the original from March 22, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
