Temagami Overview

Thursday, 17 April 2008 13:28

Temagami History

This natural wonder that we call Temagami is located in North Eastern Ontario, about 100 kilometers North of North Bay in Ontario’s Near North. Known for it’s rich history, it’s unique environmental features, and it’s infamous political background, Temagami has become a destination known the world over. Lake Temagami is a spectacular lake with hundreds of kilometers of shoreline and bordered by protected old-growth forest and over 1200 islands. It extends almost 50 km from North to South and about 35 km from East to West. The lake's name comes from Te-mee-ay-gaming, which means "deep water by the shore" in the language of the Anishnabai people. The Anishnabai people have been living in the area for at least 6,000 years after migrating from the east coast of North America. They refer to this region as N’Daki Menan, which translates simply to “our land”. The land was divided into hunting and trapping territories amongst the 14 original families that inhabited the Temagami region. Descendants of these 14 original families still inhabit the area to this day. In 1901, in an attempt to protect one of Eastern North America's largest pine forests for future logging, the Temagami Forest Reserve was established. Two years later, this Forest Reserve was enlarged to 5,900 square miles, larger than today's Algonquin Park. The entire shoreline of Lake Temagami was protected by this Forest Reserve and development was prohibited on the mainland. The result was that most of the cottage development on Lake Temagami has been restricted to the islands with the exception of the Town of Temagami and a small number of support businesses which are located on the mainland. For over 100 years, Temagami has been home to the legendary canoe camps that have introduced thousands of young people to the art of canoeing. Keewaydin Camp was the first to establish themselves on Lake Temagami, spending their first season there in 1902. Today, the town of Temagami lies at the extreme East end the Northeast Arm of Lake Temagami, and is home to about 1000 year round residents.

Natural Values

Temagami is renowned for its rugged terrain and includes the largest remaining roadless wilderness in Ontario at this latitude. It is also the largest wilderness area in close proximity to Southern Ontario and the Northeastern United States. The region is environmentally unique and recognized the world over due to the fact that it contains the largest remaining tracts of old-growth Red and White Pine forests in the world. Three of the ten highest points in Ontario, including the highest point, Ishpatina Ridge, are located in Temagami. There are many ecological features in Temagami that are unique to the province of Ontario. Since Temagami is located in the transition zone between the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest to the South and the Boreal forest to the North, the region hosts a unique complement of species related to both ecotypes. Temagami is also home to many unique and endangered species such as the aurora trout and eastern cougar.

The Backcountry and the Nastawgan

Temagami's backcountry extends from Lake Temiskaming northwest to the regions around Gowganda, southwest to the Wanapitei River, and the Sturgeon River. This area encompasses over 700,000 hectares, including five backcountry provincial parks and eight conservation reserves. Protected areas cover only one-sixth of the region, with over 500,000 hectares being unregulated Crown land. For thousands of years the aboriginal inhabitants of northern Canada used an interconnected network of summer and winter trails, portages and water routes - the Nastawgan. According to a Friends of Temagami study of the Historical Map of Temagami by Craig K. MacDonald, Temagami contains more than 4,700 km of these historic canoe routes. This study also found hundreds of kilometres of unique winter routes, often extensions of the summer routes circumventing areas of dangerous ice and river currents. Temagami contains the largest intact system of ancient travel routes in Canada. The region also contains hundreds of sites of aboriginal significance such as Chee-bay-jing (Maple Mountain) and Spirit Rock at Chee-skon-abikong. There is evidence of use, settlement and travel for over 6000 years, with pictographs, vision questing sites, caches and burial grounds throughout the region. Temagami has the largest collection of documented archaeological sites in northern Ontario.

Economy

Temagami’s numerous lakes and wilderness waterways have beckoned to adventurers for over a century. The vast forests and cold clear waters have drawn paddlers from all over the world since the 1890's. Temagami is home to many cottages and several commercial lodges ranging from basic accommodation to five star luxury. The tourism industry plays a vital role in the local economy. Forestry and mining also have a long history in Temagami. These industries were mainstays of the local economy until the 1980's, when dwindling resources and global competition closed them down. Today, the people who live, work and play in Temagami share a profound appreciation for the area's wild nature. Everyone who appreciates this special place embodies a personal and unique Temagami experience.

First Nations Today

There has been a land claim dispute between the Province of Ontario and the Temagami First Nation since the 1850's. We recognize the legitimacy of the concerns that the aboriginal Anishnabai peoples have brought forth. We acknowledge and respect the efforts of traditional peoples to retain their history and culture and to remain on their ancestral lands. We also acknowledge a mutual interest in preserving the ancient Nastawgan and the integrity of special areas of cultural, spiritual, and ecological significance.