Camp Robinson, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Camp Robinson is an unincorporated place and former settlement in Unorganized Kenora District in northwestern
Ontario
, Canada
. It is located on Cedar Lake
about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of Ontario Highway 105 and 33 kilometres (21 mi) north of Vermilion Bay
.
The camp had over 30 homes that were four room bungalows which were first painted green. These small houses created low rent homes for the company's workers and their families. A two-room school was built to house 50 students overseen by Mr. Edwin Sweet, teacher/principal. Mr. Sweet was assisted by Mrs. Iola Seed. Eventually, a bakery, butcher shop, a laundry, a small infirmary with a registered nurse were all located in the camp. For entertainment, the camp had its own curling rink and baseball diamond and for spiritual needs: a church.
The camp had its own power generation using large diesel powered generator sets. The company's woodland garage was located in the camp to service all the equipment from surrounding woodlands operations. The camp even had its own sewage system.
Camp Robinson was in existence for over 30 years until its demise in 1980. The end for the camp was in the works since the takeover of the company by Boise Cascade
, as they had planned to replace the workers (represented by the Lumber and Sawmill Union) with independent owner operators of log skidding equipment. The eventual announcement caused a strike to start in 1978 and the last family, Beverley and Stanley Sandmoen, left the camp in 1980. The camp was leveled and buried by Boise Cascade and trees were planted over the site.
Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the Canadian province of Manitoba, which disputed Ontario's claim to the...
Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located on Cedar Lake
Cedar Lake (Kenora District)
Cedar Lake is lake in the Nelson River/Hudson Bay drainage basins in Unorganized Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada.The lake is irregularly-shaped with several large arms. It extends about east-west and north-south. The primary inflow is an unnamed tributary at the south from Double...
about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of Ontario Highway 105 and 33 kilometres (21 mi) north of Vermilion Bay
Vermilion Bay, Ontario
Vermilion Bay is an unincorporated community on Vermilion Bay on Eagle Lake in the township of Machin, Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located on Ontario Highway 17 between the cities of Kenora to the west and Dryden to the east.-Recreation:Fishing is a popular activity for...
.
History
The camp was created as Camp 69 on Cedar Lake, Ontario in . Established by the Minnesota and Ontario Paper Company to house woodland workers and their families, Camp Robinson was named in honor of Mr. RHM Robinson, the then President of the company.The camp had over 30 homes that were four room bungalows which were first painted green. These small houses created low rent homes for the company's workers and their families. A two-room school was built to house 50 students overseen by Mr. Edwin Sweet, teacher/principal. Mr. Sweet was assisted by Mrs. Iola Seed. Eventually, a bakery, butcher shop, a laundry, a small infirmary with a registered nurse were all located in the camp. For entertainment, the camp had its own curling rink and baseball diamond and for spiritual needs: a church.
The camp had its own power generation using large diesel powered generator sets. The company's woodland garage was located in the camp to service all the equipment from surrounding woodlands operations. The camp even had its own sewage system.
Camp Robinson was in existence for over 30 years until its demise in 1980. The end for the camp was in the works since the takeover of the company by Boise Cascade
Boise Cascade
Boise Cascade Holdings, LLC, which uses the trade name Boise, is an American pulp and paper company, ranked as the thirteenth largest forest products company in the world....
, as they had planned to replace the workers (represented by the Lumber and Sawmill Union) with independent owner operators of log skidding equipment. The eventual announcement caused a strike to start in 1978 and the last family, Beverley and Stanley Sandmoen, left the camp in 1980. The camp was leveled and buried by Boise Cascade and trees were planted over the site.