Dryden, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Dryden is the second-largest city in the Kenora District of Northwestern
Ontario
, Canada
, located on Wabigoon Lake
. It is the smallest community in the province of Ontario designated as a city. It and Kenora are the only two cities in Ontario located in the Central Time Zone
.
Dryden is entirely surrounded by Unorganized Kenora District
.
in the east to Lake of the Woods
and beyond, disputed by Cree
from the north, and Sioux
from the south. The Ojibwe was a nomadic culture
, groups from family to village size moving over the land with the seasons and the availability of game or the necessities of life, so lasting settlements were not made.
It is believed that the Bending Lake/Turtle River area was a meeting place for aboriginal peoples ranging from as far away as the southern US and much of central Canada for trade and cultural exchange, and there is evidence of ancient occupancy there in the form of pictographs, artifacts, burial grounds, and one might consider this our prehistoric centre. Bending Lake is in the triangle between Dryden, Ignace
, and Atikokan
.
The settlement was founded as an agricultural community by John Dryden
, Ontario's Minister of Agriculture in 1895. While his train was stopped at what was then known as Barclay Tank to re-water, he noticed clover
growing and decided to found an experimental farm the following year. The farm's success brought settlers from the Uxbridge
area of southern Ontario
and the Bruce Peninsula
and the community came to be known as New Prospect. It became a town in 1910 and a city in 1998 after merging with the neighbouring township of Barclay. Dryden's eastern boundary is located near Aaron Provincial Park on Thunder Lake
.
Pulp and Paper
came to the town in 1910 which today is its main industry though agriculture, tourism and some mining are also important. Paper/pulp industries in Dryden
were a major contributor in its local economy. In 2008 the mill ceased production of fine paper as the second of two paper machines was shut down. The town came onto the national consciousness in the early 1970s when natives at the community of Grassy Narrows
became sick with Minamata disease
(mercury poisoning
). Investigation determined that a chloralkali
plant located at the Dryden mill was the source of the mercury in the Wabigoon and English rivers.
The town was also the site of the March 10, 1989 crash of Air Ontario Flight 1363
, which killed 24 people and led to the Moshansky Inquiry on airline safety.
of Kenora—Rainy River
. Kenora—Rainy River's Member of Provincial Parliament, Howard Hampton
, is the former leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party
. Federally, the city is part of the Kenora
riding and is represented by Greg Rickford
, a Conservative
.
Dryden's mayor is Craig Nuttall.
.
The city holds an annual Moosefest festival, during which musical performances, children's activities and a fishing tournament known as The Walleye Masters are held.
Several annual music concerts are held featuring local musicians. "Come Together" is an annual Christmas concert, and "Kickin' Country" is a country show featuring local acts. The "Blue Moon Festival" is a daylong event that is held on or near a blue moon
calendar event in the summer months.
Dryden is home to a variety of arts groups. "Theatre 17" is a community theatre group that stages theatrical productions, including Noises Off
and Tony and Tina's Wedding. The DRAC (Dryden Regional Arts Council) is an artists group that organizes yearly art tours, art shows and also operates a retail store known as Naked North Art Gallery. The Dryden Community Band is a group of musicians who perform under conductor Ryan Graham.
Print
Dryden has one community newspaper, The Dryden Observer
and is also serviced by the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal
, which operates a bureau in Dryden.
. A secondary school which is part of the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.
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...
, located on Wabigoon Lake
Wabigoon Lake
Wabigoon Lake is a lake in Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. The community of Dryden is located on the north shore of the lake, and the primary inflow and outflow is the Wabigoon River...
. It is the smallest community in the province of Ontario designated as a city. It and Kenora are the only two cities in Ontario located in the Central Time Zone
Central Time zone
In North America, the Central Time Zone refers to national time zones which observe standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC , and daylight saving, or summer time by subtracting five hours...
.
Dryden is entirely surrounded by Unorganized Kenora District
Kenora, Unorganized, Ontario
Unorganized Kenora is an unorganized area in northwestern Ontario, Canada, in Kenora District. Comprising 98.39 percent of the district's land area, yet only 10.93 percent of its population, it is essentially the remainder of the district's territory after all incorporated cities, municipalities,...
.
History
The Dryden area was part of the Ojibwe nation, which covered a large area from Lake HuronLake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
in the east to Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. It separates a small land area of Minnesota from the rest of the United States. The Northwest Angle and the town of Angle Township can only be reached from the rest of...
and beyond, disputed by Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
from the north, and Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
from the south. The Ojibwe was a nomadic culture
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
, groups from family to village size moving over the land with the seasons and the availability of game or the necessities of life, so lasting settlements were not made.
It is believed that the Bending Lake/Turtle River area was a meeting place for aboriginal peoples ranging from as far away as the southern US and much of central Canada for trade and cultural exchange, and there is evidence of ancient occupancy there in the form of pictographs, artifacts, burial grounds, and one might consider this our prehistoric centre. Bending Lake is in the triangle between Dryden, Ignace
Ignace, Ontario
Ignace is a township in the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located at Highway 17 and Secondary Highway 599, and on the Canadian Pacific Railway between Thunder Bay and Kenora. It is on the shore of Agimak Lake, and, as of 2006, the population of Ignace was 1,431.The town was...
, and Atikokan
Atikokan, Ontario
Atikokan is a township in the District of Rainy River in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. In 2006, the population was 3,293. The town is one of the main entry points into Quetico Provincial Park and promotes itself as the "Canoeing Capital of Canada"...
.
The settlement was founded as an agricultural community by John Dryden
John Dryden (MLA)
John Dryden was a farmer and politician in Ontario, Canada.-Early life:Dryden was the son of James Dryden , a farmer, businessman and politician...
, Ontario's Minister of Agriculture in 1895. While his train was stopped at what was then known as Barclay Tank to re-water, he noticed clover
Clover
Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...
growing and decided to found an experimental farm the following year. The farm's success brought settlers from the Uxbridge
Uxbridge, Ontario
Uxbridge is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Durham, in the Greater Toronto Area.The main centre in the township is the namesake community of Uxbridge...
area of southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
and the Bruce Peninsula
Bruce Peninsula
The Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada that lies between Georgian Bay and the main basin of Lake Huron. The peninsula extends roughly northwestwards from the rest of Southern Ontario, pointing towards Manitoulin Island, with which it forms the widest strait joining Georgian Bay to...
and the community came to be known as New Prospect. It became a town in 1910 and a city in 1998 after merging with the neighbouring township of Barclay. Dryden's eastern boundary is located near Aaron Provincial Park on Thunder Lake
Thunder Lake
Thunder Lake can refer to:* Thunder Lake , a lake in Alberta, Canada* Thunder Lake, Alberta, a hamlet in Alberta, Canada* Thunder Lake Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada* Thunder Lake Township, Cass County, Minnesota...
.
Pulp and Paper
Pulp and paper industry
The global pulp and paper industry is dominated by North American , northern European and East Asian countries...
came to the town in 1910 which today is its main industry though agriculture, tourism and some mining are also important. Paper/pulp industries in Dryden
Paper and pulp industry in Dryden, Ontario
The paper and pulp industry in Dryden, Ontario, which began in the early 1900s, resulted in a significant environmental issue through the dumping of mercury by a paper mill into local waters.-History:...
were a major contributor in its local economy. In 2008 the mill ceased production of fine paper as the second of two paper machines was shut down. The town came onto the national consciousness in the early 1970s when natives at the community of Grassy Narrows
Asubpeeschoseewagong
Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation is an Ojibwa First Nation located 80 km north of Kenora, Ontario. Their landbase is the 4145 ha English River 21 Indian Reserve...
became sick with Minamata disease
Ontario Minamata disease
Ontario Minamata disease is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. It occurred in the Canadian province of Ontario in 1970 and severely affected two First Nation communities located in Northwestern Ontario following consumption of local fish that were contaminated with mercury...
(mercury poisoning
Mercury poisoning
Mercury poisoning is a disease caused by exposure to mercury or its compounds. Mercury is a heavy metal occurring in several forms, all of which can produce toxic effects in high enough doses...
). Investigation determined that a chloralkali
Chloralkali process
The chloralkali process is an industrial process for the electrolysis of sodium chloride solution . Depending on the method several products beside hydrogen can be produced. If the products are separated, chlorine and sodium hydroxide are the products; by mixing, sodium hypochlorite or sodium...
plant located at the Dryden mill was the source of the mercury in the Wabigoon and English rivers.
The town was also the site of the March 10, 1989 crash of Air Ontario Flight 1363
Air Ontario Flight 1363
Air Ontario Flight 1363 was an Air Ontario flight of a Fokker F28-1000 Fellowship which crashed near Dryden, Ontario on March 10, 1989 immediately after take-off en route from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg via Dryden...
, which killed 24 people and led to the Moshansky Inquiry on airline safety.
Climate
Demographics
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 1901 | 140 |
| 1911 | 715 |
| 1921 | 1,019 |
| 1931 | 1,326 |
| 1941 | 1,641 |
| 1951 | 2,627 |
| 1961 | 5,728 |
| 1971 | 6,939 |
| 1981 | 6,640 |
| 1991 | 6,505 |
| 2001 | 8,198 |
| 2006 | 8,195 |
Politics and government
Dryden is currently part of the provincial electoral districtElectoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Kenora—Rainy River
Kenora—Rainy River
Kenora—Rainy River was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 2004. It was located in the province of Ontario...
. Kenora—Rainy River's Member of Provincial Parliament, Howard Hampton
Howard Hampton
Howard George Hampton, MPP is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He has served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, since 1987 as the Member of Provincial Parliament from the northern riding of Kenora—Rainy River. A member of the Ontario New Democratic Party, he was also the party's...
, is the former leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
. Federally, the city is part of the Kenora
Kenora (electoral district)
Kenora is a federal and former provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004, and was represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from the early twentieth century....
riding and is represented by Greg Rickford
Greg Rickford
Greg Rickford is a Canadian politician. Rickford was elected to represent the Ontario electoral district of Kenora in the 2008 Canadian federal election....
, a Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
.
Dryden's mayor is Craig Nuttall.
Culture
Dryden is known by people passing by as the home of "Max the Moose", Dryden's 5.6 metres (18.4 ft) high mascot on the Trans-Canada HighwayTrans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
.
The city holds an annual Moosefest festival, during which musical performances, children's activities and a fishing tournament known as The Walleye Masters are held.
Several annual music concerts are held featuring local musicians. "Come Together" is an annual Christmas concert, and "Kickin' Country" is a country show featuring local acts. The "Blue Moon Festival" is a daylong event that is held on or near a blue moon
Blue moon
A blue moon can refer to the third full moon in a season with four full moons. Most years have twelve full moons that occur approximately monthly. In addition to those twelve full lunar cycles, each solar calendar year contains roughly eleven days more than the lunar year of 12 lunations...
calendar event in the summer months.
Dryden is home to a variety of arts groups. "Theatre 17" is a community theatre group that stages theatrical productions, including Noises Off
Noises Off
Noises Off is a 1982 play by English playwright Michael Frayn. The idea for it was born in 1970, when Frayn was standing in the wings watching a performance of Chinamen, a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave...
and Tony and Tina's Wedding. The DRAC (Dryden Regional Arts Council) is an artists group that organizes yearly art tours, art shows and also operates a retail store known as Naked North Art Gallery. The Dryden Community Band is a group of musicians who perform under conductor Ryan Graham.
Radio
- FM 92.7 - CKDRCKDR-FMCKDR-FM is a radio station in Dryden, Ontario, Canada. The station broadcasts an adult contemporary format at 92.7 FMCKDR also has rebroadcasters in Ear Falls, Hudson, Ignace, Red Lake and Sioux Lookout.-History:...
, adult contemporary - FM 97.3 - CJIVCJIV-FMCJIV-FM is a Canadian radio station broadcasting at 97.3 FM in Dryden, Ontario, Canada with a Christian format. The station, owned by Way of Life Broadcasting, was launched in 2003.-External links:** at Canadian Communications Foundation...
, ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament... - FM 98.5 - CFCD, tourist information
- FM 100.9 - CBQHCBQT-FMCBQT-FM is a Canadian radio station. It is the CBC Radio One station in Thunder Bay, Ontario, broadcasting at 88.3 FM, and serves all of Northwestern Ontario through a network of relay transmitters.-History:...
, CBC Radio OneCBC Radio OneCBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming... - FM 102.7 - CKSB-6CKSB (AM)CKSB is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 1050 AM and 90.5 FM in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is an affiliate of Radio-Canada's Première Chaîne network.-History:...
, Première Chaîne - FM 104.5 - CKQVCKQV-FMCKQV-FM is a radio station in Vermilion Bay, Ontario, Canada. The station's main studio and transmitter are located in Vermilion Bay, with repeaters in Kenora, Dryden and Sioux Lookout. Branded as Q104 after its repeaters, the station was locally owned and operated by Norwesto Communications.The...
, hot adult contemporary
Television
- CBWFT-9CBWFTCBWFT is Radio-Canada's French language television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is broadcast locally on channel 3 cable 10, and on Bell TV channel 118.-History:...
Channel 6 (Radio-CanadaTélévision de Radio-CanadaTélévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
) - CBWDTCBWTCBWT is the CBC's television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the only CBC station in Manitoba, since Brandon's CKX-TV closed on October 2, 2009....
Channel 9 (CBCCBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
)
The Dryden Observer
The Dryden Observer is a weekly publication based in Dryden, Ontario, Canada, and was originally established as the Wabigoon Star in 1897. It is currently published by Alex Wilson Coldstream Ltd who acquired the paper in 1940. It is a member of the Ontario Community Newspapers Association and the...
and is also serviced by the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal
Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal
The Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Unlike many Canadian newspapers, it does not use the city's name in its masthead...
, which operates a bureau in Dryden.
Education
Dryden is home to Dryden High SchoolDryden High School (Dryden, Ontario)
Dryden High School is a composite secondary school situated in Dryden, Ontario, Canada.-Activities:Dryden High School runs a competitive athletics program as part of the Northwestern Ontario Secondary School Athletics league...
. A secondary school which is part of the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.