Pagwa, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Pagwa is an unincorporated place and railway point in geographic Bicknell Township in Unorganized North
Cochrane District in northeastern
Ontario
, Canada
. It is named for the Pagwachuan River.
Pagwa is on a now abandoned portion of the Canadian National Railway
main line
originally constructed as the National Transcontinental Railway
transcontinental
main line, between the railway points of Wilgar
to the west and Pagwa River
to the east, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of the point where the line crossed the Pagwachuan River at the community of Pagwa River.
A now abandoned airfield, created by the Department of National Defence
in the mid-1930s in part using 47,047 person-days of unemployment relief labour, lies on the north of rail line. A Frontier College
instructor was located at the construction camp. The airfield became in the late 1930s part of a string of emergency landing sites for Trans-Canada Air Lines
(today Air Canada
) to support their transcontinental flight operations. From 1952 to 1966, the airfield was USAF Pagwa Air Station and then RCAF Station Pagwa
, and operated as part of the Pinetree Line
and other subsequent continental defence systems.
Pagwa is also on Airfield Creek, part of the James Bay
drainage basin
, which flows via the Pagwachuan River, Kenogami River
and Albany River
to James Bay.
Unorganized North Cochrane District
Unorganized Cochrane North Part is an unorganized area in the District of Cochrane in northeastern Ontario, Canada. It comprises all parts of the district north of Timmins and Iroquois Falls which are not part of an incorporated municipality.-Communities:...
Cochrane District in northeastern
Northeastern Ontario
Northeastern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and east of Lakes Superior and Huron.Northeastern Ontario consists of the districts of Algoma, Sudbury, Cochrane, Timiskaming, Nipissing and Manitoulin; and the single-tier municipality of Greater...
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 named for the Pagwachuan River.
Pagwa is on a now abandoned portion of the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
main line
Main line (railway)
The Mainline or Main line of a railway is a track that is used for through trains or is the principal artery of the system from which branch lines, yards, sidings and spurs are connected....
originally constructed as the National Transcontinental Railway
National Transcontinental Railway
The National Transcontinental Railway was a historic Canadian railway between Winnipeg and Moncton. Much of the line is now operated by the Canadian National Railway.-The Grand Trunk partnership:...
transcontinental
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
main line, between the railway points of Wilgar
Wilgar, Ontario
Wilgar is an unincorporated place and railway point in geographic Henderson Township in Unorganized North Cochrane District in northeastern Ontario, Canada....
to the west and Pagwa River
Pagwa River, Ontario
Pagwa River is a community in the Cochrane District of Ontario.The place is counted as part of Cochrane, Unorganized, North Part in Canadian census data....
to the east, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of the point where the line crossed the Pagwachuan River at the community of Pagwa River.
A now abandoned airfield, created by the Department of National Defence
Department of National Defence (Canada)
The Department of National Defence , frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for all matters concerning the defence of Canada...
in the mid-1930s in part using 47,047 person-days of unemployment relief labour, lies on the north of rail line. A Frontier College
Frontier College
Frontier College is a Canadian literacy organization established in 1899 by Alfred Fitzpatrick. Founded as the Reading Camp Association, Frontier College aims to combat illiteracy in Canada by providing non-formal education to those that seek assistance with their learning and have been overlooked...
instructor was located at the construction camp. The airfield became in the late 1930s part of a string of emergency landing sites for Trans-Canada Air Lines
Trans-Canada Air Lines
Trans-Canada Air Lines was a Canadian airline and operated as the country's flag carrier. Its corporate headquarters were in Montreal, Quebec...
(today Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
) to support their transcontinental flight operations. From 1952 to 1966, the airfield was USAF Pagwa Air Station and then RCAF Station Pagwa
RCAF Station Pagwa
Royal Canadian Air Force Station Pagwa is a General Surveillance Radar station that was closed in 1966. It was located at the unincorporated place and railway point of Pagwa in geographic Bicknell Township, Unorganized North Cochrane District in northeastern Ontario, Canada.It was operated as...
, and operated as part of the Pinetree Line
Pinetree Line
The Pinetree Line was a series of radar stations located across the northern United States and southern Canada at about the 50th parallel north, along with a number of other stations located on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Run by NORAD , over half were manned by United States Air Force...
and other subsequent continental defence systems.
Pagwa is also on Airfield Creek, part of the James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, which flows via the Pagwachuan River, Kenogami River
Kenogami River
The Kenogami River is a river in the James Bay drainage basin in Thunder Bay and Cochrane districts in Northern Ontario, Canada, which flows north from Long Lake near Longlac to empty into the Albany River. The river is in length and its name means "long water" in the Cree language...
and Albany River
Albany River
The Albany River is a river in Northern Ontario, Canada, which flows northeast from Lake St. Joseph in Northwestern Ontario and empties into James Bay. It is long to the head of the Cat River, tying it with the Severn River for the title of longest river in Ontario...
to James Bay.
External links
- The History of Pagwa - Richard Cameron, 2002