Pointe au Baril, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Pointe au Baril is a community in the Canadian
province of Ontario
, located on the east coast of Georgian Bay
.
The community is located in the township
of The Archipelago
in the Parry Sound District
.
. As the story goes, early fur traders from Penetanguishene lost a canoe
near the point. Their canoe included a barrel of whiskey that was found by stranded traders the next spring. After a drinking
spree the barrel was left on the point as a beacon. French mariners were soon calling it Pointe au Baril. Later this marker was improved to include a lantern
in the barrel that would be lit by the first fisherman
returning inland to light the way for the rest of the boats.
The village has a North Shore and a South Shore road but islander travel is by boat. The village is referred to as The Station by most residents. Pointe au Baril Station is well suited for launching water craft and is supported by many marinas and a substantial public dock.
. This historic lighthouse opens its doors for tours in the summer months. The lighthouse is a part of a light system which includes a range tower (about one half mile behind the lighthouse) and a turn buoy (about three miles off shore from the lighthouse) which work together to allow safe passage through the many shoals that cover the eastern coast of Georgian Bay (45°33′33"N 80°30′13"W).
in the 1870s. The last fishing
operation based in Pointe au Baril closed its doors in the 1980s.
There was also a lumber
industry in the area during these same years. The pine
, hemlock
and yellow birch
forestry ended in the 1940s, shortly after the end of World War II
.
The area is now primarily a cottage
community on Highway 69
. The channels and islands of the region make it a boating
, fishing and islander paradise. It has also become a destination for snowmobiling
in the winter months.
Amongst the many islands there is the historic Ojibway Club
resort.
The population grows from a winter low of about 250 to 300 to a summer high of 8000 or more. Additional growth is expected in the future as Highway 400 is extended past the community.
With the demolition of Larry's Tavern for the expansion of the highway, there remains one restaurant, The Haven, which is open all year, The Harbour View, which is only during the summer months and the Shell Station Deli. Beside that there is also two chip wagons located in Pointe au Baril, one open only during summer months, while the other remains open all year.
There are many community events in Pointe au Baril including the Winter Whirl carnival held the first weekend in February, The Canada Day feastivities and Pickerel Dinner and The Annual Lobster Fest held the third weekend in July. The ducky race is another local festival held in Pointe au Baril organized by the North Eastern Georgian Bay Snowmobile Club right in downtown Pointe au Baril. Summertime events also include Arts on the Bay Dinner theatre in the Pointe au Baril Community Centre.
Pointe au Baril has a community centre with a library in it. The town also offers an ice rink and playground. Pointe au Baril also has a Nursing Station and an Emergency response team.
Pointe au Baril's cottage community is largely water access and is home to many marinas.
in 1615. A monument was erected in the 1940s to commemorate his travels through the area. It can be found near the newly renovated Ojibway Club
, a favoured gathering place for many of the islanders.
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...
province of 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....
, located on the east coast of Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
.
Township (Canada)
The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. However in some systems no town needs to be involved. The specific use of the term to describe political subdivisions has varied by country, usually to describe a local rural or semi-rural government within the county...
of The Archipelago
The Archipelago, Ontario
The Archipelago is a township in central Ontario, Canada, along the Georgian Bay in the District of Parry Sound.The municipality consists of two non-contiguous parts, separated by Carling Township and the Parry Sound. The northern part includes the village of Pointe au Baril on the mainland and...
in the Parry Sound District
Parry Sound District, Ontario
Parry Sound District is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its seat is Parry Sound. Its boundaries are Muskoka to the south, the Sudbury District, the French River and Lake Nipissing in the north, Nipissing District, Ontario and North Bay in the north and east and parts of...
.
History of the name
Pointe au Baril was named after the barrel on the point that originally (1870s) marked the treacherous entry to the main channel from the open water of Georgian BayGeorgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
. As the story goes, early fur traders from Penetanguishene lost a canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
near the point. Their canoe included a barrel of whiskey that was found by stranded traders the next spring. After a drinking
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
spree the barrel was left on the point as a beacon. French mariners were soon calling it Pointe au Baril. Later this marker was improved to include a lantern
Lantern
A lantern is a portable lighting device or mounted light fixture used to illuminate broad areas. Lanterns may also be used for signaling, as 'torches', or as general light sources outdoors . Low light level varieties are used for decoration. The term "lantern" is also used more generically to...
in the barrel that would be lit by the first fisherman
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
returning inland to light the way for the rest of the boats.
Pointe au Baril Station
There are two uses of the name Pointe au Baril. There is the original Barrel on the Point reference, and the actual village, built around a train station, some 11 km away by boat. Highway 69 follows the same path as the railway and they both run past the east tip of what is known as the Main Channel. This channel is a well marked route from the village to the lighthouse.The village has a North Shore and a South Shore road but islander travel is by boat. The village is referred to as The Station by most residents. Pointe au Baril Station is well suited for launching water craft and is supported by many marinas and a substantial public dock.
The Lighthouse
The point is lit by the recently automated lighthouseLighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
. This historic lighthouse opens its doors for tours in the summer months. The lighthouse is a part of a light system which includes a range tower (about one half mile behind the lighthouse) and a turn buoy (about three miles off shore from the lighthouse) which work together to allow safe passage through the many shoals that cover the eastern coast of Georgian Bay (45°33′33"N 80°30′13"W).
The Firetower
The Pointe au Baril firetower lookout was erected in the 1920s to act as early detection for forest fires in the region. This 80 foot light-steel tower was part of the Parry Sound Fire District tower system. It stood near the centre of the village, just west of the railway tracks and near the bay on a small hill. When aerial fire fighting techniques were employed by the province many of the towers like this one were disassembled in the early 1970s. The footings, however, are still there to this day.Fishing and timber
Pointe au Baril became a community to support commercial fishingCommercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
in the 1870s. The last fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
operation based in Pointe au Baril closed its doors in the 1980s.
There was also a lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
industry in the area during these same years. The pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
, hemlock
Tsuga
Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foliage to that of the unrelated plant poison hemlock....
and yellow birch
Yellow Birch
Betula alleghaniensis , is a species of birch native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, southern Quebec and Ontario, and the southeast corner of Manitoba in Canada, west to Minnesota, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.It is a...
forestry ended in the 1940s, shortly after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Today
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
community on Highway 69
Ontario Highway 69
King's Highway 69, commonly referred to as Highway 69, is a major north–south highway in the central area of the Canadian province of Ontario, linking Highway 400 north of Parry Sound with Sudbury...
. The channels and islands of the region make it a boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
, fishing and islander paradise. It has also become a destination for snowmobiling
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
in the winter months.
Amongst the many islands there is the historic Ojibway Club
Ojibway Club
The Ojibway Club is an island community centre located in Pointe au Baril, Ontario, Canada. The club's building is one of few remaining turn-of-the-century lodges built in that part of Ontario....
resort.
The population grows from a winter low of about 250 to 300 to a summer high of 8000 or more. Additional growth is expected in the future as Highway 400 is extended past the community.
With the demolition of Larry's Tavern for the expansion of the highway, there remains one restaurant, The Haven, which is open all year, The Harbour View, which is only during the summer months and the Shell Station Deli. Beside that there is also two chip wagons located in Pointe au Baril, one open only during summer months, while the other remains open all year.
There are many community events in Pointe au Baril including the Winter Whirl carnival held the first weekend in February, The Canada Day feastivities and Pickerel Dinner and The Annual Lobster Fest held the third weekend in July. The ducky race is another local festival held in Pointe au Baril organized by the North Eastern Georgian Bay Snowmobile Club right in downtown Pointe au Baril. Summertime events also include Arts on the Bay Dinner theatre in the Pointe au Baril Community Centre.
Pointe au Baril has a community centre with a library in it. The town also offers an ice rink and playground. Pointe au Baril also has a Nursing Station and an Emergency response team.
Pointe au Baril's cottage community is largely water access and is home to many marinas.
Early explorer
The area was explored by Samuel de ChamplainSamuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
in 1615. A monument was erected in the 1940s to commemorate his travels through the area. It can be found near the newly renovated Ojibway Club
Ojibway Club
The Ojibway Club is an island community centre located in Pointe au Baril, Ontario, Canada. The club's building is one of few remaining turn-of-the-century lodges built in that part of Ontario....
, a favoured gathering place for many of the islanders.