Schreiber, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Schreiber is a municipal township
in the Canadian
province
of Ontario
, located on the northernmost point of Lake Superior
along Highway 17. The town, with a population of approximately 900 people, is almost completely located inside the geographic township of Priske, with a small western portion of the town in the southeast of Killraine Township.
The town was named after Sir Collingwood Schreiber
, a railway engineer, founding member of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers
, and deputy minister of Railways and Canals 1892-1905.
The town is near the main exposure of the Gunflint Chert
, which contains rare single-celled proterozoic fossils. The Voyageur Hiking Trail
passes through the town.
. Steamships loaded with supplies for building the railway would dock at what was then known as "Isbester's Landing", named for railway contractor James Isbester, who in partnership with Robert Gillespie Reid
was responsible for building many of the railway bridges along the north shore of Lake Superior. Isbester's Landing grew from construction camp to railway division point. A station, roundhouse, car shops, icehouse and stock yard soon followed.
The town was renamed Schreiber in 1887. On July 13, 1901, the township was officially incorporated. The C.P.R. moved the divisional office from White River
to Schreiber in 1912, and thereafter remained as one of the town's biggest employers. The town's economy is also sustained by a pulp mill in Terrace Bay, which is located 15 minutes away.
During World War II, Schreiber was the site of one of the four work camps established for Japanese-Canadian internees
. Several Prisoner of War camps for Axis soldiers, sailors and air force personnel were also built nearby.
Many railroaders settled in Schreiber and later started families. Many immigrants soon came to Schreiber. A large percentage of these immigrants were from Italy. Many others came from Poland, Finland, Scotland, Ireland, other countries in Europe as well as other parts of 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...
in the Canadian
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
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
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 northernmost point of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
along Highway 17. The town, with a population of approximately 900 people, is almost completely located inside the geographic township of Priske, with a small western portion of the town in the southeast of Killraine Township.
The town was named after Sir Collingwood Schreiber
Collingwood Schreiber
Sir Collingwood Schreiber, KCMG was a surveyor, engineer and civil servant. He is best known for his efforts in contributing to the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway.-Biography:...
, a railway engineer, founding member of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers
Canadian Society for Civil Engineering
The Canadian Society for Civil Engineering was founded in 1887 as the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, renamed in 1918 as the Engineering Institute of Canada , and re-established in June 1972 as member society of the EIC under the slightly different but current name...
, and deputy minister of Railways and Canals 1892-1905.
The town is near the main exposure of the Gunflint Chert
Gunflint Chert
The Gunflint chert is a sequence of banded iron formation rocks that are exposed in the Gunflint Range of northern Minnesota and northwestern Ontario along the north shore of Lake Superior. The black layers in the sequence contain microfossils that are 1.9 to 2.3 billion years in age. Stromatolite...
, which contains rare single-celled proterozoic fossils. The Voyageur Hiking Trail
Voyageur Hiking Trail
The Voyageur Hiking Trail is a public hiking trail between Sudbury and Thunder Bay in Northern Ontario, Canada. The name honours the early European fur traders of the region who traveled largely by canoe and were known as 'voyageurs’ and ‘coureurs des bois’ The trail is used by all ages and levels...
passes through the town.
History
The place was founded in the 1883 as a construction camp for the Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
. Steamships loaded with supplies for building the railway would dock at what was then known as "Isbester's Landing", named for railway contractor James Isbester, who in partnership with Robert Gillespie Reid
Robert Gillespie Reid
Sir Robert Gillespie Reid was a Scottish railway contractor most famous for building large railway bridges in Canada and the United States...
was responsible for building many of the railway bridges along the north shore of Lake Superior. Isbester's Landing grew from construction camp to railway division point. A station, roundhouse, car shops, icehouse and stock yard soon followed.
The town was renamed Schreiber in 1887. On July 13, 1901, the township was officially incorporated. The C.P.R. moved the divisional office from White River
White River, Ontario
White River is a township located in Ontario, Canada, on the intersection of Highway 17 and Highway 631. It was originally set up as a rail town on the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885...
to Schreiber in 1912, and thereafter remained as one of the town's biggest employers. The town's economy is also sustained by a pulp mill in Terrace Bay, which is located 15 minutes away.
During World War II, Schreiber was the site of one of the four work camps established for Japanese-Canadian internees
Japanese Canadian internment
Japanese Canadian internment refers to confinement of Japanese Canadians in British Columbia during World War II. The internment began in December 1941, following the attack by carrier-borne forces of Imperial Japan on American naval and army facilities at Pearl Harbor...
. Several Prisoner of War camps for Axis soldiers, sailors and air force personnel were also built nearby.
Many railroaders settled in Schreiber and later started families. Many immigrants soon came to Schreiber. A large percentage of these immigrants were from Italy. Many others came from Poland, Finland, Scotland, Ireland, other countries in Europe as well as other parts of Canada.
Visiting Schreiber
Although Schreiber is a small town, there is always a lot to do. There are many locally owned businesses to shop at and motels to stay at. There are also many family owned restaurants, so you will get a taste of Schreiber's true culture. Some of the main attractions in Schreiber include the Rail Museum, the Cenotaph, Schreiber Beach, the Casque Isles Hiking Trails and the many kilometers of beaches, lakes, trails and ski-doo trails in the winter. The main events in Schreiber are the Peel Off Winter Carnival every February and Schreiber Heritage Days which run the 3rd week of July every year. Each of the four seasons have dramatically different weather, but no matter what you will be sure to enjoy your stay!Demographics
Population trend:- Population in 2006: 901
- Population in 2001: 1448
- Population in 1996: 1788
- Population in 1991: 1903