Atikokan

Atikokan (Ojibwe for "caribou bones") is a township in the Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The population was 2,787 as of the 2011 census. The town is one of the main entry points into Quetico Provincial Park and promotes itself as the "Canoeing Capital of Canada". Atikokan was originally established as a rail stop for the Canadian Northern Railway.

The town of Atikokan is an enclave within the Unorganized Rainy River District. It is in the Central Time Zone but observes Eastern Standard Time year round.

History

Early history

The original settlers to the Atikokan area were the "Oschekamega Wenenewak" (The people of the cross ridges) Ojibwa / Chippewa. They lived by themselves until the arrival of Jacques de Noyon in 1688. His journey was critical for the expansion and exploration of the Atikokan area.

19th century to mid-20th century

The road to Atikokan

Palliser Gladman-Hind suggested the first real road in the area, he intended for it to go as far as possible starting from Arrow Lake, and after the road's end travellers would take a waterway to Fort Frances. Simon Dawson, on the other hand, thought the road could go from Dog Lake, to Thunder Bay, then using a series of dams, would allow even the larger boats to travel along the route of Dog River, Savanne River, Lac des Mille Lacs, via Pickerel Lake and Sturgeon Lake.