Moonbeam, Ontario

Moonbeam
Novelty UFO and visitor centre in Moonbeam
Moonbeam
Coordinates: 49°21′00″N 82°09′00″W / 49.35°N 82.15°W / 49.35; -82.15
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
District	Cochrane
Settled	1912
Incorporated	1922
Government
- Type	Township
- Mayor	Gilles Audet
- Federal riding	Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing
- Prov. riding	Timmins—James Bay
Area[1]
- Land	235.17 km2 (90.8 sq mi)
Population (2006)[1]
- Total	1,298
- Density	5.5/km2 (14.2/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Postal Code	P0L 1V0
Area code(s)	705
Website	www.village.moonbeam.on.ca

Moonbeam is a township in Ontario, Canada, located in Cochrane District. It had a population of 1201 in the 2001 census, a decline of 9% from 1996.^[2] It was named after Moonbeam Creek.

The township is located south of René Brunelle Provincial Park, between the communities of Fauquier and Kitigan. It is known for its roadside flying saucer, which is also featured prominently in promotional material.

Contents 1 Origin of the name Moonbeam 2 History 3 List of mayors 4 Demographics 5 Trivia 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Origin of the name Moonbeam

The name "Moonbeam" is attributed to early pioneers who allegedly witnessed flashing lights falling from the sky, which they called "moonbeams". These lights fell down or reflected in a creek that flows west from Strickland to Rémi Lake and was called Moonbeam Creek. These lights could have been Northern Lights that often appear with the moon light.^[3]

Another suggestion is that the name came from the passengers on the Transcontinental Railway, who would be traveling for many miles through dark forests and when they came to the natural clearing near Moonbeam would be struck by the brilliance of the moon-lit snow. Nevertheless, there is no documented proof of the exact source of this name.^[3]

Rémi Lake was named after a Great Trunk Pacific Railway worker who drowned there in 1905.

[edit] History

The Canadian Transcontinental Railway, connecting Quebec City with the Canadian Prairies, was completed by 1912 and provided new access to agricultural land and natural resources of northern Ontario. This attracted colonizers from Montreal, Sainte-Agathe, and Saint-Jovite, to the Moonbeam area, looking for land to cultivate or mine.^[3]

Timeline:

• The first family to get established in Moonbeam is Théodule and Valentine Léonard in 1909.
• The first baby born in Moonbeam was Marie Régina Lecuyer in 1914.
• The priest, founder of Moonbeam, was Ovila François Paquette O.M.I. in 1916.
• The first school to open its doors was in September of 1919.
• The first church to be built in Moonbeam was in 1919-1920, called Nativité de Moonbeam.
• The first cottage to be built on the Rémi Lake is the cottage of a rich tourist from Rochester New-York, Mr. Buelle in 1920.
• The first Reeve of Moonbeam was Joseph Girouard in 1922.
• The first St-Jean Parade was in 1922.
• The incorporation of the District of Fauquier was January 9th, 1922.
• The first doctor in the region was Doctor Nicole in Fauquier in 1924.
• The first airplane in Moonbeam was a Curtiss HS-2L flown by Captain C.A. Schiller in 1925.
• The first butter-production firm was open in 1927. It cost $3689.00 to build and $5954.00 for all the machineries.
• The first doctor to open its doors in Moonbeam was Doctor Soucie in 1934.
• 1930-1940, the speed limit was raised to 15 miles per hour.
• 1930-1940, all stores were restricted to not sell tobacco to kids less than 18 years of age.
• The chapel at Rémi Lake celebrated its first mass in 1960.
• The sewage system in the village was installed November 1st 1965.

[edit] List of mayors

Mayors from incorporation in 1922 to present:^[4]

• Joseph Girouard (1922-1923)
• Célestin Desgroseillers (1924-1928)
• Vital Filion (1929-1931)
• Cléophas Desgroseillers (1932-1935)
• Albert Gaudreault (1936-1938)
• Guillaume Soucie (1939-1942)
• Ernest Léonard (1943-1946)
• Alexandre Lacroix (1947-1950)
• Jos. Aimable Turcotte (1951 and 1955-1958)
• Francis St-Aubin (1952-1954)
• Stanislas Lavoie (1959-1972)
• Raymond Bouchard (1972-1978)
• Gaëtan Filion (1979-1985)
• Olivain Fullum (1985-1997)
• Claude D'Amours (1997-2000)
• Gilles Audet (2000-present)

[edit] Demographics

Population:^[5]

• Population in 2006: 1298
  • 2001 to 2006 population change: 8.1 %
• Population in 2001: 1201
• Population in 1996: 1322
• Population in 1991: 1330

Private dwellings, excluding seasonal cottages: 544 (total: 907)

Mother tongue:^[1]

• English as first language: 12.9 %
• French as first language: 83.6 %
• English and French as first language: 1.5 %
• Other as first language: 2.0 %

[edit] Trivia

Prolific Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip include a reference to Moonbeam, Ontario in "Fly", the fourth track on their 2006 album World Container. The same track also includes a reference to Mistaken Point, Newfoundland.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• (French) Moonbeam Township official website
• Ontario Highway 11 Homepage - Moonbeam

v • d • e Cochrane District, Ontario City Timmins Towns Cochrane • Hearst • Iroquois Falls • Kapuskasing • Moosonee • Smooth Rock Falls Townships Black River-Matheson • Fauquier-Strickland • Mattice-Val Côté • Moonbeam • Opasatika • Val Rita-Harty First Nations reserves Abitibi 70 • Constance Lake • Factory Island • Flying Post • Fort Albany • Moose Factory • New Post 69 • New Post 69A Unorganized territories North Part • South East Part • South West Part See also: Communities in Cochrane District • Census divisions of Ontario

Coordinates: 49°21′N 82°09′W / 49.35°N 82.15°W / 49.35; -82.15