Gananoque

Gananoque
—  Town  —
King Street, the main road in Gananoque
Nickname(s): Gateway to the Thousand Islands
Motto: Pax Vobiscum (Latin: "Peace Be With You")
Gananoque
Coordinates: 44°20′N 76°10′W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Leeds and Grenville
Settled	1789
Government
• Type	Town
• Mayor	James E. Garrah
• Federal riding	Leeds—Grenville
• Prov. riding	Leeds—Grenville
Area
• Land	7.01 km2 (2.71 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	5,194
• Density	740.8/km2 (1,919/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
Area code(s)	613
Website	www.gananoque.ca

Gananoque ( /ˌɡænəˈnɒkweɪ/ GAN-ə-NOK-way) is a town in Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario, Canada. The town had a population of 5,194 year-round residents in the Canada 2011 Census, as well as summer residents sometimes referred to as "Islanders" because of the Thousand Islands in the Saint Lawrence River, Gananoque's most important tourist attraction.

The Gananoque River flows through the town, and the St. Lawrence River is the southern boundary of the town. The local industry is an ECG electrode manufacturer, Covidien.

Pronunciation

The town's name is an aboriginal name which means "town on two rivers". The town's name rhymes with the placename Cataraqui, which appears in the Cataraqui River, the Little Cataraqui Creek, and the Cataraqui Cemetery in nearby Kingston, Ontario. One way to remember its pronunciation is "The right way, the wrong way, and the Gananoque". In Eastern Ontario speech, the town name is often abbreviated to Gan (rhymes with can), though it is rarely written that way.

History

A surveyor's map of Gananoque from 1787

See also: Raid on Gananoque

Colonel Joel Stone, who served with Loyalist militia during the American Revolutionary War, established a settlement on this site in 1789. Land was granted to Col. Stone for use as a mill site.

During the War of 1812, American forces raided the government depot in the town to disrupt the flow of British supplies between Kingston and Montreal. The stores seized consisted of half an ox, a few straw ticks, and a few blankets. The raiders seized the supplies they found and burned the depot.

Mrs. Stone reportedly protected her jewels from the invaders by hiding them in the flour at the mill.^{[citation needed]}

Within a month of the raid construction of the Gananoque Blockhouse was begun, with completion in 1813. It had an octagonal log parapet containing five guns. The blockhouse was abandoned after the War of 1812 and given to a private landowner.

Transportation

Gananoque lies directly on three of Canada's busiest transportation routes: the four-lane Highway 401, the double-track Canadian National Railway main line, and the St. Lawrence Seaway. It is also home to a rich provincial highway heritage, being home to the remaining stretch of Highway 2. It is also the western terminus of the Thousand Islands Parkway, and a short drive from the Thousand Islands Bridge, which crosses into the United States as Interstate 81. Gananoque is served by the Gananoque Airport for general aviation.

Historically, the Gananoque River's watershed had been an important water transportation corridor, extending north to the Rideau River watershed and playing a key role in the town's early history and economic importance. In 1830, water was diverted near Newboro to the Cataraqui River as part of the Rideau Canal, sending this traffic instead to Kingston.

A four-mile short line railroad once linked the main CN Rail tracks to the heart of the village; the Thousand Islands Railroad terminated near the town hall.

Demographics

The Gananoque clock tower

Religious denominations:

• 52.9% Protestant
• 31.9% Catholic
• 0.5% other Christian
• 0.9% other religion
• 13.8% no religion

Age structure:

• 0–14 years: 17.3%
• 15–64 years: 60.8%
• 65 years and over: 21.9%

Population trend:

• Population in 2011: 5194
• Population in 2006: 5285
• Population in 2001: 5167
• Population in 1996: 5219 (or 5217 when adjusted for boundary changes)
• Population in 1991: 5209

Total private dwellings, excluding seasonal cottages: 2346 (total: 2439)

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 94.2 %
• French as first language: 1.3 %
• English and French as first language: 0.4 %
• Other as first language: 4.1 %

Gananoque Police Service

Gananoque Police Service is a small law enforcement agency in the Eastern Ontario community of Gananoque, Ontario. Unlike many small towns and villages in Ontario who have disbanded their municipal police forces in favour of contracting with the Ontario Provincial Police, the Gananoque Police Service continues to grow.

The current Chief of Police is Kai Liu, formerly an inspector with the Ottawa Police Service.

Notable people

• Harry W. Brown - Gananoque born recipient of the Victoria Cross for actions during the Battle of Hill 70 during the First World War

Local attractions

Gananoque is referred to as the "Gateway to the Thousand Islands," which lie next to it in the St. Lawrence River. Local attractions include boat cruises to the Thousand Islands and Boldt Castle, NY, live theatre, the summer theatre festival of The Thousand Islands Playhouse, the Arthur Child Heritage Museum of the 1000 Islands and the OLG Casino Thousand Islands. The theatre company in Gananoque is The Thousand Islands Playhouse which operates two theatre spaces: The Springer Theatre, and the Firehall Theatre, attracting international attention since 1982.

The Thousand Islands – Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve, designated in November 2002, is the 3rd in Ontario, the 12th in Canada, and one of over 400 around the world, and is part of UNESCO’s Programme on Man and the Biosphere.

External links

• Town of Gananoque
• 1000 Islands Heritage Museum