Cobden, Ontario
Encyclopedia
- For other uses of the name, see CobdenCobdenCobden may refer to:Places* Cobden, Victoria, Australia* Cobden, Ontario, Canada* Cobden, New Zealand, a suburb of Greymouth* Cobden, Illinois, United States* Cobden, Minnesota, United StatesOther uses...
.
Cobden is a small community in the Township of Whitewater Region
Whitewater Region, Ontario
Whitewater Region is a township located within the scenic Ottawa Valley, in eastern Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River in Renfrew County. Whitewater Region is made up of the former municipalities of Beachburg, Cobden, Ross and Westmeath, which were amalgamated into the current township on January...
, in Renfrew County, 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....
, Canada
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...
. It is located roughly halfway between Renfrew, Ontario
Renfrew, Ontario
Renfrew, Ontario, Canada, is a town on the Bonnechere River in Renfrew County. Located one hour west of Ottawa in Eastern Ontario, Renfrew is the third largest town in the county after Petawawa and Pembroke. The town is a small transportation hub connecting Ontario Highway 60 and Highway 132 with...
and Pembroke, Ontario
Pembroke, Ontario
Pembroke is a city in the province of Ontario, Canada, at the confluence of the Muskrat River and the Ottawa River in the Ottawa Valley...
on Highway 17
Highway 17 (Ontario)
King's Highway 17, more commonly known as Highway 17, is a provincially maintained highway and the primary route of the Trans-Canada Highway through the Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the Manitoba border west of Kenora and ends south of Arnprior at the western terminus of Highway 417, ...
.
History
The area around Cobden was originally inhabited by the Nibachis, a sub-division of the native, AlgonquianAlgonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
speaking, tribes of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
The Astrolabe
In 1613, FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
explorer Samuel de Champlain
Samuel 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....
, travelled through an area very near Cobden while exploring the Ottawa River. Due to the Chenaux Rapids, Champlain and his men were forced to portage. They presumably took shore in Browns Bay near present day McKenzie's Hill. In 1953, a large rock was found in this area bearing a chiseled inscription. Though the inscription was hard to read, it was determined that it said, "Champlain Juin 2, 1613". Champlain's trail from this point is debatable. He may have cut straight across land to the southern tip of Jeffreys Lake, or he may have veered south, skirting the far side of what later came to be known as the Champlain Trail Lakes
Champlain Trail Lakes
The Champlain Trail Lakes are a group of lakes on the southern point of Whitewater Region in Ontario. They lay in more or less a straight line and are named for the fact that explorer Samuel de Champlain used them to portage around the Chenaux Rapids while exploring the Ottawa River. Coldingham,...
. It is known that he eventually made his way to Green Lake and at this point, according to several 17th century authors, Champlain lost his Astrolabe
Astrolabe
An astrolabe is an elaborate inclinometer, historically used by astronomers, navigators, and astrologers. Its many uses include locating and predicting the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars, determining local time given local latitude and longitude, surveying, triangulation, and to...
. It stayed there for 254 years, until it was found in 1867 by Edward George Lee, a 14-year-old farm boy helping his father clear trees near Green Lake(now Astrolabe Lake
Astrolabe Lake, Ontario
Astrolabe Lake is a lake in the township of Whitewater Region, Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Astrolabe Lake is where, in 1867, Edward Lee, a local farmboy, found Samuel Champlain's long lost astrolabe; a plaque now stands near the lake to commemorate this...
). Edward gave the Astrolabe to Captain Cowley, a Steamboat Captain on Muskrat Lake
Muskrat Lake
Muskrat Lake is located in the Whitewater Region of Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Said to be the home of lake monster Mussie. Muskrat Lake drains into Muskrat River. Other than a few cottages and campgrounds, Cobden, is only one community on the lakes shore...
; Lee never received the ten dollars Cowley promised him, and Cowley sold the Astrolabe to his employer, President of the Ottawa Forwarding Company, R.W. Cassels. The Astrolabe eventually passed to Samuel V. Hoffman of the New York Historical Society in 1942, remaining there for 47 years, until acquired by the Department of Communications for the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Canadian Museum of Civilization
The Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....
in 1989.
In 1990, a special celebration was held in Cobden in honour of the Astrolabe's return.
Although it cannot be conclusively proven that the Astrolabe found near this Lake indeed belonged to Champlain, the following facts should be taken into consideration.
-The bottom portion of the Astrolabe is engraved 1603, the same year Champlain was commissioned "geographer Royal" to Henry lV on his first voyage to Canada
-Champlain's reading at Gould's Landing erred by 1 degree. Subsequent readings recorded at Alumette Island also erred 1 degree
-Apart from this reading at Alumette Island, Champlain does not enter readings for the remainder of his expedition
-It was not unusual for Champlain to omit recording events and conditions in his journal. He was considered a laconic journalist who only dealt with facts he considered important
-Finally, by 1611, the Astrolabe had been largely replaced by the vernier scale which was considered to be far more accurate
Founding and development
Early YearsCobden's very existence is a circumstance of location. As Pembroke and Ottawa grew so, it seemed, did the gap between them. In the 1800s the easiest route between the two was the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
. However, the presence of rapids near Portage du Fort necessitated a land route. At this time the area was mostly a vast forest untouched by Europeans. A few settlers had put down near muskrat lake, (John Parsons, John Sheriff, Spencer Allen, Robert Allen, and others) but for the most part there had been little activity since Champlain's visit in the 17th Century. Then in 1849 Jason Gould built a road from what came to be called Goulds Landing to what would become Cobden on Muskrat lake
Muskrat Lake
Muskrat Lake is located in the Whitewater Region of Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Said to be the home of lake monster Mussie. Muskrat Lake drains into Muskrat River. Other than a few cottages and campgrounds, Cobden, is only one community on the lakes shore...
. One could catch a steamer down the lake and then go on by road to Pembroke. The traffic on the road couldn't help but cause growth. In 1850 Gould built a Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and named the fledgling settlement Cobden after Richard Cobden
Richard Cobden
Richard Cobden was a British manufacturer and Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with John Bright in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League as well as with the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty...
, member of British Parliament, whom Gould admired. by Oct 2nd, 1876 the railway had crept its way to Cobden. The community started to expand from the lake towards the railway station further inland. Main Street began to take shape, The Cobden Sun, The Bank of Ottawa, black smith shops, a bakery, general store, mill, surgeon and jewelry store. In 1880 A public school was opened to accommodate the strain on nearby S.S.No 1. Cobden was soon the biggest community in Ross Township and became an Incorporated Village in October 1901.
1901-Present
Cobden has been the victim of many fires. This has destroyed almost all of the original buildings. Main Street has suffered worst from fire including one in 1913 which destroyed the Cobden Sun building and many historical records. A hydro electric dam began operating at the falls south of Cobden. It supplied the town, off and on, with power until it was destroyed, April 12, 1934, in a raging flood. Large blocks of ice ripped the dam apart and poured over Highway 17, tearing away sections of pavement. The plant operator, Mr. Bill Wall, was stranded in the upper section of their house until flooding subsided. The town then started receiving power from a station in Calabogie. Council elections in 1949 were dominated by the issue of whether or not to hold another plebiscite on establishing a waterworks system. A previous plebiscite had come out 82-56 against. But times were changing quickly; after the war a new council was elected and the next vote was 124-46 in favour and by the early 1950s Cobden had water. The waterworks system required constant maintenance up until a major retooling in the 1980s. The visibly dominating water tower was built in 1988 replacing the original (built in 1951).
A bigger school was needed by 1903. The present-day school, Cobden District Public
Cobden District Public School
Cobden District Public School, located in Cobden, Ontario Canada serves students from the Whitewater Region and is under the jurisdiction of the Renfrew County District School Board. The school usually has between 300-500 students from grades 1-8 with jr. and sr. kindergarten taught in an attached...
, was built in 1938 and initially served as a high school until Opeongo High School
Opeongo High School
Opeongo High School is a secondary school in Renfrew County, Ontario that serves the townships of Whitewater Region, Laurentian Valley, Admaston Bromley, Bonnechere Valley, and North Algona-Wilberforce. It was built in 1968, at a cost of $3.5 million, to accommodate a growing population of...
was built.
In 2001, the Village of Cobden was amalgamated with the Village of Beachburg, the Township of Ross and the Township of Westmeath to form the Township of Whitewater Region.
Today, Cobden’s location on the busy Trans-Canada Highway, known as Highway 17, makes it a convenient stopping place for the many travelers passing through the area.
Demographics and Culture
In 1991 Cobden had a population of 1026. In 1996 Cobden had a population of 1020, this is a decrease of .58%Occupying 1.85 km of land, Cobden has a population density of 551.351 people per square km
Cobden is host to its own annual fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
and is held in late August each year. Established in 1854, The Cobden Fair offers several days of activities that include exhibits, cattlle,horse and don't forget the SICK sheep shows, midway rides and a EPIC demolition derby. During the holiday season, it has its own Santa Claus Parade
Santa Claus parade
Santa Claus parades or Christmas pageants are parades held in some countries to celebrate the official opening of the Christmas season with the arrival of Santa Claus....
. From May until October, located at the Cobden fairgrounds, and offering fresh local grown produce, homemade baking and a wide assortment of crafts is one of the best farmers' markets in the Ottawa Valley
Ottawa Valley
The Ottawa Valley is the valley along the boundary between Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec along the Ottawa River. The valley is the transition between the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield...
.
The Farmers' Market
Organized in 1991. The Farmers' Market is an outdoor market that runs from May to October. It offers a wide variety of crafts and foodstuffs and everything must be grown or hand made locally. The market has recently moved from the Memorial Hall grounds to the Fair Grounds but the Christmas Market, the grande finale for the year, is still held in the Memorial HallCobden Park
Overlooking Muskrat LakeMuskrat Lake
Muskrat Lake is located in the Whitewater Region of Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Said to be the home of lake monster Mussie. Muskrat Lake drains into Muskrat River. Other than a few cottages and campgrounds, Cobden, is only one community on the lakes shore...
the park occupies what is thought to be the spot where Champlain met the Native
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
Chief Nibachis. A plaque was erected in the 1960s commemorating this. The lands for the park were donated by Thomas Robinson
Thomas Robinson
Thomas Robinson may refer to:*Thomas Robinson , English composer and music teacher*Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham , English diplomatist and politician...
and his wife in 1904. In 1988 extensive work was carried out on the beach portion of the park by the Civitans.
Bruce McPhail Memorial Airport
Home to The Champlain Flying Club, the Cobden airportCobden/Bruce McPhail Memorial Airport
Cobden/Bruce McPhail Memorial Airport, , is located southeast of Cobden, Ontario, Canada....
is just south of the village on Highway 17
Highway 17 (Ontario)
King's Highway 17, more commonly known as Highway 17, is a provincially maintained highway and the primary route of the Trans-Canada Highway through the Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the Manitoba border west of Kenora and ends south of Arnprior at the western terminus of Highway 417, ...
.
Logos Land
Located about 5 miles east of Cobden, Logos LandLogos Land
Logos Land is a small, family resort that offers a water park, par 71 golf course, RV Park & campground, Motel and 2 bedroom villa units in Ontario, Canada, located about 8 km east of Cobden along Highway 17...
is a religious based water park
Water park
A waterpark is an amusement park that features waterplay areas, such as water slides, splash pads, spraygrounds , lazy rivers, or other recreational bathing, swimming, and barefooting environments...
. Built on the site of the Astrolabe's discovery Logos Land
Logos Land
Logos Land is a small, family resort that offers a water park, par 71 golf course, RV Park & campground, Motel and 2 bedroom villa units in Ontario, Canada, located about 8 km east of Cobden along Highway 17...
Features 5 water slides, paddle boats, mini-golf and a representation of Noah's ark which was recently outfitted with a Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
Express/sunshine cafe. The water park is open mid-June to Labour Day, but Noah's Ark is open year-round. It's also home to Canada's tallest Christmas tree standing 75 feet high. Every year over 3000 local kids get together to decorate the tree. The tree is dedicated to children around the world.
Mussie
MussieMussie
Mussie is an alleged sea monster reported to be living in Muskrat Lake, northwest of Ottawa, capital of Canada. The legend has gone a through a gradual image change over the years. In the past the creature was depicted with shameless wild exaggeration. Classified as a "hepaxalor" and endowed with...
is a Nessie
NESSIE
NESSIE was a European research project funded from 2000–2003 to identify secure cryptographic primitives. The project was comparable to the NIST AES process and the Japanese Government-sponsored CRYPTREC project, but with notable differences from both...
-like creature said to reside in Muskrat Lake
Muskrat Lake
Muskrat Lake is located in the Whitewater Region of Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Said to be the home of lake monster Mussie. Muskrat Lake drains into Muskrat River. Other than a few cottages and campgrounds, Cobden, is only one community on the lakes shore...
. It most likely doesn't exist, and if it does, is more likely a sturgeon
Sturgeon
Sturgeon is the common name used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. The term includes over 20 species commonly referred to as sturgeon and several closely related species that have distinct common...
.
A hand made wooden tribute to Mussie can be found in front of the local Home Hardware Store. It stands 12 feet high and approximately 40 feet long, built by store owner Doug Schauer.
OVPC
Ottawa Valley Pentecostal Camp is a ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
based family and children's camp at the bottom of Muskrat Lake
Muskrat Lake
Muskrat Lake is located in the Whitewater Region of Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Said to be the home of lake monster Mussie. Muskrat Lake drains into Muskrat River. Other than a few cottages and campgrounds, Cobden, is only one community on the lakes shore...
. It has hosted many local community events with its year round facilities. Members of surrounding churches in the Ottawa area rent out trailers and stay at camp during the summer. OVPC is owned and operated by the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada
Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada
The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada is a Pentecostal Christian denomination and the largest evangelical church in Canada. It reports 234,385 adherents and 1,077 member congregations throughout Canada...
.
Storyland Canada
Storyland once featured 200 animated characters set in 40 different fairy taleFairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
scenes surrounded by a natural woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
environment. Though the park has fallen into disrepair it still features two large playgrounds, paddleboats, mini-golf and picnic areas. The Champlain Lookout offers a panoramic view of the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
. Open daily Victoria Day
Victoria Day
Victoria Day is a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday before May 25, in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday. The date is also, simultaneously, that on which the current reigning Canadian sovereign's official birthday is recognized...
to Labour Day
Labour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...
.
Notable people
Cobden is the home town of Susie LaskaSusie Laska
Susie Laska is an ice hockey associate player with the Ottawa Senators of the CWHL.-Playing career:...
, former professional hockey player for the NWHL
National Women's Hockey League
The National Women's Hockey League was a women's ice hockey league. This League was in service between 1999 and 2007.-History:The NWHL superseded the old Central Ontario Women's Hockey League in 1998-99. After the old COWHL dropped down to three teams in 1997-98, the new league expanded to...
; Lee Fraser, president of Canadians Abroad and Hollywood entertainment executive; Robert Wellington Mayhew
Robert Wellington Mayhew
Robert Wellington Mayhew, was a Canadian politician and diplomat.Born in Cobden, Ontario, the son of Charles Mayhew and Sarah Dunlop Mayhew, he founded the Sidney Roofing and Paper Co. Ltd. in 1912 which became one of Victoria's largest businesses.He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons...
, the first Canadian ambassador to Japan, and Brad Pender
Brad Pender
Brad Pender, born July 13, 1979, was born in Cobden, Ontario. Brad grew up in Cobden playing many sports but excelled at an early age at baseball. Brad eventually attended the Académie Baseball Canada in Quebec to sharpen his baseball skills. Brad, although originally a shortstop in Cobden,...
, Cobden's first professional baseball player with the Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...
Saints. Harold Dobson, nicknamed 'Mr. Cobden', was a fixture of the village for many years; his tireless efforts were instrumental in returning Champlain's lost astrolabe to Canada.
External links
- http://www.mycobden.com
- http://www.whitewaterregion.ca/communities/cobden.htm
- http://ca.epodunk.com/profiles/ontario/cobden/2003696.html
- http://www.civilization.ca/tresors/treasure/222eng.html
- http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/specials/etiennebrule/story.html?id=2c255d9b-e994-4ac2-985d-614a1fce20b8