Pembroke is a city in the province of
OntarioOntario 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....
,
CanadaCanada 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...
, at the confluence of the
Muskrat RiverThe Muskrat River is a river in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada that flows into the Ottawa River at the city of Pembroke.-Course:The river begins at Edmunds Lake, one of the Champlain Trail Lakes and near the community of Garden of Eden, and heads northwest through other Champlain Trail lakes to...
and the
Ottawa RiverThe 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:...
in the
Ottawa ValleyThe 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...
. Pembroke is the seat of Renfrew County, though it is politically
independentAn independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. These type of cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other sovereign state.-Historical precursors:In the Holy Roman Empire,...
.
History
The first European settler to the area now known as Pembroke was Daniel Fraser in 1823, who squatted on land that was discovered to have been granted to a man named Abel Ward. Ward later sold the land (where Moncion's Grocers is located) to Fraser, and nearby Fraser Street is named after the family.
Peter WhitePeter White, PC was a Canadian parliamentarian.White was born into a family that had established its homestead at the junction of the Muskrat and Ottawa Rivers where the town of Pembroke, Ontario was soon established...
, a veteran of the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
arrived in 1828, squatting beside Fraser on the land where Dairy Queen is now located. Other settlers followed, attracted by the growing lumbering operations of the area.
Originally named Miramichi, Pembroke became a
police villageA police village was a form of municipal government used in the province of Ontario, Canada, beginning in the early 19th century. It was used in cases where the finances or population of the area did not permit the creation of a village....
in 1856. Pembroke is named after Sidney Herbert, First Admiralty Secretary from 1841 to 1845 and son of
George Herbert, 11th Earl of PembrokeGeneral George Augustus Herbert, 11th Earl of Pembroke and 8th Earl of Montgomery, KG, PC was a British peer, army officer and politician.-Early life:...
.
Pembroke was incorporated as a town in 1878 and as a city in 1971. It was named seat for Renfrew County in 1861. This set the stage for construction shortly thereafter on the
Renfrew County CourthouseThe Renfrew County Courthouse is a designated heritage property and operational courthouse in Pembroke, Ontario, Canada.-Original building:The neoclassical complex includes three buildings: the courthouse itself, a registry office and a small jail. The courthouse was built from 1862 to 1866, the...
, which finished in 1867, and the arrival of many civil servants, much wealth and much construction. In the 20-year period following 1861, Pembroke basically became the city it is today in terms of layout and buildings, although many homes and other structures have been lost to time. A fire in 1918 destroyed much of Pembroke's downtown.
From 2005 to 2007, the Courthouse and Jail (now non-functional) were re-constructed into one building and historic renovations were also completed. Visitors on weekdays can view original 1867 jail cells in the basement, and the original courtroom, complete with a huge replica of the original brass light fixture. County meetings were held here for many years. Three hangings occurred at the indoor gallows inside the Courthouse, two in the 1870s and one in 1952.
Other historic buildings that survive in Pembroke include a historic synagogue, two original hospitals, the Dunlop mansion (Grey Gables Manor Bed & Breakfast), the 'Munroe Block' downtown, and two houses belonging to the White family. A fire in 1918 downtown destroyed many buildings, including the Pembroke Opera House.
In 1898 it became the seat of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of PembrokeThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Pembroke is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Ottawa. It was elevated as the Diocese of Pembroke on 4 May 1898...
.
Economy
Pembroke is the largest commercial centre between
North BayNorth Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...
and
OttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
Historically, forestry and farming formed the backbone of the local economy and remain important today. Local timber products include lumber, plywood, veneer, hydro poles and fibreboard. Other local manufacturing operations produce office furniture.
CFB PetawawaCanadian Forces Base Petawawa, commonly referred to as CFB Petawawa, or simply "Pet", is a Canadian Forces Base located in Petawawa, Ontario. It is operated as an army base by Canadian Forces Land Force Command.-Base facts:...
in nearby Petawawa,
Chalk River LaboratoriesThe Chalk River Laboratories is a Canadian nuclear research facility located near Chalk River, about north-west of Ottawa in the province of Ontario.CRL is a site of major research and development to support and advance nuclear technology, in particular CANDU reactor...
of
Atomic Energy of Canada LimitedAtomic Energy of Canada Limited or AECL is a Canadian federal Crown corporation and Canada's largest nuclear science and technology laboratory...
in
Chalk RiverChalk River is a Canadian rural community part of the Laurentian Hills municipality in Renfrew County, Ontario. It is located in the Upper Ottawa Valley along Highway 17 , 10 km inland from the Ottawa River, approximately 21 km northwest of Petawawa, and 182 km northwest of Ottawa...
and On-Line Support call centres are also regional employers.
The economy also benefits from tourism, aided partly by Pembroke's location on the
Trans-Canada HighwayThe Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
. Pembroke is a gateway to natural adventures on the Petawawa and Ottawa Rivers, Algonquin Park and to world-class white water rafting a short distance to the southwest.
Attractions
Local attractions include 30 historic
muralA mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s in the downtown area depicting the history of the city, from steam engines to logging. Pembroke has more murals than almost any city in Canada.
At the Champlain Trail Pioneer Village and Museum the history of Ottawa Valley settlers comes alive inside the fully furnished schoolhouse, pioneer log home and church - all built in the 1800s. Other outdoor exhibits include train station, sawmill, blacksmith shop, stonelifter, carriage shed, woodworking shop, bake oven, smokehouse and a 1923 Bickle fire engine. The large museum features artifacts which range from fossils and Native Canadian arrowheads to furniture, clothing and manufactured products of Pembroke from various eras. There is also a replica of Samuel de Champlain's Astrolabe (he brought the original to the Valley in 1613), an original Cockburn pointer boat, Corliss steam engine, doctor's examination room, fancy parlour rooms, general store, hair salon and more.
The Pembroke Hydro Museum commemorates national
hydro-electricHydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
development in Pembroke, including the first electric streetlights in Pembroke, and the first municipal building with electric lights (Victoria Hall).
Pembroke hosts one of the campuses of Ottawa-based
Algonquin CollegeAlgonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded English-language college and member of Polytechnics Canada located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The college serves the National Capital Region and the outlying areas of Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec...
. Among the new programs are 'Outdoor Adventure' and 'Outdoor Adventure Naturalist'.
The city is home to an annual Old Time Fiddling and Step Dancing Festival, which happens Labour Day weekend at Riverside Park. There are often up to 1400 RVs parked there for the week preceding the event. Award-winning fiddler/step dancer
April VerchApril Verch is a Canadian fiddler and step dancer born and raised in the small community of Rankin, Ontario, located approximately 15 km southwest from Pembroke, Ontario. She attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston before embarking on her professional career...
is a Pembroke native. Pembroke has a 600 plus seat arts facility, Festival Hall. The facility hosts various top Canadian artists during the year, promoted by Green Tomato Productions. It is also host to the annual Silver Stick Minor League Hockey Tournament, which brings in several hundred children and youth on weekends in November and early December for regional qualifying games.
Pembroke's Public Library was designed by architect Francis Conroy Sullivan, a contemporary of
Frank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
.
Sports
Pembroke has been the home of the
Pembroke Lumber KingsThe Pembroke Lumber Kings are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Pembroke, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Central Canada Hockey League and are the longest running and winningest team in CJHL history as well as 2011 Royal Bank Cup National Junior A Champions...
Junior A Hockey Club since 1958. They have been members of the
Central Junior A Hockey LeagueThe Central Canada Hockey League is a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey league operating in eastern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Ottawa District Hockey Association and Hockey Canada and is a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League...
since 1961.
Pembroke has won the CJHL Championships the last five years in a row. In 2011, they won their first Canadian Junior A title, the Royal Bank Cup.
Pembroke annually hosts the Kings Sports Tournament, in August.
Demographics
| Census |
Population |
| 1841 |
250 |
| 1871 |
1,508 |
| 1881 |
2,820 |
| 1891 |
4,401 |
| 1901 |
5,156 |
| 1911 |
5,626 |
| 1921 |
7,875 |
| 1931 |
9,368 |
| 1941 |
10,999 |
| 1951 |
12,704 |
| 1961 |
16,791 |
| 1971 |
16,544 |
| 1981 |
14,026 |
| 1991 |
13,997 |
| 2001 |
13,490 |
| 2006 |
13,930 |
Media
Most broadcast media transmitting in the Pembroke area are rebroadcasters of stations from
OttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
,
ArnpriorArnprior is a town in Renfrew County, in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located at the mouth of the Madawaska River, as it enters the Ottawa River in the Ottawa Valley...
or
TorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
CHVR-FMCHVR-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 96.7 FM in Pembroke, Ontario. The station airs a country music format branded as Star 96....
is the only broadcast station directly based in the Pembroke area itself. Pembroke also remains
CHRO-TVCHRO-TV is a television station serving the National Capital and Ottawa Valley regions of Ontario, Canada. Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the CTV Two television system....
's official
city of licenseA city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
, although the station currently operates out of studios in Ottawa.
Radio
- FM
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
88.7 - CBOF-FM-9CBOF-FM is a French-language Canadian radio station located in Ottawa, Ontario.Owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation , it broadcasts on 90.7 MHz with an effective radiated power of 84,000 watts using an omnidirectional antenna.The station has an ad-free news/talk format and...
, Première Chaîne (Chapeau, QuebecChapeau is a village in the Canadian province of Quebec, located along the Culbute Channel of the Ottawa River in the municipality of L'Isle-aux-Allumettes in Pontiac Regional County Municipality....
)
- FM 92.5 - CBCD
CBO-FM is a Canadian radio station. It is the CBC Radio One station in Ottawa, airing at 91.5 FM, and serves much of Eastern Ontario through a network of relay transmitters.-History:...
, CBC Radio OneCBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
- FM 96.7 - CHVR
CHVR-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 96.7 FM in Pembroke, Ontario. The station airs a country music format branded as Star 96....
("Star 96"), country musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
- FM 99.9 - CKQB-1
CKQB-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts an active rock format at 106.9 FM in Ottawa and 99.9 FM in Pembroke...
("The Bear"), active rockActive rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
- FM 100.7 - CHRI-2
CHRI-FM is a Canadian non-profit, charity-status and commercial radio station, which broadcasts at 99.1 FM in Ottawa, Ontario. The station broadcasts a Contemporary Christian music format.-Network:...
, ChristianChristian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
- FM 104.9 - CIMY
CIMY-FM is the call sign of a radio station located in Pembroke, Ontario on the FM dial at 104.9 FM. Owned by My Broadcasting Corporation, the station airs an adult contemporary format branded as myFM....
("My FM"), adult contemporary
Television
Except for CIVP-TV, all channels listed below are available on
CogecoCogeco Inc. is a Canadian media and communications company. The name is an acronym for Compagnie Générale de Communication .-History:...
, the local cable system for Pembroke.
- Channel 3: CBOT-6
CBOT-DT is a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television station in Ottawa, Ontario. The station's studios are located in the CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre.-History:...
, CBCCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
(rebroadcasts CBOT Ottawa)
- Channel 5: CHRO-TV
CHRO-TV is a television station serving the National Capital and Ottawa Valley regions of Ontario, Canada. Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the CTV Two television system....
, CTV Two
- Channel 11: CBOFT-1
CBOFT-DT is the Radio-Canada station serving Franco-Ontarians in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario, and the Québécois in the Outaouais region of Quebec.-History:CBOFT went to air in 1955 as the first French language television station in Ontario...
, Radio-CanadaTélévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
(from Chapeau, QuebecChapeau is a village in the Canadian province of Quebec, located along the Culbute Channel of the Ottawa River in the municipality of L'Isle-aux-Allumettes in Pontiac Regional County Municipality....
; rebroadcasts CBOFT, Ottawa)
- Channel 17: CHLF-TV-13
TFO is a Canadian French language educational public television network in the province of Ontario. It is the only French-language television network in Canada whose operations are based entirely outside of Quebec....
, TFOTFO is a Canadian French language educational public television network in the province of Ontario. It is the only French-language television network in Canada whose operations are based entirely outside of Quebec....
- Channel 23: CIVP-TV
Télé-Québec is a French language public educational television network in the Canadian province of Quebec. Known legally as Société de télédiffusion du Québec , it is a provincial crown corporation owned by the Government of Quebec...
, Télé-QuébecTélé-Québec is a French language public educational television network in the Canadian province of Quebec. Known legally as Société de télédiffusion du Québec , it is a provincial crown corporation owned by the Government of Quebec...
(from Chapeau, QuebecChapeau is a village in the Canadian province of Quebec, located along the Culbute Channel of the Ottawa River in the municipality of L'Isle-aux-Allumettes in Pontiac Regional County Municipality....
; rebroadcasts CIVM-TV, Montreal)
- Channel 29: CICE-TV-16
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
, TVOntarioTVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
(local TVO relay)
- Channel 47: CJOH-TV-47
CJOH-DT is a television station serving Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and the surrounding region. Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the CTV Television Network....
, CTVCTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
(rebroadcasts CJOH-TV Ottawa)
- Cogeco Cable 12: TV Cogeco
Print
The city's main daily newspaper is
The Daily Observer. The
Observer also publishes the weekly free advertising paper,
The News.
Notable citizens from Pembroke
- Dan O'Connor
Dan O'Connor was a Canadian businessman and prospector from Pembroke, Ontario. In the late 1880s, O'Connor moved to Sudbury where he became associated with economy, life and industry...
, a businessman and prospector born and raised in Pembroke.
- Wayne Rostad
Wayne Victor Rostad, CM is a Canadian musician and television presenter.In 1969, he became a radio host for CJET in Smiths Falls, Ontario...
, Canadian songwriter, singer, story teller, spent his youth in Pembroke.
- Jason Blaine
Jason Blaine is a Canadian country music singer/songwriter from Pembroke, Ontario. The winner of Project Discovery 2002, Jason's top 10 singles include "Rock In My Boot" and "Flirtin' With Me."-Career:...
, a country singer who was born and raised in Pembroke
- Rower/kayaker Sarah Boudens
Sarah Boudens is a Canadian slalom canoer who competed in the late 2000s. She was eliminated in the qualifying round of the K-1 event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.-References:*...
, who participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is a Pembroke native.
- Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
spent his childhood on a farm near Pembroke.
- Pembroke is the birthplace of comedian Tom Green
Michael Thomas "Tom" Green is a Canadian actor, rapper, writer, comedian, talk show host and media personality. Best known for his shock humour brand of comedy, Green found mainstream prominence via his MTV television show The Tom Green Show...
, although Green's family subsequently moved to OttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
- Paul Joseph James Martin
Joseph James Guillaume Paul Martin, PC, CC, QC , often referred to as Paul Martin, Sr, was a noted Canadian politician. He was the father of Paul Martin , who served as Prime Minister of Canada from 2003 - 2006.-Early life:Martin was born in Ottawa, Ontario, the son of Lumina and Joseph...
also known as Paul Martin, Sr., noted lawyer, politician and father of former Prime Minister Paul MartinPaul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
was raised in Pembroke.
- The editor-in-chief of First Things
First Things is an ecumenical journal focused on creating a "religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society". The journal is inter-denominational and inter-religious, representing a broad intellectual tradition of Christian and Jewish critique of contemporary society...
, the Reverend Father Richard John NeuhausRichard John Neuhaus was a prominent Christian cleric and writer. Born in Canada, Neuhaus moved to the United States where he became a naturalized United States citizen...
, was born in Pembroke.
- Pembroke boasts three NHL Hall of Fame hockey players: Frank Nighbor
Julius Francis "Pembroke Peach" Nighbor was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League and National Hockey Association and Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL, Toronto Blueshirts of the NHA and Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific...
, who was nicknamed "The Pembroke Peach," Harry CameronHarold Hugh "Cammie" Cameron was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played professionally for the Toronto Blueshirts, Toronto Arenas, Ottawa Senators, Toronto St. Pats and Montreal Canadiens. Cameron won three Stanley Cups in his career...
and Hugh Lehman.
- Donald Williamson was raised in Pembroke, and was a hockey player on the 1955-1956 undefeated Clarkson University college hockey team. Williamson was one of the founders of the Granite State Hockey League and is in the New Hampshire Hockey Hall of Fame.
Forest fire protection history
The
Pembroke Forest Fire District was founded by Ontario's former
Department of Lands and Forests (now the MNR) in 1922 as one of 17 districts to help protect Ontario's forests from fire by early detection from fire towers. The headquarters for the district were housed in the town. It was the central location for 15 fire tower lookouts, including the towers in Algonquin Park. The 15 towers included: Wilberforce, Mt. Edna, Sherwood, Murchison, Preston, Clancy, Fitzgerald, Brent, Big Crow Lake, White Trout Lake, Stonecliffe, Deux Rivieres, Osler, Lauder and Skymount. When a fire was spotted in the forest a towerman would get the degree bearings from his respective tower and radio back the information to headquarters. When one or more towermen from other towers in the area would also call in their bearings, the forest rangers at headquarters could get a 'triangulation' read and plot the exact location of the fire on their map. This way a team of forest firefighters could be dispatched as soon as possible to get the fire under control. These towers would all be phased out after aerial fire fighting techniques were employed in the 1970s.
See also
- Pembroke Airport
Pembroke Airport, , is located northwest of the city of Pembroke, Ontario, Canada.Pem-Air operated regularly scheduled air service between Pembroke Airport and Toronto for 31 years; ending its scheduled operation in December, 2000....
- Kichesipirini
The Kichesipirini are an Algonquin indigenous people of Canada. Their traditional homeland and primary village was located on Morrison Island in the Ottawa River , as well as territory on both sides of the river in Ontario and Quebec, including...
External links