Severn Bridge, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Severn Bridge, Ontario is a small community in the Town of Gravenhurst, Ontario
of the District of Muskoka
in the province of Ontario
, Canada
. It is located around 100 kilometres north of Toronto
, on the Severn River
, roughly halfway between Orillia
and Gravenhurst
. Its population is around 300 . It was founded in the nineteenth century. The village is served by important road, rail, water links and its postal services and rural route are handled in Washago, Ontario.
. It is around 100 kilometres north of Toronto, roughly halfway between Orillia and Gravenhurst.
at Washago Mills, to a crossing of the Severn River. The supervisor of the bridge's building was David Gibson, the Inspector of Crown Lands Agencies and Superintendent of Colonization Roads. By the end of that year, provincial land surveyor Charles Rankin
was issued instructions to continue the road northward from the "Bridge" constructed across the River Severn. Work on the road resumed the following Spring. The settlement was officially given its name in 1861, when a post office
was opened there. James H Jackson was the first postmaster and the first settler north of the river, having arrived there in 1858.
In the 1873, the Toronto, Simcoe and Muskoka Junction Railway reached Severn Bridge, however, as a result of the panic of 1873
, further construction was stalled. Two years later, this road was acquired by Northern Extensions Railway and upon completion of the line to Gravenhurst
in 1875, was absorbed by the Northern Railway of Canada
. The line was extended to make a connection with Canadian Pacific Railway
near Lake Nipissing
in 1886, by the Northern and Pacific Junction Railway, a subsidiary
of the Northern
. The entire route from Toronto
to North Bay
was subsequently purchased by the Grand Trunk Railway
, (which in turn became part of Canadian National Railway
s).
In September 1906, many of the homes and businesses of Severn Bridge were destroyed by fire.
Between 1925 and 1927, the provincial government under the leadership of Howard Ferguson
, created a road, known as the Ferguson Highway
, beginning at Severn Bridge and extending to the Clay Belt
of "New Ontario," it is now part of Highway 11
.
There is a small hydroelectric dam in Severn Bridge. Like many of the communities around it, tourism
makes up a significant part of the economy.
(formerly the Muskoka Board of Education) and the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
.
Severn Bridge is home to K.P. Manson Public School, a primary school that serves grades kindergarten
through grade 8. , the school enrolls 181 students and the school principal is Patricia Sheppard. The school mascot
is the cougar. K.P. Manson carries one of the highest ratios of computers to students in Ontario, complete with Internet
access to each machine.
The school engages in several extracurricular projects, including using the Lego ROBOLAB program to design and program autonomous robots, and participating in the Canadian National Marsville Program to "build" a Mars colony. Peter Bowen, a teacher at the school, was a former recipient of the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence. An addition to the school was completed in 1985.
Catholic school students and public secondary students attend school outside Severn Bridge.
, rail
, and water transport links.
Highway 11, a historic Ontario highway, runs through Severn Bridge. There is a Greyhound Lines
bus stop in Severn Bridge.
The Canadian National Railway's Newmarket Subdivision, originally built by the Northern Railway of Canada
in the nineteenth century, runs through Severn Bridge (CN has abandoned its Newmarket Subdivision south of the junction with its Bala Subdivision in nearby Washago, a few kilometres to the south). The village is no longer served by passenger train, although the Ontario Northland Railway
's Northlander
passes through Severn Bridge. Both the Northlander and Via Rail
's Canadian
stop at Washago.
Severn Bridge also lies upon the Trent-Severn Waterway
, a navigable waterway. A portion of the Trent Canal connects with the Severn River near Severn Bridge, and the Couchiching Lock (Lock 42 in the waterway) is located nearby. This waterway is a significant recreational waterway in Ontario.
Gravenhurst, Ontario
Gravenhurst is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately south of Bracebridge, Ontario. The mayor is Paisley Donaldson...
of the District of Muskoka
Muskoka District Municipality, Ontario
The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka, or simply Muskoka, is a Regional Municipality located in Central Ontario, Canada. Muskoka extends from Georgian Bay in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching in the south, to the western border...
in the province of 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 around 100 kilometres north of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto 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...
, on the Severn River
Severn River (central Ontario)
The Severn River is a river in central Ontario, Canada. Its headwaters are located at the north end of Lake Couchiching. It drains Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe...
, roughly halfway between Orillia
Orillia, Ontario
Orillia, pronounced ōrĭl'ēə, is a city located in Simcoe County in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, 135 kilometres north of Toronto.Originally incorporated as a village in 1867, the history of...
and Gravenhurst
Gravenhurst, Ontario
Gravenhurst is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately south of Bracebridge, Ontario. The mayor is Paisley Donaldson...
. Its population is around 300 . It was founded in the nineteenth century. The village is served by important road, rail, water links and its postal services and rural route are handled in Washago, Ontario.
Geography
Severn Bridge is located at 44.8° north, 79.4° west. It is located on the Severn River in Ontario. Geologically, it is located in the Canadian ShieldCanadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
. It is around 100 kilometres north of Toronto, roughly halfway between Orillia and Gravenhurst.
History
Severn Bridge came into existence in the year 1858, when the Muskoka Road was surveyed and constructed from the head of navigation on Lake CouchichingLake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching, from the Ojibwe gojijiing meaning "inlet", is a small lake in Central Ontario separated from Lake Simcoe by a narrow channel. The Trent-Severn Waterway enters Lake Simcoe by the Talbot River and exits this lake by the Severn River which empties into Georgian Bay...
at Washago Mills, to a crossing of the Severn River. The supervisor of the bridge's building was David Gibson, the Inspector of Crown Lands Agencies and Superintendent of Colonization Roads. By the end of that year, provincial land surveyor Charles Rankin
Charles Rankin
Charles Rankin 1797 - 1886, born in Enniskillen, Ireland, died at Owen Sound, Ontario. Charles Rankin moved to Upper Canada in his early years, in 1820 he was appointed deputy provincial surveyor and worked in the Southwestern Ontario area. He began work in Nottawasaga Bay in 1833 and settled on...
was issued instructions to continue the road northward from the "Bridge" constructed across the River Severn. Work on the road resumed the following Spring. The settlement was officially given its name in 1861, when 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...
was opened there. James H Jackson was the first postmaster and the first settler north of the river, having arrived there in 1858.
In the 1873, the Toronto, Simcoe and Muskoka Junction Railway reached Severn Bridge, however, as a result of the panic of 1873
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...
, further construction was stalled. Two years later, this road was acquired by Northern Extensions Railway and upon completion of the line to Gravenhurst
Gravenhurst, Ontario
Gravenhurst is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately south of Bracebridge, Ontario. The mayor is Paisley Donaldson...
in 1875, was absorbed by the Northern Railway of Canada
Northern Railway of Canada
The Northern Railway of Canada was a historical Canadian railway located in the province of Ontario. It was eventually acquired by the Grand Trunk Railway, and is therefore a predecessor to the modern Canadian National Railway.- Early history :...
. The line was extended to make a connection with Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
near Lake Nipissing
Lake Nipissing
Lake Nipissing is a lake in the Canadian province of Ontario. It has a surface area of , a mean elevation of above sea level, and is located between the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay. Excluding the Great Lakes, Lake Nipissing is the fifth-largest lake in Ontario. It is relatively shallow for a...
in 1886, by the Northern and Pacific Junction Railway, a subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of the Northern
Northern Railway of Canada
The Northern Railway of Canada was a historical Canadian railway located in the province of Ontario. It was eventually acquired by the Grand Trunk Railway, and is therefore a predecessor to the modern Canadian National Railway.- Early history :...
. The entire route from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto 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...
to North Bay
North Bay, Ontario
North 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:...
was subsequently purchased by the Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
, (which in turn became part of Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
s).
In September 1906, many of the homes and businesses of Severn Bridge were destroyed by fire.
Between 1925 and 1927, the provincial government under the leadership of Howard Ferguson
Howard Ferguson
George Howard Ferguson, PC was a Conservative politician and the ninth Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1923 to 1930.-Background:He was the son of Charles Frederick Ferguson who served in the Canadian House of Commons...
, created a road, known as the Ferguson Highway
Ferguson Highway
The Ferguson Highway was a long gravel trunk road in Ontario, Canada. Built between 1925-1927 from the city of North Bay to the town of Cochrane, it was created to connect the growing agricultural and mining communities of Northern Ontario with other areas further south.Several sections of rebuilt...
, beginning at Severn Bridge and extending to the Clay Belt
Clay Belt
The Clay Belt is a vast tract of fertile soil in northeastern Ontario, Canada, between the area of Cochrane District, and Abitibi County, Quebec covering around 29,000,000 acres in total...
of "New Ontario," it is now part of Highway 11
Highway 11 (Ontario)
King's Highway 11 is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. At , it is the second longest highway in the province after Highway 17. Highway 11 begins at Highway 400 in Barrie, and arches through northern Ontario, around Lake Superior, to the Ontario–Minnesota border...
.
There is a small hydroelectric dam in Severn Bridge. Like many of the communities around it, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
makes up a significant part of the economy.
Education
The school boards that serve Severn Bridge are the Trillium Lakelands District School BoardTrillium Lakelands District School Board
The Trillium Lakelands District School Board administers public school education for students in a large area of central Ontario, Canada including the municipalities of the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and the District Municipality of Muskoka...
(formerly the Muskoka Board of Education) and the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board administers and oversees Catholic education from Kindergarten through grade 12, in Simcoe County and the District of Muskoka, in Ontario, Canada. In 2009, it encompassed 44 elementary and 9 secondary school communities...
.
Severn Bridge is home to K.P. Manson Public School, a primary school that serves grades kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
through grade 8. , the school enrolls 181 students and the school principal is Patricia Sheppard. The school mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
is the cougar. K.P. Manson carries one of the highest ratios of computers to students in Ontario, complete with Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
access to each machine.
The school engages in several extracurricular projects, including using the Lego ROBOLAB program to design and program autonomous robots, and participating in the Canadian National Marsville Program to "build" a Mars colony. Peter Bowen, a teacher at the school, was a former recipient of the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence. An addition to the school was completed in 1985.
Catholic school students and public secondary students attend school outside Severn Bridge.
Transportation
Severn Bridge is located on significant roadRoad transport
Road transport or road transportation is transport on roads of passengers or goods. A hybrid of road transport and ship transport is the historic horse-drawn boat.-History:...
, rail
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
, and water transport links.
Highway 11, a historic Ontario highway, runs through Severn Bridge. There is a Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
bus stop in Severn Bridge.
The Canadian National Railway's Newmarket Subdivision, originally built by the Northern Railway of Canada
Northern Railway of Canada
The Northern Railway of Canada was a historical Canadian railway located in the province of Ontario. It was eventually acquired by the Grand Trunk Railway, and is therefore a predecessor to the modern Canadian National Railway.- Early history :...
in the nineteenth century, runs through Severn Bridge (CN has abandoned its Newmarket Subdivision south of the junction with its Bala Subdivision in nearby Washago, a few kilometres to the south). The village is no longer served by passenger train, although the Ontario Northland Railway
Ontario Northland Railway
The Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario....
's Northlander
Northlander
The Northlander is a Canadian passenger train operated by the Ontario Northland Railway in Ontario.It operates 6 days per week year-round in both directions and connects Cochrane with Toronto...
passes through Severn Bridge. Both the Northlander and Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
's Canadian
The Canadian
The Canadian is a Canadian transcontinental passenger train originally operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway between 1955 and 1978. It is currently operated as an Inter-city rail service by Via Rail Canada with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario and Pacific Central Station in...
stop at Washago.
Severn Bridge also lies upon the Trent-Severn Waterway
Trent-Severn Waterway
The Trent–Severn Waterway is a Canadian canal system formerly used for industrial and transportation purposes and now for recreational and tourism purposes, connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to the Georgian Bay portion of Lake Huron at Port Severn...
, a navigable waterway. A portion of the Trent Canal connects with the Severn River near Severn Bridge, and the Couchiching Lock (Lock 42 in the waterway) is located nearby. This waterway is a significant recreational waterway in Ontario.