Winisk, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Winisk is a small ghost town
in extreme Northern Ontario
, situated along the Winisk River
. It was destroyed in the 1986 Winisk Flood. After the flood, the town was re-located to Peawanuck, Ontario
, 30 km inland.
Winisk was home to Royal Canadian Air Force Station Winisk
, a Mid-Canada Line
radar control station from 1958 to 1965.
The town was served by the Winisk Airport, a short gravel
runway. (Code: YWN)
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in extreme Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
, situated along the Winisk River
Winisk River
The Winisk River is a river in northern Ontario, Canada, that starts at Wunnummin Lake and flows east to Winisk Lake. From there it continues in a mostly northly direction to Hudson Bay. The Winisk River is 475 km long and has a drainage basin of . The name is from Cree origin meaning...
. It was destroyed in the 1986 Winisk Flood. After the flood, the town was re-located to Peawanuck, Ontario
Peawanuck, Ontario
Peawanuck is an isolated Cree community in the Kenora District, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the confluence of the Winisk and Shamattawa Rivers, about 35 km from the Winisk River's end in Hudson Bay. Its population is 139 ....
, 30 km inland.
Winisk was home to Royal Canadian Air Force Station Winisk
RCAF Station Winisk
Royal Canadian Air Force Station Winisk was a military installation located in Winisk, Ontario.RCAF Winisk was one of eight Sector Control Stations on the Mid-Canada Line system of radar stations. Each SCS received signals from a series of unmanned detection sites located approximately 50 km apart...
, a Mid-Canada Line
Mid-Canada Line
The Mid-Canada Line, also known as the McGill Fence, was a line of radar stations across the "middle" of Canada to provide early warning of a Soviet bomber attack on North America. It was built to supplement the less-advanced Pinetree Line, which was located further south...
radar control station from 1958 to 1965.
The town was served by the Winisk Airport, a short gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
runway. (Code: YWN)