The area began to be developed circa 1850 when forestry companies began logging the land. Some of these logging crews had brought their families, and together with some pioneer families, they had formed a settlement of about 13 families by 1880. It was originally called "Long Sault", taken from the name of the rapids on the Ottawa River at this place. From 1884 on, Long Sault became an important stopover for colonists travelling upstream to Lake Timiskaming, leading to the construction of a hotel, wharves, stores, and a railroad to Mattawa. On August 12, 1886, the first train arrived at Long Sault, also called Gordon's Creek by then.[4]
In 1888, the Municipality of Témiscaming was officially incorporated. Its name, also spelled Témiskaming, was taken from Lake Timiskaming and in turn came from the Algonquintim ("deep"), and kami ("open water").[5] In the fall of that same year, Alex Lumsden built a sawmill on Gordon Creek and the settlement came to be known as Lumsden's Mill. Around 1909 work began on the dam across the Ottawa River.[1][4]
Construction of Kipawa Co. Ltd. mill, 1919
The place experienced major growth when the Riordon Pulp and Paper Company built the Kipawa Mills pulp and paper mill there in 1918. It bought the Lumsden Mill as well as all the property in Long Sault. For all the construction workers and mill employees, a new town was built, designed according to a Garden City plan by Scottish architect Thomas Adams.[6][7]
In 1920, Témiscaming gained town status under the name "Kipawa" but the name was replaced by the original name the following year. On paper, there was a municipal council, but in reality, Témiscaming was a company town. The Canadian International Paper Company, that had bought out the Riordon Company in 1925, had total control by owning every property, appointing the mayor and council members, and even applying the law. No municipal elections were held for 35 years.[1][7]
On November 1, 1935, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake had its epicentre approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of Témiscaming. In 1936, the road between North Bay and Témiscaming was completed. In 1956, the Canadian International Paper Company declared Témiscaming as an "open town" and sold all its infrastructure. W.N. Irwin became the town's first mayor elected in a municipal election.[7] In 1972, when the company decided to close the mill, the employees formed Tembec to take over the operation of the mill.
In 1988, the Municipality of Letang (incorporated in 1980) was merged into Témiscaming.
Italian fountain in downtown Temiscaming. It is one of several such features in the city erected by a former mill manager in 1930.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Témiscaming had a population of 2,368 living in 1,114 of its 1,407 total private dwellings, a change of -2.6% from its 2016 population of 2,431. With a land area of 710.84 km2 (274.46 sq mi), it had a population density of 3.3/km2 (8.6/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada
Historical census populations – Letang
Year
Pop.
±%
1976
487
—
1981
512
+5.1%
1986
475
−7.2%
In 1988, Letang was dissolved and merged into Temiscaming. Source: Statistics Canada
Arts and culture
In popular culture
In 2014, on an American late-night talk show Conan, Canadian comedian Norm Macdonald told a fictional story about a person, Jacques de Gatineau, who was supposed to have come from Témiscaming, Quebec. The clip is uploaded to the official Conan O'Brien's "Team Coco" channel on YouTube as "The Most Convoluted Joke Ever", where it was seen more than 3.9 million times.[8]
CKVM-FM, a community radio station based in Ville-Marie has a retransmitter in Témiscaming.
The Tem Times was the city's first newspaper (officially categorized as a country weekly) which ran from 1950 through to 1972.[9] Produced on a Gestener by local townspeople who were members of the Temiskaming Debating Club, and subsidized by the CIP, the circulation at its height was estimated at 1,000.[10] Gord McCulloch, who edited the paper for twenty-two years, went on to become a district editor and columnist for The North Bay Nugget.[11]
^Société de colonisation du lac Temiskaming (Hull, Québec); Laperrière, Augustin (1885). Au lac Temiskaming!. W. D. Jordan Special Collections and Music Library Queen's University Library. Ottawa, La Vallee.
^Témiscaming 1921-1996: nos racines, notre histoire. Book Committee: Louise Forget, Yolande Dumas, Julienne Cécire, Thérese Gélineau, Ken Collins, Ross Sparling, Philippe Barette, Shirley McCullock, Marjorie Brown, Linda Lamarhe, Pierre Bérubé, Gerry Jones, Peter McCulloch, Lois Lynn. Témiscaming?: s.n. 1996. p. 227. ISBN9782980420603. OCLC936856576.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^Témiscaming 1921-1996: nos racines, notre histoire. Book Committee: Louise Forget, Yolande Dumas, Julienne Cécire, Thérese Gélineau, Ken Collins, Ross Sparling, Philippe Barette, Shirley McCullock, Marjorie Brown, Linda Lamarhe, Pierre Bérubé, Gerry Jones, Peter McCulloch, Lois Lynn. Témiscaming?: s.n. 1996. p. 228. ISBN9782980420603. OCLC936856576.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Témiscaming.
