Almonte, Ontario 作者： 来源： 发布时间：2021-12-08
I.Population and Area
-Area
Land: 4.41 km2 (1.70 sq mi)
-Population (2016)
Total: 4,752
Density: 1,077.4/km2 (2,790/sq mi)
II.Natural Geography (environment and resources)
-Almonte (pronounced "AL-mont" as opposed to the original Spanish pronunciation of "al-MON-tay") is a former mill town located in Lanark County, in the eastern portion of Ontario, Canada. Formerly a separate municipality, Almonte is now a ward of the town of Mississippi Mills, which was created on January 1, 1998, by the merging of Almonte with Ramsay and Pakenham townships. Almonte is located 46 kilometres (29 mi) south-west of downtown Ottawa. Its population as of 2013 is about 5,000.
III.ECONOMY
-The average salary in Almonte, Ontario is C$18.33. Trends in wages decreased by -100.0 percent in Q1 2020. The cost of living in Almonte, Ontario is 100 percent higher than the national average. The most popular occupations in Almonte, Ontario are Welding Supervisor and Personal Support Worker (PSW) which pay between C$13.95 and C$28.84 per year. The most popular employer in Almonte, Ontario is Sport Systems Canada Inc..
-Website: https://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Location=Almonte-Ontario/Salary
IV.Industrial Characteristics
-One need only stroll past some of the massive mill-owners’ mansions here to gain a sense of just how lucrative and important the textiles industry became in the latter part of the 19th century,
-It was the rapid expansion of the national rail system, coupled with the emergence of an industrialized middle-class with cash to spend and a growing appetite for consumer goods, that spurred the spectacular growth of Almonte’s textile industry. Suddenly there was a ready-made national market for fine woollen goods, one that was almost instantly accessible, or at least by the standards of an earlier day.
-By the turn of the century there were seven woollen mills operating at full bore in Almonte; and for decades to come they would guarantee job security and modest prosperity for the town’s people. Mill-work became a family way of life, passed on through the generations.
-But by the 1950s competition from foreign producers had shut the flow of textiles from Almonte down to a trickle, and the mills in time closed or were converted to other uses. The last to go was Rosamond #1, which shut its doors for good in the early 1980s. It is now a very attractive condominium project, incidentally, with a splendid view of the river.
-Present Day
-The eventual demise of the woolen trade was gradual enough a process that Almonte was able to weather it well. Displaced millhands found other work, either here or in nearby communities, and the town’s prosperous, close-knit (so to speak) and cheerful character survived intact.
-Though there is no industry here any longer, life remains comfortable, safe and eminently pleasant; in fact, Almonte has become something of a Mecca for disillusioned city-dwellers longing for a quieter, more decent quality of life.
V.Attractions
1.Mount Pakenham
-Mount Pakenham is a ski hill to the south-west of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, near the town of Pakenham.
-For further information (including ticket prices, lessons, activities), visit https://www.mountpakenham.com/#openruns
-Address:
577 Ski Hill Road
Pakenham, ON K0A 2X0
Canada
-Email: ski@mountpakenham.com
-TEL: (613) 624-5290
2.Metcalfe Geoheritage Park
-The idea developed from an April 23 presentation of the Almonte Lectures series. Dr. J. Allan Donaldson, Professor Emeritus, Carleton University, and founder of Friends of Canadian Geoheritage, spoke on the topic of geoheritage.
-Through the efforts of Dr. Donaldson and community volunteers in Almonte, plans for a geological display evolved during subsequent meetings with the municipal Council. Other organizations soon offered their support. With the enthusiastic endorsement of Councilors, the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists, the Mississippi Mills Chamber of Commerce, and relatives of Dr. Metcalfe, the Council of Mississippi Mills unanimously approved the proposal in 2008.
-Metcalfe Park, at the bottom of Bay Hill in Almonte, Ontario, was named in honour of Dr. Archibald Metcalfe (1869-1962), local physician for 63 years, town councilor and Mayor (at least 7 terms), and the driving force to establish the Almonte hydro electric generating station.
-The Park’s development, which has attracted community interest and support, has been widely reported by local print and on-line media.
-Address:
Almonte Street, Almonte ON
K0A 1A0
3.Mississippi Valley Textile Museum
-The Mississippi Valley Textile Museum is located in the annex of the former Rosamond Woolen Company in Almonte, Ontario. Constructed in 1867 this National Historic Site of Canada now features a blend of the old and new, all related to the history of the Mississippi Valley and the textile industry.
-Exhibitions range from early mill history and period mill equipment to cottage industry and eclectic modern fibre art exhibitions. Our museum combines traditional static and working displays of textile equipment and processes with activities and events focusing on the region’s heritage, culture and role of the textile industry in the development of Canada.
-Mission
-The Mississippi Valley Textile Museum conserves the story of the Mississippi Valley and Canada’s industrial textile heritage through the presentation and interpretation and appreciation of this heritage and contemporary textile practices.
-Vision
-The Mississippi Valley Textile Museum will be known as a national centre for the collection, conservation, study and dissemination of artifacts and documentation related to the Mississippi Valley and Canada’s industrial textile heritage. At the same time, MVTM will be a leader in the development and delivery of innovative exhibitions and programming about historical and contemporary textile practices—locally, within Canada and internationally.
-Address:
3 Rosamond Street East
Almonte, Ontario K0A 1A0Phone: (613) 256-3754
-Email: curator@mvtm.ca
-Website: https://mvtm.ca/about-2/
VI.History
-First settlers
-Almonte's first European-bred settler was David Shepherd, who in 1818 was given 200 acres (0.81 km2) by the Crown to build and operate a mill. The site became known as Shepherd's Falls. That name was never official, however, and Shepherd sold his patent after his mill burned down. The buyer of the patent, Daniel Shipman, rebuilt the mill and the settlement became known as Shipman's Mills by about 1821.
-The majority of Shipman's Mills' early settlers were Scottish and later Irish. A textile town almost from the start, by 1850 it was the home of seven busy woolen mills of Messrs B & W Rosamond. It was one of the leading centres in Ontario for the manufacture of woollen cloth. The construction of a railway line to Brockville stimulated the economic growth of Almonte.
-In 1869, Almonte was a village with a population of 2000 situated on the Mississippi river in the Township of Ramsay, County of Lanark. It was a station of the Brockville and Ottawa Railway. By the 1870 the town had thirty stores and forty other businesses.
-Origin of the name Almonte
-During this time of rapid expansion the town changed its name from Shipman's Mills to Ramsayville, and then to Waterford. When in 1855 the newly created Canadian post office pointed out there was already a Waterford in Ontario, the town needed yet another name change.
-Relations between the United States and Great Britain had been antagonistic since the Revolutionary War and later the War of 1812. Border wars between Mexico and the United States in the 1830s increased this antagonism. Mexican general Juan Almonte had fought honourably in these latter wars, and by 1853 had become Mexico's ambassador to the United States.
-In the ensuing climate of Canadian mistrust of American territorial ambitions, General Almonte's name would have been well known to Waterford's citizens. Though there is no decisive evidence as to the final motive for the name change, it appears likely that Waterford saw Almonte as a "principled David fighting a Goliath interested in swallowing up all North America."
-The proposed name change was accepted by the Combined Counties of Lanark and Renfrew in June 1855, although the post office didn't record the new name until 1859. Whenever the name may have been formally accepted, it led to Almonte being the only community in Ontario, and likely Canada, to be named for a Mexican general.
-Almonte train wreck, 1942
-On December 27, 1942, a troop train rear-ended a passenger train standing in the station at Almonte. Thirty-nine people were killed and more than 150 were injured. The local genealogy page provides photos and a contemporary newspaper report of the wreck.
-Present day
-After the last textile mill closed in the early 1980s, Almonte no longer had a dominant industry. It has since turned its attention towards tourism. It offers museums and several historical spots, such as the home of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, and the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum.
-Almonte retains much of its 19th-century architecture. The former Almonte post office, designed in 1889 by Thomas Fuller (the architect of the Parliament Buildings), and the Rosamond Woollen Mill, the largest 19th-century textile mill in Canada, are both designated as National Historic Sites of Canada.
-Almonte has a skate park and splash pad which is open to the public and is located at the arena.
VII.Other information
-Festivals
-Almonte is home to several festivals and events, including the North Lanark Highland Games, Naismith 3-on-3 Basketball Festival, Almonte Celtfest and Busfusion.
-North Lanark Highland Games
-The North Lanark Highland Games have been held annually in Almonte since 1982.
-The Games feature traditional Highland sports and entertainment, and bring in about 6,000 visitors each summer.
-Almonte Celtfest
-The Almonte Celtfest has been held annually in Almonte's Gemmill Park since 1997. The festival's goal is to "celebrate and promote the Celtic heritage of the Ottawa Valley through music and dance."
VIII.Contact information
-Government
Mayor: Christa Lowry
Email:clowry@mississippimills.ca
-Address: 3131 Old Perth Rd, Almonte ON K0A 1A0.
-Office Hours are 8:30 - 4:30 Monday to Friday
-Email town@mississippimills.ca
-Phone # 613-256-2064 or 1-888-779-8666
-Fax # 613-256-4887
-Website: https://www.mississippimills.ca/en/townhall.asp