Anishnabai legends describe them migrating from the east coast of North America after a warning from prophets concerning the arrival of a danger from the east. The land was divided into familial hunting and trapping territories. Since the main east–west
fur trade route bypassed Temagami to the south,
settlement of this area by Europeans did not come until 1834. That year the
Hudson's Bay Company built a store on
Temagami Island, which later relocated to
Bear Island. The town itself was founded by
Dan O'Connor, who in 1903 formed the O'Connor Steamboat and Hotel Company on the lake and established its first store on the future townsite. By 1906, he had built three hotels on Lake Temagami: Hotel Ronnoco, Temagami Inn, and
Lady Evelyn Hotel and by 1910 the company operated ten steamships on the lake including the
Belle of Temagami. Discoveries of
gold,
copper,
nickel, and particularly
silver in 1903, brought mining to nearby
Cobalt and accelerated development of the region. Several mines opened in Temagami, including
Big Dan Mine,
Little Dan Mine,
Barton Mine,
Hermiston-McCauley Mine,
Temagami-Lorrain Mine,
Priest Mine,
Beanland Mine,
Sherman Mine,
Kanichee Mine,
Northland Pyrite Mine and
Copperfields Mine, which once mined the richest
copper ore in Canada. The Forest Reserves Act of 1898 established the Temagami Forest Reserve. Because of this reserve, the region was home to the last
Old-growth forests in Ontario.
Logging of the vast
pine stands only began in the 1920s. Now just a few patches of old growth remain, including the
White Bear Forest () and the world's largest stand of old-growth
red and
white pine forest - the
Obabika Old-Growth Forest or Wakimika Triangle Forest part of the
Obabika River Waterway Provincial Park (). This has led to confrontation in recent years between
loggers and
environmentalists when new logging access roads are built or major logging operations are proposed. Access to many old-growth areas is provided on local
hiking trails and canoe routes. The inspiration and wonder of the area were brought to millions around the world in 1907 when
Grey Owl arrived in Temagami. He was employed by
Keewaydin Canoe Camp as a guide, and later by the
Ontario Department of Lands and Forests as a
ranger. His subsequent books and extensive lecturing in Britain and the United States brought tremendous attention to northeastern Ontario and
wildlife conservation. In 1968, Temagami was incorporated, first as an Improvement District, and 10 years later as a
Township, consisting of the geographic townships of
Strathy and
Strathcona, together with parts of
Briggs,
Chambers,
Best, Cassels, and Yates townships. In 1973, The
Teme-Augama Anishnabai (TAA) exercised
a land caution against development on the
Crown land of , most of the Temagami area. The
Attorney General of Ontario pursued legal action against the Band for this caution. The TAA lost this court case in 1984 and the Band proceeded with an appeal to the
Supreme Court of Canada. The Band lost this appeal and eventually the caution was lifted. In 1988, the
Ontario Minister of Natural Resources,
Vince Kerrio approved the expansion of the
Red Squirrel Road, directly through Anishnabe territory. This prompted a series of
roadblocks by the TAA and by the Temagami Wilderness Society in 1988–1989. The
Temagami First Nation's former chief
Gary Potts was the leader of the TAA blockades. In 1991 the TAA and the Ontario government created the Wendaban Stewardship Authority to decide what to do with the four townships near the logging road. On January 1, 1998, the Township of Temagami was greatly enlarged from an area of to about through the annexation of 17 unincorporated townships and became the Municipality of Temagami with
town status. ==Geography==