Dalton Dalton is an abandoned village in the middle of
Highway 651 about 27 km or 30 minutes from
Missanabie. There is a small
train station and some old buildings that serve as summer cottages. The
railroad passes through the little town that has some trails to get to the nearby lakes such as Ogasiwi lake.
Dunns Valley Dunns Valley is located 30 km north of Bruce Mines at the end of Highway 670.
Franz Franz () is located at the junction of the
Canadian Pacific and
Algoma Central Railways near
Hobon Lake, north of
Sault Ste. Marie and from
Chapleau. Franz once had a booming economy in
forestry,
transportation and
mining. The community's original name was Hobon. In 1914, the post office's name was changed to Franz, and the railway station was renamed from Hobon to Franz Station after former
Algoma Steel executive William Charles Franz. The station closed in 1991 and the building was moved to
Dubreuilville, where it serves as a library and tourist office. Today, Franz is little more than a forgotten ghost town, with many memories of the past either in complete disrepair or torn down.
Frater Frater is an uninhabited dispersed rural community and unincorporated place with a
railway siding on the
Algoma Central Railway located north of Sault Ste. Marie. It is located on Frater Lake at the boundary with
Lake Superior Provincial Park, from the
Ontario Highway 17 (Trans-Canada Highway) and from the shore of
Lake Superior, and at geographic coordinates .
Goudreau Goudreau () was built as a stopping point along the
Algoma Central Railway. When the Cline mine opened, Goudreau sprang to life with some 200 residents coming to the area to work. Not all of the residents worked in the mine; some of them were prospectors in search of the gold, silver, copper and iron pyrite. During the
First World War, the mine was leased to the
Nichols Chemicals company for the production of
sulphuric acid. After the war ended, the market fell and the mine ceased operations. Other mines soon set up operations in the area. They went by the names of The Emily, Algold, Algoma Summit and The Edward. Each mine had a town site for their employees. The town continued to grow, with the building of a two-storey railway station, workers homes and a movie theatre. A post office was built in 1915 and closed in 1966. The
Second World War ultimately led to Goudreau's demise as the demand for gold came second to iron and steel for the war. The mines eventually closed down as costs increased. Located along
Highway 519, Goudreau is now a virtual
ghost town, still used for logging operations and summer homes.
Goulais Mission Harmony Beach Harmony Beach is a small community built around a beach on Lake Superior.
Havilland Bay Havilland Bay is a small unincorporated community built around a beach on
Lake Superior.
Island Lake Island Lake (46.6711° N 84.2687°W) is a rural settlement in the
Unorganized North Part of
Algoma District in
northeastern Ontario,
Canada. It is part of the
Aweres local services board and is about 5 kilometres (3 mi) northeast of the community of
Heyden, which sits on
Ontario Highway 17, and is also 21.1 kilometers (13.1 mi) northeast of
Sault Ste. Marie, the district seat. The settlement is at the junction of
Ontario Highway 552 and
Ontario Highway 556, and the
Algoma Central Railway passes through the community. Island Lake was once home to Canadian Military installments—some buildings still remain in the area, however much have been either torn down or completely renovated. Island lake was also once the location of a train station—part of the
Algoma Central and Hudson Bay Railway's Main Line. To see the full—main article, click below.
Leeburn Leeburn () is located along
Highway 638. At one time there was a gold mine at Bass Lake, a few kilometres north of Leeburn. The quality of the ore found was not sufficient to make the mine profitable.
Lochalsh Lochalsh () is a
ghost town and
rail siding located at the very south end of
Wabatongushi Lake, along the
Canadian Pacific Railway between
Missanabie and Franz. A
taxi ran between Lochalsh, Goudreau, and the Cline Mine. When the mine closed in 1946, both towns became ghost towns. There are still active mining operations in the area as well as a few ghost mines. The area around Lochalsh has a population of one.
Montreal River Montreal River or
Montreal River Harbour () is a very small community located at the mouth of the
Montreal River just south of
Lake Superior Provincial Park. Immediately north of the community, the
Montreal River Hill is one of the more famous segments of
Ontario Highway 17, simultaneously recognized for both its scenic vistas of the surrounding wilderness and its potential to create a
bottleneck in the
Trans-Canada Highway system because winter storms can render it impassable.
Northland Lake The community of
Northland Lake () is located near
Highway 556 and found by following the Northland Lake Road that intersects it . The community is mostly a collection of summer cottages. The
Algoma Central Railway also operated a train station in the community by the name of Northland Station. The building still stands to this day but has been converted to a private cottage.
Oba Oba () is a dispersed rural community located at the junction of the
Canadian National and the
Algoma Central Railways, approximately halfway between
Dubreuilville and
Hearst, and is a stop for Via Rail's
Canadian. Oba is 100.92 km2 (38.97 mi2) and its population in 2021 was 5, a 66.7% decrease from 2016; 2 out of the 21 dwellings are occupied. The community is accessible by forest roads extending from
Highway 583, by train, or by boat; the community is popular with fishers and hunters due to the abundance of forestry and streams or lakes in the area and is the location of a remote Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources, and Forestry office.
Ophir Ophir () is a sparsely populated farming community located 25 km north of
Bruce Mines. It is centered at the intersection of the east–west and north–south portions of
Highway 638. Non-native settlers began farming in the area around the time the mines of Bruce Mines closed in 1875. In November, 1889, William Moor, a farmer prospecting after the fall harvest, found ore containing gold atop a ridge overlooking what was then Lake Ickta (now Havilah Lake). After some ownership dispute, American investors organized the Ophir Gold Mining Company (named after the biblical
Ophir) to purchase the land in 1892. A small mining town was built, and gold mining operations commenced in 1893, producing 2489 tons of ore worth $8459. Operations ceased due to a
financial panic in the United States and a fatal mining accident. The name of the mine and lake were changed to
Havilah, another biblical reference, as mining resumed from 1910 to 1911, but the operation and its buildings were subsequently abandoned. Ophir and area are still home to abandoned mine shafts and buildings; however, much are on private property and have not been maintained in decade. The area has also been referred to as 'Mcphee's Valley', an ode to a former family who settled in the community. Ophir has a
volunteer fire department and area roads are patrolled by the
OPP; major government services are delivered either 25 km south, via
Highway 638, in
Bruce Mines, or 59 km to the east via
638 &
Highway 17, in
Sault Ste. Marie. Ophir was the birthplace of the late Dr. James McPhee, a veteran of
World War II who was shot down from the sky in Germany, he was imprisoned in a German war camp near
Auschwitz, and later escaped—he would ultimately help found the
Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, where he was chief of staff. McPhee would later serve as president of the
Ontario College of Family Physicians in 1970–71, he closed his family practice in 1992 but worked as a surgical assistant until he was 84. McPhee died in 2019, at the age of 94, in
Barrie, at the
Royal Victoria Hospital.
Parkinson Poplar Dale North of Ophir, this region was settled in the late 19th century for primarily agricultural reasons. The community comprises all peoples living along the Thessalon River and its tributaries. The community's major exports are beef and timber; Poplar Dale is home to the annual Northern Vibe Festival, a
cannabis related festival consisting of music, art, and cannabis related festivities.
Ranger Lake The community of
Ranger Lake () is located along
Highway 556 at the south end of the lake with the same name. It is mostly a collection of summer cottages and resorts. There is an old fire tower.
Wabos Wabos () is a railway siding along the
Algoma Central Railway located approximately north-west of Searchmont. == Demographics ==