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'White River' (population 841) is a
township located in
Ontario,
Canada, on the intersection of
Highway 17 and
Highway 631. It was originally set up as a rail town on the
Canadian Pacific Railway in
1885. In
1961, it was finally made accessible by car via Highway 17 of the
Trans-Canada Highway.
The
forest industry is the largest employer, exploiting native timber such as
white spruce,
black spruce,
balsam fir,
jack pine,
white birch,
aspen, and
balsam poplar.
The township is perhaps best known for being the home of
Winnie the Pooh. In August
1914, a trapped
Black Bear cub named
Winnie was sold to Captain
Harry Colebourn in White River, who named it after his hometown,
Winnipeg. Over the years, the animal became the basis for the popular literary character.
White River is the western terminus of the
Lake Superior passenger train, which travels from
Greater Sudbury.
Trivia
White River advertises itself as "The Coldest Spot in Ontario." Its official weather station (closed in 1976) was located in a frost hollow and recorded temperatures as low as -70
oF (-57
oC). However, most residential areas have good air drainage and do not see temperatures much below -40
o. Gardeners can keep their
flowers alive into October and grow non-boreal species such as
silver maple.
External links
★
White River website
★
Ontario Highway 11 Homepage - White River