For all of you history people out there, here's a little something that may tide you over. Keep in mind that this is just a brief history of the Park, your local library will have much, much more!
Algonquin History 101
Chapter
1
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Geology
1.3 The Human Touch
1.4 Zones
1.5 Algonquin Forestry Authority
1.6 Tom Thomson
Algonquin Provincial Park, midway between the waters of Georgian Bay and the nations capital Ottawa, stretches across some 7,725 square kilometres making it one of Canada's largest Provincial Parks.
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Algonquin lies at the southern edge of the Canadian Shield, a geological formation that covers close to one half of Canada. Millions of years ago, heat and pressure from beneath the earth's surface created rock formations that, through millions of years of erosion, give the park it's solid structure today. The soil was compressed and shifted from the massive sheets of ice that made their way across Canada during the last ice age, adding more design to the land until finally, about 11,000 years ago, the ice melted, depositing sand and gravel into the beds of the runoff water. This glacial debris is what gives us the chain of lakes, rivers, and streams that today, make Algonquin one of the foremost canoeing paradises in the world.
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The presence of man in the Park can be traced back to 3000 B.C., but the impact
of man did not happen until the 19th century. The abundant supply of Red
and White pine attracted loggers from the Ottawa River in the 1830's.
By the time Algonquin Provincial Park was created in 1893, most of the pine
had been cut and large areas of the park had been destroyed by fires.
Because of this man made interference, the wildlife structure of the entire
park had changed. The once heavy populated moose were now dwindling because
of a parasite found in the growing numbers of white-tailed deer who flourished
on the new beginnings of a forest destroyed by man. The moose population
fell to very low levels and the few caribou that had once survived within the
forests, became extinct from the Park entirely.
The main goal in the creation of the Park was to preserve
the wildlife within, as well as the five major rivers that flow from it's regions.
However, this did not stop the logging of the mighty pines which, at the time,
were the only tree with commercial value. Ever since it's creation, Algonquin
has been supplying Ontario with various wood and forest products.
The years following it's creation saw very few visitors to
the Park, with the exception of poachers who kept on eye out for illegal game,
and Park Rangers. But when the attraction and beauty of Algonquin did
begin to rise, so did the conflict presented by tourists, and the ever present
loggers. It was superintendent Frank MacDougall who, in 1940, began to
distinguish and separate the areas of each party. Logging was now prohibited
on islands, as well as near shorelines and portages. Then, as the tourist
numbers grew, even more restrictions for the logging industry were introduced.
Logging was prohibited near major canoe routes and the hauling of timber would
occur during day hours only. By the early 1970's, the Ontario Government
would put into effect a plan which would, among other important aspects, see
the Park "divided" into zones.
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There are five zones in which the Park is divided into. Development Zones are used for organized campgrounds and other activity use within the Park, of which there are three totaling 4% of the Park. To date, only the Hwy. 60 Corridor has been developed. Wilderness Zones, a total of 12% of the Park, consist of four areas which protect some of Ontario's most ecological intact landscapes. Man made interference such as roads, logging, or motorized vehicles are prohibited. Nature Reserve Zones, equaling 5% total area, preserve land forms and biological communities found within the Park. Historical Zones only total 1% of the Park area, and as it's name implies, protects the man made structures found from early logging days. Some of these might include ranger cabins, timber slides, and depot farms. (Seeing one of these early remains could add to an camping experience for the "historical buff" but you must remember that it is illegal to remove any of the artifacts found within these zones as well as anywhere in the Park.) Finally, the massive Recreation-Utilization Zone, completing the remaining area of the Park (about 78%) is where logging operations exist, although separated as much as possible from users in the Interior of Algonquin Provincial Park.
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1.5 Algonquin Forestry Authority
Another factor in the plan developed in 1974, was to see the twenty or so logging
companies in operation at the time, become united by creating the Algonquin
Forestry Authority. The sole purpose of this conjunction was to equally
disperse logging areas that may have otherwise been prohibited with the introduction
of zones. In short, one logging company's licensed logging area may have
been entirely engulfed by a new zone, while another was left untouched.
In the same plan, it was recognized that certain restrictions
must be place on Interior camping. A limit on the number of people entering
the Park was placed in order to preserve a natural surrounding which otherwise
may be destroyed by the carelessness of humans. From this the regulations
such as limited numbers at a given campsite and the prohibition of glass and
cans come into effect.
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Born in 1877, Tom Thomson was a great Canadian painter who was inspired by the beauty and intrigue of Algonquin Provincial Park. As well as painting the scenes of Algonquin, he also acted as a guide and a fire fighter in the many summers he frequented the Park. He reportedly drowned just shy of his 40th birthday in 1917 and was originally buried at Canoe Lake located within the Park until his family requested him to be moved to the family plot. Because of the circumstances surrounding his death involving murder or suicide there are rumours that his ghost resides within the boundaries of Algonquin Park. Further history of Tom Thomson can be found at The Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery.
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For more information about Algonquin Provincial Park, try The Official Algonquin Provincial Park Web Site!