Cochrane | |
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Town (single-tier) | |
Town of Cochrane | |
Cochrane as seen across Lake Commando
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Coordinates: 49°04′N 81°01′W / 49.067°N 81.017°WCoordinates: 49°04′N 81°01′W / 49.067°N 81.017°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Ontario |
District | Cochrane |
Settled | 1908 |
Incorporated | January 1, 1910 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Peter Politis |
• Governing Body | Cochrane Town Council |
• Federal riding | Timmins—James Bay (Charlie Angus, NDP) |
• Prov. riding | Timiskaming—Cochrane (John Vanthof, NDP) |
Area | |
• Land | 539.12 km2 (208.16 sq mi) |
Elevation | 274.90 m (901.90 ft) |
Population (2016) | |
• Total | 5,321 |
• Density | 9.9/km2 (26/sq mi) |
Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
Area code(s) | 705 |
Website | www.cochraneontario.com |
Cochrane (/'kɒkrɨn/) is a town in northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is located east of Kapuskasing, northeast of Timmins, south of Moosonee, and north of Iroquois Falls. It is about a one-hour drive from Timmins, the major city of the region. It is the seat of Cochrane District. The town's population is made up of approximately half anglophone and half francophone residents.
Before Cochrane was founded, it was used as a summer camping ground by indigenous people, and a stopping place for fur traders traveling to Moose Factory.
In the early 20th century, the National Transcontinental Railway was built through the area, and in 1907, the place was selected as the junction point with the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway. In November 1908, the lots were sold by auction and a railway town formed.
It was incorporated on January 1, 1910, and named for politician and merchant Frank Cochrane, a former mayor of Sudbury and a federal Cabinet minister from 1911 to 1919.
The settlement was devastated by fire in 1910, 1911, and 1916, but rebuilt each time and became a transportation hub for northern Ontario.
After the Reesor Siding Strike of 1963, Cochrane was the site of the trial for 20 Reesor Siding farmers charged with the killing of 3 union employees.
The Town of Cochrane amalgamated with the surrounding townships of Glackmeyer and Lamarche to create a newly expanded Town of Cochrane in 2000.
Cochrane is the birthplace of Tim Horton, a player member of the Hockey Hall of Fame who founded the Tim Hortons doughnut and coffee shop chain in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1964.