Ear Falls, Ontario
| Ear Falls | |
|---|---|
| Township (single-tier) | |
| Township of Ear Falls | |
 |
|
 Ear Falls
|
|
| Coordinates: 50°38′N 93°13′W / 50.633°N 93.217°WCoordinates: 50°38′N 93°13′W / 50.633°N 93.217°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
|
| Province |
 Ontario
|
| District | Kenora |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kevin Kahoot |
| • Federal riding | Kenora |
| • Prov. riding | Kenora—Rainy River |
| Area | |
| • Land | 331.03 km2 (127.81 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 360.90 m (1,184.06 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 1,026 |
| • Density | 3.1/km2 (8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal Code FSA | P0V |
| Area code(s) | 807 |
| Website | www.ear-falls.com |
Ear Falls is a community and township located in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, on the right bank of the English River near the outlet of Lac Seul. It is located along Highway 105, 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of Highway 17 and Vermilion Bay, about halfway between Highway 17 and Red Lake, or about 480 kilometres (300 mi) northwest of Thunder Bay.
Ear Falls is entirely surrounded by Unorganized Kenora District.
There are different versions of how the settlement was named after the eponymous falls. The following are three versions of the story found in the museum archives:
The early French fur traders' name for the falls was Portage D'Oreille, or literally speaking, "carrying place of the ear". Upper Ear Falls, about 1.5 miles upstream, was drowned out when the lake level was raised some 16 feet (4.9 m) when the power dam came into operation, and nothing of it remains today except dangerous ripple rapids with a very strong current.
The beginning of the 17th century marked the arrival of French explorers to Northwestern Ontario and the beginning of the fur trade. The fur trade would remain the predominant business in the North for the next 200 years. The Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company were rivals for most of the fur trade era. In 1821 both companies united, and posts were set up in the Ear Falls area on Lac Seul and Red Lake. Remains of these posts could be seen along the lakes in the area until the 1920s when the construction of the Lac Seul Dam caused a rise in the water levels and the remnants of the fur trade were covered with water.
The arrival of the railway in the 1880s began the decline of the fur trade. The Hudson's Bay Company shifted the focus of their posts to meet the needs of the new residents in the area: supplies for miners, lumbermen and settlers were sold at posts and stores in the Ear Falls area.
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Wikipedia