Iron Bridge, Ontario

Iron Bridge
Unincorporated community
Iron Bridge
Coordinates: 46°16′50″N83°13′13″W / 46.2806°N 83.2203°W / 46.2806; -83.2203
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
District	Algoma
Municipality	Huron Shores
Settled	1879
Incorporated	January 1, 1960
Dissolved (amalgamated)	January 1, 1999
Government
• Fed. riding	Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma
• Prov. riding	Algoma—Manitoulin
Area [1]
• Land	31.89 km2 (12.31 sq mi)
Population  (2021) [1]
• Total	592
• Density	18.6/km2 (48/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal code	P0R 1H0
Area code(s)	705

Iron Bridge is an unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada. It is recognized as a designated place by Statistics Canada. The place is located along Highway 17 on the eastern banks of the Mississagi River.

History

Originally the spot was a meeting place for lumberjacks, called Tally Ho, where they would tally up with their employers for the work they had done. In 1879, the Taits and Tulloch families travelled up the Mississagi River and became the first settlers there. They were soon followed by other settlers. In 1881, a wooden bridge was built over the river, which was replaced by a steel one in 1886. That same year, its post office opened, and the Postmaster decided on the new name of Iron Bridge, in reference to the then newly-built bridge. ^{[2] [3]}

In 1885, the first general store opened. In 1888, the Orange Hall was built which served as a school, church, and gathering place for elections. In 1892, the first church was built. In 1920, the Iron Bridge Telephone Company was formed, serving the community until 1962 when it was bought by Bell Canada. ^[2]

In 1949, the first steel bridge was replaced with a new 2-lane steel and concrete bridge. ^[2]

On January 1, 1960, Iron Bridge became an incorporated village, with William Beharriell as first reeve, and Austin Daigle as first Fire Chief. Later that year, the Red Rock Generating Station was built 6.4 kilometres (4 mi) upstream on the Mississagi River. In 1972, the Municipal Office/Fire Hall/Library complex was built. ^[2]

On January 1, 1999, the Village of Iron Bridge was amalgamated, together with the Township of Thessalon, Township of Thompson, and Townships of Day and Bright Additional, into the new Municipality of Huron Shores. ^[4]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Iron Bridge had a population of 592 living in 286 of its 325 total private dwellings, a change of -5.9% from its 2016 population of 629. With a land area of 31.89 km² (12.31 sq mi), it had a population density of 18.6/km² (48.1/sq mi) in 2021. ^[1]

Historical census populations – Iron Bridge, Ontario
Year Pop. ±% 1961 867 —     1966 762 −12.1% 1971 874 +14.7% 1976 790 −9.6% 1981 821 +3.9% 1986 813 −1.0% 1991 823 +1.2%	Year Pop. ±% 1996 777 −5.6% 2001 686 −11.7% 2006 614 −10.5% 2011 632 +2.9% 2016 629 −0.5% 2021 592 −5.9%
Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada [1] [5]

See also

• List of communities in Ontario
• List of designated places in Ontario

References

1. "Iron Bridge, Dissolved municipality (DMU), Ontario [Designated place] Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
2. "Village of Iron Bridge History, Circa 1980". images.ourontario.ca. Huron Shores Museum. 1980. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
3. Kay Grigg (1980). "Tally Ho, Iron Bridge History, circa 1980". Huron Shores Museum. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
4. "Municipal restructuring activity summary table - Dataset - Ontario Data Catalogue". data.ontario.ca. Government of Ontario. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
5. "1971 Census of Canada - Population Census Subdivisions (Historical)". Catalogue 92-702 Vol I, part 1 (Bulletin 1.1-2). Statistics Canada. July 1973.