Little Current, Ontario

Little Current
Unincorporated community
Little Current
Coordinates: 45°58′45″N81°55′29″W / 45.97927°N 81.9248°W / 45.97927; -81.9248
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
District	Manitoulin
Municipality	Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands
Incorporated	1890
Dissolved (amalgamated)	1998
Area [1]
• Land	2.23 km2 (0.86 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	187 m (615 ft)
Population  (2021) [1]
• Total	728
• Density	542.6/km2 (1,405/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal code	P0P
Area code(s)	705, 249

Little Current is a community in the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands, Ontario, Canada, ^[3] in the northeast end of Manitoulin Island. It is located at the namesake narrow channel, ^[4] that connects the North Channel to the west with the Georgian Bay to the east.

Its name refers to the currents that flow through the narrow passage that separates Manitoulin from Goat Island. ^[5]

History

In the early 19th century, the location was an Anishinaabe settlement called Wewebijiwang, or known as Petit Courant by the Voyageurs. The site was regularly visited by traders from the Hudson's Bay Company trading post at La Cloche. Its convenient location along the North Channel allowed the indigenous to trade with passing steamboats and provide accommodation to travellers. In 1856, the Hudson's Bay Company tried to open a trading post there, even building a store, factor's house, and wharf, but its license was withdrawn after residents complained about the threat the company would pose to their trade. In 1860, "Wyabegwong" had a population of 52, and was a "vibrant fishing and trading community". ^{[6] [7]}

After the signing of the Manitoulin Treaty of 1862, the indigenous population was gradually relocated to reserves, such as Sucker Creek 23. In 1864, the population had risen to 79, consisting of a mix of natives and non-natives. That same year, its post office opened and the town site was surveyed. Throughout the 1860s, more non-native settlers arrived at Little Current, taking over the profitable steamboat trade from the indigenous. Reverent Jabez Sims noted at the time: "The settlement of the Island by the whites has operated very much against the interests of the Indians." By 1870, the community, also called Shaftesbury after the local post office, had several wharfs, general stores, hotels, and an Anglican mission. ^{[6] [7]}

In 1890, Little Current was incorporated as a town, with Thomas Capman Sims as its first mayor. ^[7]

In 1902, the place was described as: ^[8]

Little Current occupies an important position, being situated on the south side of the narrow channel through which all vessels must pass in navigating between Georgian Bay and North Channel. ... The town of Little Current has good stores and hotels, telegraph and telephone lines, wharves with ample water alongside, and daily steamboat connection with Georgian Bay ports, and with Sault Ste. Marie.

In 1913, a swing bridge for the Algoma Eastern Railway was built over the Little Current channel, and the town became the western terminus of the rail line that connected it with Sudbury. The bridge was converted to dual train and automobile traffic in 1946, passenger service on mixed-trains discontinued in 1963, and the tracks were removed in the mid 1980s. ^{[9] [10]}

On January 1, 1998, the Town of Little Current was merged with the Township of Howland and unorganized small islands around Manitoulin to form the new Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands. ^[11]

Demographics

Historical census populations – Little Current (Population centre)

Year Pop. ±% 1901 728 —     1911 1,208 +65.9% 1921 923 −23.6% 1931 1,101 +19.3% 1941 1,088 −1.2% 1951 1,397 +28.4% 1956 1,514 +8.4%	Year Pop. ±% 1961 1,527 +0.9% 1966 1,441 −5.6% 1971 1,565 +8.6% 1976 1,476 −5.7% 1981 1,507 +2.1% 1986 1,463 −2.9% 1991 1,511 +3.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1996 1,575 +4.2% 2001 1,526 −3.1% 2006 1,362 −10.7% 2011 1,523 +11.8% 2016 1,558 +2.3% 2021 1,210 −22.3%
Population counts prior to 1998 are for Little Current (Town). Source: Statistics Canada [1] [12]

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents (2021): 565 (total dwellings: 728) ^[1]

Mother tongue (2021): ^[1]

• English as first language: 93.8%
• French as first language: 2.5%
• English and French as first language: 0.4%
• Other as first language: 2.1%

Transportation

Water Street in Little Current

Except for the seasonal ferry service at South Baymouth, all traffic to and from the island goes through the community, since the only bridge to Manitoulin Island is at Little Current. The Little Current Swing Bridge was built in 1913 as a railroad bridge, and converted to a single lane for automobile traffic. It is designated as an Ontario Heritage Bridge. ^[13]

Ontario Highway 6 goes through Little Current.

References

1. "Little Current, Ontario [Population centre] Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
2. White, James (1915). Altitudes in the Dominion of Canada (2nd ed.). Ottawa: Commission of Conservation. p. 355.
3. "Little Current (Community)". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 2025-02-18.
4. "Little Current (Channel)". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 2025-02-18.
5. "Little Current Lighthouse". Lighthousefriends.com. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
6. Shelley Pearen (15 March 2017). "Manitoulin in 1867 Part II: The town of Little Current in 1867". The Manitoulin Expositor. Manitoulin Publishing Co. Ltd. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
7. Pearen, Shelley J. (2001). Exploring Manitoulin (3rd ed.). Toronto, Ont: University of Toronto Press. ISBN   9780802084613.
8. Bulletin. Vol. 12, Parts 2-3. U.S. Lake Survey Office. 1902. p. 25. Retrieved 19 February 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
9. Wilson, W. A. "Dale" (December 1973). "Algoma Eastern: The Line to Little Current" (PDF). Canadian Rail . 263. Canadian Railroad Historical Association: 350–379. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2020.
10. "AER Little Current - Swing Bridge". www.magma.ca. Unofficial Web Site of the Algoma Eastern Railway. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015.
11. "Municipal restructuring activity summary table - Dataset - Ontario Data Catalogue". data.ontario.ca. Government of Ontario. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
12. "1971 Census of Canada - Population Census Subdivisions (Historical)". Catalogue 92-702 Vol I, part 1 (Bulletin 1.1-2). Statistics Canada: 76, 139. July 1973.
13. "Little Current". www.exploremanitoulin.com. Explore Manitoulin. Retrieved 19 February 2025.

External links

• Official website of Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands