French River

History

In 1872, Thomas Foster opened up limits on all crown lands situated around the French Rover and all its tributaries. It didn’t take long for the Walkerton Lumber Company to begin cutting timber, which they boomed down to their mills located further south.

It took another three years for a small mill and townsite to open. Samuel Wabb, the first white permanent resident, established a large store and trading post that housed a seasonal post office, also known as French River. Thus the community of French River was born.

After observing the living conditions in the bunkhouses, Wabb built eight sturdy homes and rented them to mill employees. That same year he also built a family home near Dalles Rapids. His family joined him later on. The following summer Thomas A. Bolger surveyed a company village site named Coponaning. Very little building activity took place until the early 1880s, when a few structures popped up. The little townsite boomed once the mill expanded. The little plots on the north shore filled quickly. he newly minted Ontario Lumber Company bought the mill, limits and village in 1883. Herman Cook’s syndicate created the company comprised of his wife, Lydia, Frank E. MacDonald, John Melville Dollar and Frederick Hannell.

The lumber company led to the establishment of related businesses. These included the Bruce Mills Co., the French River Tug Company (later known as F.R. Brown & Raft Co.), Irwin and Company, Log Jobbers and later John MacIntosh & Boom Co. The town quickly grew to include numerous structures, businesses, institutions and homes.

In addition to the sawmill, the village also included, lumber, planer, shingle and lath mills, warehouses, yards and office buildings. For the residents there were boarding houses, stables, a library with a reading room, a doctor’s office and residence. Additional lodging was available at any one of the three hotels, the Copananing, the Queens Hotel and Joe Kelly’s Hotel. There were separate schools and churches for the Protestant and Roman Catholic communities. Other amenities included two stores, Wabb’s as well as a company store. The company store gained a post office in 1883. Anyone who stepped out of line could find themselves in the brand new jail. Most important though was the construction of a lighthouse to guide the cargo ships safely through French River’s rocky shore line.

Although French River’s winter population never exceeded 600 residents, its summer population swelled to a boisterous 1500. Production levels varied throughout the latter years. In 1906, there were a mere 200 residents but two years later the permanent population had grown to 350. Depletion of the timber limits by around 1910 led to the town’s decline.

Stricter environmental laws strained the firm’s finances. In 1910, the courts found the O.L.Co. guiltyof dumping excessive amounts of sawdust into the surrounding waterways. Heavy fines followed which led to the closing of the mill. The Pine Lake Lumber Company took over the mill, disassembled it and within the next two years moved it to Pickerel Landing Village. The York Wrecking Company disassembled much of the company townsite around 1916.

Sam Wabb died in 1915, but his store remained open for the few remaining residents. It finally closed in 1923. The company store and post office closed the previous year. The office moved to Pickerel Landing Village. The last resident was the lighthouse keeper who left in 1934. The lighthouse still stands.