Heaslip

Introduction

Heaslip, located in Evanturel Township, gained official status in 1904 with the opening of a post office. At that time it was nothing more than a farmstead, however it began to grow after the Temiskaming & Northern Ontario Railway (T&NOR) built a station, siding, section house and freight shed in 1906.

Traffic was heavy at the station for about year during the height of the Larder Lake gold rush. It diminished somewhat following construction of the Dane Road in 1907. At its height Heaslip boasted a population of around 140 residents. It contained a general store, school, community hall, Methodist church and the railway station.

Tragically, a horrific forest fire hit Heaslip in 1922. Twenty people in the community lost their lives. As a result, the fire destroyed every single building except for the community hall. . Although they eventually rebuilt the store, school and a few homes, Heaslip never recovered.

Today about half a dozen homes, some of which are unoccupied, line the road near the railway crossing. These buildings are the last vestiges of Heaslip’s revival after the tragic events of 1922. Learn more