Nicholson

Introduction

Photo of school
The Nicholson schoolhouse struggling to remain upright
©Jeri Danyleyko

Nicholson, located in Algoma Region, was a busy lumber mill community. The Austin-Nicholson Lumber Company started the community in 1898. The company had a lucrative contract with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) to produce lumber ties and needed a large site and extensive manpower to fulfill their commitments.

In 1911 the company expanded the site. In addition to the expansive milling facilities, the townsite included a general store, post office, bunkhouse and cookery, a school and an Anglican Church.

The mill was a busy operation and the townsite grew in leaps and bounds. At its height, there were about 360 permanent residents. They scaled things back somewhat with the opening of a new mill at Dalton Mills in 1921.

Fire struck the mill in 1933. Rather than rebuilding, the company shifted production to the newer mill at Dalton Mills. Most of the residents left, apart from a handful that remained until the mid-50s. By the mid-60s the townsite was empty except for a small summer population.

In the early 70s the government produced a report that recommended preserving the community as an historical site. It didn’t happen and tragically fire destroyed a large portion of Nicholson a few years later.

Today Nicholson continues to support a small summer population. The site contains an extensive amount of ruins and foundations. Read more

How to get there

Nicholson is situated in Sudbury District. There are no roads leading to Nicholson, however there are several alternative routes. See the detailed map for more information

View Ontario Ghost Town Map in a larger map

Please note: these maps are generated by Google. We have no control over the contents. Incorrect street data and/or similar problems must be reported directly to Google. For detailed information on roads, please consult a regular road map.

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