Local & Community Historical Geography

 by Dr. Keith H. Topps

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The purpose of this page is to communicate some of the work done on local historical geography in Northern Ontario. The major emphasis will centre on the City of North Bay and the Towns & Townships within a 100 kilometer radius of North Bay.

Local Works:

The following are some of the sources which deal with selected items of local historical geography. They should all be available in the Nipissing University Library and the North Bay Public Library. You may also wish to inquire at local retail bookstores or contact the individual authors concerning the availability of their publications. If you are unable to locate the source you may contact me at my address below.

Early Settlement Patterns in Selected Townships in the North Bay Area
by Keith H. Topps, R.S. Brozowski, and D. L. Rees
This 1981 publication includes maps of the original settlement for portions of
Nipissing and Parry Sound Districts. Information shown includes the name of
the person to first settle and file a land patent on each parcel of land, the date
of first legal occupation of each land parcel, and the type of patent obtained by
each original settler.

The study covers 59 townships within an approximate
100 kilometer radius of the city of North Bay, Ontario.
A sample map of settlement dates is displayed.

Environmental Economic Atlas of North Bay and Area
by R.S. Browzowski, D.L Rees, and K.H. Topps.
Published in 1978, this atlas provides a first compilation of maps on a variety of
environmental, social, and economic topics for those portions of Nipissing and
Parry Sound Districts surrounding North Bay and Lake Nipissing.

The Northern Connection was written by Robert J. Surtees of Nipissing University.
Published in 1992 by Captus Press, this book traces the history and development of the
Ontario Northland Railway (ONR) since its beginnings in 1902 as the Temiskaming and
Northern Ontario Railway Commission. The "T&NO" was commissioned as an Ontario,
government-owned, colonization rail line running between North Bay, on Lake Nipissing,
and New Liskeard, on the north end of Lake Temiskaming.


H.C.M.S. "North Bay" was authored by "Cup" Gunning and released in 1995.
It is the story of the warship H.M.C.S. "North Bay" and its crew.
"North Bay" served in war-time and peace-time spanning the years 1943-1992.
The "North Bay" was a participant in the longest running and most important
battle of the Second World War: "The Battle of the Atlantic".

The War Years was published by "Cup" Gunning in 1990.
It consists of Cup's recollections as a young boy and teenage youth
of North Bay during the period before, during, and after the
Second World War, approximately 1937-1947.

Fort Chippewa was published by "Cup" Gunning in 1991. It is a story of the
origin, wartime role, and post-war history of one Canadian Army Camp during
the years 1939-1945. Fort Chippewa, located in North Bay, Ontario was only
one of many military training camps constructed during the Second World War.
It began, like many others, as a centre for training recruits for the Canadian Army.
It later developed a more specialized and somewhat unique role as an
education facility to help returning servicemen ease their way back into
civilian employment.

Eyes Right! The Cadet Story is the third of a series of books
written by "Cup" Gunning dealing with the war-time history of North Bay.
In this 1993 publication Gunning traces the story of cadet training in North Bay
from 1914 to the present. Of the ten Cadet Corps which have functioned in
North Bay since 1914, there have been five army cadet corps, three air cadet
corps, and two sea cadet corps. This is the story of the leaders, and the training
of Canadian young people in North Bay's Cadet Corps.


A Vast and Magnificent Land: An Illustrated History of Northern Ontario
edited by Matt Bray and Ernie Epp and published by Laurentian and Lakehead Universities.
This 1984 bicentennial project of the Ontario Ministry of Northern Affairs contains
a wealth of archival-quality photographs of the early settlement period.
The book includes chapters on exploration and fur trade, transportation, lumbering, mining,
agriculture and settlement, industry, towns and cities, culture, and recreation.
The Agriculture and Settlement chapter was authored by Roman Brozowski, Dave Rees
and Keith Topps of Nipissing University's Geography Department.

A Bibliographic Guide to North Bay and Area
was compiled by D.L. Rees, K.H. Topps, and R.S. Brozowski in 1979.
It was the first comprehensive listing of environmental, social, economic, and educational
source materials covering the North Bay area.


Environmental Atlas: Districts of Nipissing and Parry Sound
was edited by Anthony Blackbourn and published in 1992.
This collection of maps and map-descriptions is presented under
general headings: Environmental Concerns, Wilderness Areas, and Human Disturbance.

Atlas of Social Conditions in the Nipissing and Parry Sound Districts
was edited by Anthony Blackbourn and published in 1992.
This collection of maps, graphs and articles is presented under headings of:
Population, Aged, Education, Family, Health, Social Problems, and Poverty.


Dr. Keith Topps
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This page was last updated on 07/30/96.

Community History Page/KEITHT@ADMIN.nipissingu.ca