Terrace Bay, Ontario
Description
Terrace Bay is a township in Thunder Bay District in northern Ontario, Canada, located on the north shore of Lake Superior east of Thunder Bay along Highway 17. The name originates from a series of lake terraces formed as the water level in Lake Superior lowered following the latest ice age.HistoryTerrace Bay originated as a company town in the 1940s when a pulp and paper mill was established there by the Longlac Pulp & Paper Company, later renamed Kimberly-Clark Forest Products. At the same time, the Aguasabon Generating Station was created by the Ontario Hydro water division, to redirect the northward flowing Long Lake south through the Aguasabon River system to Lake Superior.On September 1, 1947, Terrace Bay was granted status as an Improvement District. The pulp mill was the lead developer with construction of the community's basic infrastructure. By the end of 1948, Terrace Bay consisted of about 230 houses serviced with sewer, water and electricity but surrounded only by bush as the highway was still not completed through the town. In 1951, the Lakeview subdivision was started, with sewer, water and electrical services provided for well over 100 houses. By December 31, 33 of the 35 new houses were completed and occupied.Other additions to the community were two new churches, 22-bed modern hospital, post office, bank, liquor store, theatre, clothing store and railway station. Construction of the Memorial Recreation Centre was completed in July 1953. The building consisted of an arena, curling club, restaurant, bowling alley, library, offices, three meeting rooms and public washrooms. In 1958, the mill converted to chlorine-dioxide bleaching and had sold 63 houses to employees and another 28 houses were privately built. The next year, Terrace Bay became a municipal township.