Wawa, Ontario facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wawa
Municipality (single-tier)
Municipality of Wawa
Wawa as seen across Wawa Lake
Wawa Location in Ontario
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
District	Algoma
Established	1899
Area
• Land	416.21 km2 (160.70 sq mi)
Elevation	287 m (942 ft)
Population  (2021)
• Total	2,705
• Density	7.0/km2 (18/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern Standard Time (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern Daylight Time (EDT))
Postal Code	P0S 1K0
Area code(s)	705

Wawa is a small community in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Algoma District. Wawa is a type of local government called a township. It used to be known as the Township of Michipicoten.

The name "Wawa" comes from the Ojibwe word for "wild goose." The town is found on the western shores of Wawa Lake.

Long ago, this area was important for trading animal furs. Later, people discovered gold and iron ore here. This led to mining, which helped the steel industry grow in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. From 1900 to 1918, the Helen Mine in Wawa produced more iron ore than any other mine in Canada.

Exploring Wawa's Past

Early Fur Trading Days

A trading post called Fort Michipicoten was built where the Michipicoten River meets Lake Superior. This spot was key for fur traders traveling from Montreal to the west. It was also a route to James Bay.

French explorers arrived in the mid-1600s. A trading post was set up early in the 1700s. It was on the south side of the river, across from the Magpie River. The British took over Canada in 1763, and the post was left empty.

A few years later, fur traders Alexander Henry the elder and Jean Baptiste Cadotte reopened it. In 1783, the North West Company took over the post. Then, in 1797, the Hudson's Bay Company built their own post nearby.

Michipicoten, 1897

When the two companies joined in 1821, Michipicoten became a major trading hub. It was a center for fishing, boat building, and repairs. It also served as a base for missionaries and surveyors. This continued until 1863, when steamboats and railways made it less important. The fort closed in 1904. In 1982, the area became the Michipicoten Provincial Park.

Modern History and Mining

People tried to mine in this area as early as the 1660s.

In 1897, William Teddy found gold near Wawa Lake. The village of Wawa quickly grew, with 1,700 mining claims made in 1898. Most gold mining stopped by 1906. However, after the Algoma Central Railway was finished in 1914, gold mining started again.

In 1898, the town site was called "Michipicoten City." In 1899, Wawa was planned and named Wawa City. In the 1950s, the town's name was changed to Jamestown. This was to honor Sir James Hamet Dunn. But residents asked for the name Wawa back, and it was changed again.

Gold mining has had its ups and downs in Wawa. It has prospered and slowed down many times over the years. Some important gold mines included the Grace Mine, Minto Mine, Parkhill Mine, and Renabie Mine.

Iron ore mining has also been very important. In 1897, while searching for gold, people found iron ore by accident. Francis Hector Clergue, an American businessman, saw its value. He started a steel company in Sault Ste. Marie. The Algoma Central Railway helped ship the iron ore from Wawa for processing.

The first iron ore from the Helen Mine was sent to Midland, Ontario, in July 1900. This was the first time Canadian iron ore was shipped by boat to a Canadian port. The mine produced high-quality iron ore until 1903. It closed because of money problems for Clergue's company. By 1904, the mine was fully working again. It was mining one thousand tons of hematite ore every day. From 1900 to 1918, the Helen Mine was the biggest iron mine in Canada.

In 1909, another iron ore deposit was found near the Magpie River. The Algoma Steel Corporation bought these mines. They ran both the Magpie and Helen mines for the next ten years. The Helen Mine stopped producing ore in 1918. The Magpie Mine closed in 1921. The population of the Michipicoten area dropped a lot after these closures.

In 1937, the Helen Mine reopened because of the threat of war in Europe. A special plant was built to treat the siderite ore before it went to the steel mills. This plant became the center of a small community called Sinterville.

The Helen Mine was an open pit mine until 1950. After that, all mining was done underground. In 1960, the new George W. MacLeod Mine opened next to the Helen Mine. The ore was moved by a long aerial tramline. This system was later replaced by a modern underground conveyor belt in 1979.

In the 1990s, Wawa's mining industry faced challenges. In 1997, Algoma Steel decided to close its iron ore operations. Mining stopped in June 1998, 100 years after iron was first found there.

After the mines closed, Wawa's population went down. Its main industries became forestry and tourism. There have been ideas for new mines, but nothing has started yet.

In 2007, a wood mill operated by Weyerhauser closed. This caused over 135 people to lose their jobs. Many residents left the area. Wawa's population, which was almost 5,600 in the 1990s, dropped to under 3,000 by 2011.

The closing of the forestry industry also affected nearby towns. Wawa has been working to bring new businesses to the area.

Wawa's Location and Weather

Community of Michipicoten River

The township of Wawa includes the main town and smaller communities. These include Michipicoten and Michipicoten River. They are small towns on the shore of Lake Superior. Their names come from the Ojibwe language.

Climate in Wawa

Wawa has a humid continental climate. This means it has warm summers and cold winters. Lake Superior makes the weather milder. Winters are cold and snowy. Temperatures can drop very low, often below −20 °C (−4.0 °F). Wawa gets a lot of snow, over 319 centimetres (126 in) each year. This is because of "lake effect snow" from Lake Superior.

Summers are cool and mild. Temperatures rarely go above 30 °C (86.0 °F). August is the warmest month. Wawa gets about 970 millimetres (38 in) of rain and snow each year. The wettest months are usually from July to October.

Fun Things to See and Do in Wawa

Goose sculpture in Wawa overlooking Highway 17

Wawa is famous for its huge metal statue of a Canada goose. It is 8.5 meters (28 feet) tall! The statue was built in 1960 and given to the community in 1961. As you learned, Wawa means "wild goose" in the Ojibwe language. Canada Post even made a stamp of the Wawa Goose in 2010. A new goose statue was put up in 2017.

The town is also a great place for snowmobiling and sport fishing. The Voyageur Hiking Trail goes through Wawa. A popular place to visit is Young's General Store, known for its "Pickle Barrel."

Getting Around Wawa

Highway 17, which is part of the Trans-Canada Highway, runs through Wawa. The main town is on Highway 101. This is about two kilometres (1.2 mi) east of where it meets Highway 17. Sault Ste. Marie is about 227 kilometres (141 mi) south. Lake Superior Provincial Park is just south of the town.

In October 2012, Wawa had severe flooding. Roads, including parts of Highway 17 and Highway 101, were washed out. The town had to declare a state of emergency.

Wawa is also near the Canadian National Railway's Hawk Junction station. This railway line goes from Sault Ste. Marie to Hearst. It offers tourist trips, as well as passenger and freight service.

Since 2006, Wawa has had a bus service that you can call to pick you up. The bus can carry 12 passengers and two wheelchairs.

Ontario Northland motor coaches also provide bus service through Wawa.

Learning in Wawa

Wawa has schools for both English and French speakers.

• The Algoma District School Board runs English schools.
  • Sir James Dunn Public School teaches students from kindergarten to Grade 8.
  • Michipicoten High School teaches Grades 9 to 12.

• The Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board offers French immersion.
  • St. Joseph French Immersion School teaches junior kindergarten to Grade 7. In the 2014–2015 school year, it expanded to include Grade 8.

About 19% of Wawa's population speaks French as their first language.

• The Conseil scolaire du Grand Nord offers public French-language schooling.
  • École publique l'Escalade is for students from kindergarten to Grade 8.
• The Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario offers Catholic French-language schooling.
  • École élémentaire et secondaire catholique St-Joseph.

Wawa in the Media

Radio Stations

Television Channels

Local News

• wawa-news.com is an online news source.
• The Algoma News Review was a local newspaper that stopped printing in 2022.

Famous People from Wawa

Wawa is the hometown of some well-known people:

• Chris Simon and Denny Lambert, who were professional hockey players in the NHL.
• Pete Zedlacher, a comedian.