HISTORY

“ARMOUR TOWNSHIP, REMEMBERING THE PAST, PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE”

WELCOME!

On behalf of the Council of the Township of Armour, we would like to extend our warmest welcome and invite you to spend some time exploring our spectacular community. Although geographically small in size, whether you are a visitor or a potential future resident or investor, Armour is certain to provide countless opportunities for all to enjoy. 


By looking forward and working together for a better community, the Township - through its corporate team of professional staff, volunteers, and elected officials - constantly strives to design and deliver the highest quality of services and facilities. The residents of the Township of Armour have a great deal of pride in their Township. With its rural heritage, Armour offers ways to experience a taste of country while still maintaining thriving business communities and beautiful residential areas.


We recognize that the face of the municipal office is no longer the bricks and mortar building on Ontario Street, but rather the municipal website. Our new website forms a vital part of improving community engagement and getting you the information you need to stay informed.

Statistics Canada Census Profile

HISTORY

Located in Ontario Canada, we are a two hour drive north of Toronto. Armour Township is a "single-tier" municipality located on the Canadian Shield in southeast Parry Sound District just north of Huntsville, Muskoka. The municipality is 164.44 square kilometres in size. There are numerous recreational lakes in Armour, the largest of which are Little Doe, Three Mile and Pickerel. The North and South Magnetawan Rivers are major natural features which also contribute to the recreational and rural character of the municipality. They flow out of their headwaters in Algonquin Park to the east and eventually meet in Armour within the Village of Burk's Falls, from which point the river is navigable for over 43 kilometres on its journey westerly to Georgian Bay.


Historically, Armour was created to facilitate new growth via the 1868 Free Grants and Homestead Act which brought farm families and forestry businesses to the southern precambrian shield area of Ontario. It was named after the Honourable Mr. Justice John Douglas Armour, Chief Justice of Ontario, who would eventually sit as a Judge on the Supreme Court of Canada.   


The first meeting of the Township of Armour was held on May 28, 1881 at the Burk's Falls School which was located on Lot 5, Concession 8 in Burk's Falls. Those present at the meeting included Reeve James Coleman and Councillors James F. Hanes, Robert J. Sharpe, Thomas Mossip and William Gray.  


The Grand Trunk Railway came to the Township in 1885 and by 1916 Yonge Street / Highway 11 was open for the first automobiles travelling north from Toronto. During that period, Armour was served by a dozen passenger steam boats and steam tugs which plied the Magnetawan River westerly from Burk's Falls to Lake Cecebe and on to Magnetawan Village with its lift lock down to Ahmic Lake. The last and largest of the steamboats was the 191 ton steamboat Armour, built on the docks at Burk's Falls in 1906. 

THE STEAMBOAT ARMOUR

The steamboat Armour was named after Supreme Court Judge Armour and built in the winter of 1905/06 on the Burk's Falls dock by a crew of local men led by George Stickland. The Armour burned at the dock in Burk's Falls but its wrought iron Scottish frame and other remains were purchased by Percy Siddall and taken by rail to Port Maitland on Lake Erie where it was rebuilt and operated as a fishing boat for 40 years under the name "Earlee June". The original steam engine, valves, steam throttles, and propellor shaft were built in 1906 in Toronto by Poulson Iron Works. In 1990 these parts were brought back to Burk's Falls by Ed Finucan, Doug Boyes, Wilbert Stickland, Gerald Culbert and Ab Culbert (below) who has them in his possession. They were donated by Earl Siddall of Port Maitland. Also in 1990, Ab Culbert built a scale model of the S.S.Armour and launched it at the Burk's Falls docks to commemorate Canada's 125th Anniversary.

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