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HEAD
OF COUNCIL
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The area encompassed by the Township of Macdonald, Meredith and
Aberdeen Additional originally was inhabited by the Ojibway . After the
Canadian government and the Ojibway signed the Huron-Robinson Treaty of
1850, surveyors were sent into this area to examine the territory. What
later resulted was the creation of three separate townships. The first
of the three townships created was Macdonald Township in 1863. Named
after Sir John A. Macdonald, this township became home to the village
of Echo Bay. In 1875 Meredith Township was surveyed. This township
acquired its name from the Honourable Sir William Meredith who was
elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1872 and later appointed Chief
Justice of Ontario in 1912. In June 1892 Macdonald Township and
Meredith Township were incorporated as a municipality. The last
township was surveyed in 1877. Originally labeled Coffin Additional
(and later renamed to Aberdeen Additional in 1900), this area was known
for its wide and extensive valleys. In 1899, Aberdeen Additional joined
the Township of Macdonald and Meredith to create the municipality which
exists today.  This township
first witnessed permanent settlement during the mid-nineteenth century
when geologists filtered into the territory to determine the quality
and quantity of suspected minerals. This occurred as a result of the
mining boom which transpired throughout Canada West. When mining did
not prosper in this area, people ventured into lumbering and
agriculture. All three townships were capable of sustaining a lumbering
and/or agricultural base, and for most of the 1800s, lumbering was the
chief industry. Due to necessity however, agriculture became the most
popular industry. 
Settlement stretched throughout the region and by the 1860s visible communities were located in Sylvan Valley, Bar River, and Echo Bay. With the construction of a Canadian Pacific Railway station in Echo Bay in 1888, the village of Echo Bay expanded as businesses and homes were erected around the station. The C.P.R. station remained the centre of activity well into the twentieth century carrying passengers and freight alike. The C.P.R. closed the Echo Bay station in 1977. Aside from the train station, Echo Bay boasted an active harbour on the shore of Lake George whereby boats trading between Lake Superior and the lower lakes often anchored. This contributed to the bustling of this little village. The communities and homesteads found within this municipality provided what William Rush, an early resident of Macdonald Township, considered "spirit of friendship of neighbourly cooperation which has made and still makes Echo Bay a good place in which to live." For a complete history refer to the Centennial book.
[Echo Bay History ]
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