Hornepayne

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title: "Hornepayne" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["municipalities-in-algoma-district", "single-tier-municipalities-in-ontario", "township-municipalities-in-ontario"] topic_path: "general/municipalities-in-algoma-district" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornepayne" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Hornepayne
official_name	Township of Hornepayne
settlement_type	Township (single-tier)
image_skyline	Hornepayne ON 2.JPG
flag_size	120x100px
shield_size	100x80px
image_blank_emblem	Logo_of_the_township_of_Hornepayne.png
blank_emblem_type	Logo of the Township of Hornepayne
pushpin_map	Canada Ontario
pushpin_label_position	top
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Canada
subdivision_type1	Province
subdivision_name1	Ontario
subdivision_type2	District
subdivision_name2	Algoma
established_title	Established
established_date	1915
established_title2	Incorporated
established_date2	1927
government_type	Township
leader_title	Mayor
leader_name	Cheryl T. Fort
leader_title1	Federal riding
leader_name1	Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma
leader_title2	Prov. riding
leader_name2	Algoma—Manitoulin
area_land_km2	203.04
area_footnotes
population_as_of	2021
population_footnotes
population_total	968
population_density_km2	4.8
timezone	EST
utc_offset	-5
timezone_DST	EDT
utc_offset_DST	-4
postal_code_type	Postal Code
postal_code	P0M
area_code	807
coordinates
elevation_footnotes
elevation_m	332
blank_name	Highways
blank_info
website
::

Hornepayne is a township of 968 people in the Algoma District of Ontario, Canada. The town was established in 1915 as Fitzback when the Canadian Northern Railway's transcontinental line was built through the area. It was renamed Hornepayne in 1920 after British financier Robert Horne-Payne. The municipality was originally named Wicksteed Township after the geographic township in which it is located. It was renamed Hornepayne, after its primary community, in 1986.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Cree_women_at_Morrison_River_near_Hornepayne.jpg" caption="Two [[Cree]] women with snowshoes photographed at the Morrison (later Shekak) River settlement in 1928."] ::

First Nations people have lived in the area for centuries, as indicated by archaeological evidence such as potsherd fragments. A number of their descendants are members of the Hornepayne First Nation, a member organization of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.

Hornepayne differs from a number of older Northern Ontario settlements due to its distance from major waterways, making it relatively inaccessible before the advent of rail transportation in the north. The townsite was originally surveyed in 1877, when possible routes for the Canadian Pacific Railway transcontinental mainline were being explored. Instead of Canadian Pacific, however, Hornepayne would become associated with the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR), one of several railways which were later amalgamated into the Canadian National Railways (CN) system during the 20th century. The Canadian Northern built its line through the area in 1915 and established a divisional point on the line called Fitzback. In 1919, the Canadian Northern was amalgamated into the Canadian National system. A year later, in 1920, the point was renamed Hornepayne, after the railway financier Robert Montgomery Horne-Payne.

In the steam era, the railway system was labour-intensive and required many workers for maintenance of way, crew changes, and to resupply trains with coal and water at fixed intervals. This circumstance fostered the growth of "railway towns", as railway workers began to create permanent settlements to live in with their families. Sections of track were broken up into subdivisions, which were approximately 200 km long and were separated by divisional points. Divisional points acted as a sort of local "headquarters" for the railways, and were very important for their operations. Additionally, most steam trains needed to be resupplied with coal at least once and water at least three times when passing through each subdivision, requiring railways to maintain even more permanent or semi-permanent settlements to support these operations. Hornepayne, as a divisional point, sat at the joining place between the CN Oba Subdivision (east to Foleyet) and the CN Caramat Subdivision (west to Nakina).

Hornepayne initially had few permanent structures aside from the railway station, but was inhabited mostly by railway workers, who were young and well-paid for the era. A one-room schoolhouse was constructed in 1921 at the corner of First and Front streets, partially replacing the railway coach which was previously used as a school, though senior students were shifted to the old railway station. A new railway station, which was demolished in 2020, was also constructed in 1921. The situation was resolved when town ratepayers authorized $30,000 be spent on the construction of a new four-room school in the winter of 1923.

Throughout the 1920s, Hornepayne grew, and soon was home to several grocery and general stores, as well as a butcher shop, a dress shop, a pharmacy, a Hudson's Bay Company store, two barbershops, a town hall, two restaurants, a bowling alley, two pool halls, and two hotels, one of which was owned by CN and one of which was independent. The town lacked in fresh fruit and vegetables early on, which were imported by rail from Port Arthur. Later, two farms, one of which was a dairy farm, were established in the area to feed the town. By the 1930s, one farm had around four hundred chickens. Due to its remote location, household electricity was slow to arrive in Hornepayne. Diesel-generated power was available from CN for most of the town starting in the 1930s, but the town would only be connected with the Ontario electrical grid in 1962.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Hwy_631_ON_2.JPG" caption="nosh=y}} as seen in 2009."] ::

The town was incorporated in 1927–28 by local petition, and was poised to become a regional centre. A series of devastating fires in 1929–31, however, destroyed many of the town's commercial buildings, as well as the CNR shops. Rail traffic slowed during the Great Depression, and the town struggled, with some residents finding employment on highway construction under government public works funding. This difficult and slow work culminated in the opening of the northern section of in 1959, linking Hornepayne with . In 1973, the highway was extended to the south to connect to at White River.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Hornepayne_ON.jpg" caption="The Hallmark Centre was a [[mixed-use]] development in the town, which opened in 1982 and closed in 2011."] ::

In the 1970s and 1980s, Hornepayne underwent a considerable redevelopment push, spurring the southern highway extension, the opening of the Hornepayne Municipal Airport, and the creation of the mixed use Hallmark Centre "mall", merging together a number of commercial, recreational, and institutional aspects of the town. At various times, it included residences for CN temporary workers (an evolution of the CN bunkhouses which were demolished in the 1950s), a post office, the local high school, a hotel, a library, a swimming pool, a gym, apartments, and a Hudson's Bay Company Northern Store department store. Many existing businesses relocated to the complex, though some remained at their old locations.

Geography

Geology

Hornepayne is situated in the Horseshoe of Rock, which forms the Pre-Cambrian area, which surrounds Hudson Bay. It is the oldest rock in the world, containing the famous Keewatin Greenstone. Massive Granite intrusions, of which Tank Hill to is a good example, is the predominant rock in the area.

Greenstone can be found ten kilometres north along highway 631 and in numerous bands along Government Lake Road. Volcanoes were numerous, and specimens of their eruptions in the soil can be found today. The Pre-Cambrian was covered by at least three Ice Ages which, with glaciers kilometres high, bulldozed the mountains away just as a bulldozer today would level a small hill. The rock and earth were moved as far south as Wisconsin.

Evidence of glacial scratches can be found on Tank Hill. The sand hills near Cedar Point are eskers left by the Glaciers. Boulders, small rocks, and clay, are scattered throughout the area, part of the glacial wash. A typical volcanic core is to be found about eight kilometres north. The highway runs through it. Samples of volcanics, such as garnets, serpentine, and rhyolite, can be found. Most of the Pre-Cambrian is covered by a thin layer of organic soil and clay. Hornepayne is approximately twelve kilometres north of the height of land. Drainage is poor in the area, which has many muskeg swamps.

Climate

Hornepayne experiences a unique subarctic microclimate (Dfc) due to its elevation of 336 meters (1,101 feet) and location in Northern Ontario. Winters are long, snowy, and very cold for Ontario. Summers are generally warm with cool nights. Winter usually begins around Halloween, lasting through March and into April, though wintry days can sometimes be experienced even later in the season. Snowfall is abundant, starting to fall usually sometime in October and keeps falling into April, with snowfalls in May not uncommon. Hornepayne is one of the driest communities in Ontario, receiving only 656.4 mm (25.84 inches) of precipitation falling on only 105.5 days. {{Weather box |location = Hornepayne, Ontario (1971–2000) |metric first = yes |single line = yes |Jan record high C = 6.7 |Feb record high C = 12.8 |Mar record high C = 18.9 |Apr record high C = 28.9 |May record high C = 33.0 |Jun record high C = 37.2 |Jul record high C = 37.2 |Aug record high C = 34.4 |Sep record high C = 31.7 |Oct record high C = 31.7 |Nov record high C = 18.0 |Dec record high C = 12.5 |year record high C = 37.2 |Jan high C = −13.1 |Feb high C = -9.2 |Mar high C = -2.6 |Apr high C = 6.9 |May high C = 16.4 |Jun high C = 21.0 |Jul high C = 24.1 |Aug high C = 22.0 |Sep high C = 15.3 |Oct high C = 8.6 |Nov high C = 0.5 |Dec high C = -8.8 |year high C = 6.8 |Jan mean C = −19.7 |Feb mean C = −16.0 |Mar mean C = -9.2 |Apr mean C = 0.4 |May mean C = 8.9 |Jun mean C = 13.4 |Jul mean C = 16.4 |Aug mean C = 14.2 |Sep mean C = 8.8 |Oct mean C = 3.5 |Nov mean C = -3.8 |Dec mean C = -14.5 |year mean C = 0.2 |Jan low C = −26.1 |Feb low C = −22.7 |Mar low C = −15.7 |Apr low C = -6.1 |May low C = 1.5 |Jun low C = 5.7 |Jul low C = 8.6 |Aug low C = 8.5 |Sep low C = 2.2 |Oct low C = -1.6 |Nov low C = -8.1 |Dec low C = −20.3 |year low C = -6.3 |Jan record low C = −49.4 |Feb record low C = −52.2 |Mar record low C = −43.9 |Apr record low C = −37.2 |May record low C = −15.0 |Jun record low C = -12.2 |Jul record low C = -9.4 |Aug record low C = -7.2 |Sep record low C = -12.2 |Oct record low C = −27.2 |Nov record low C = −40.0 |Dec record low C = −52.2 |year record low C = -52.2 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 53.4 |Feb precipitation mm = 38.5 |Mar precipitation mm = 38.9 |Apr precipitation mm = 28.7 |May precipitation mm = 51.4 |Jun precipitation mm = 81.5 |Jul precipitation mm = 65.4 |Aug precipitation mm = 67.2 |Sep precipitation mm = 70.3 |Oct precipitation mm = 60.8 |Nov precipitation mm = 49.3 |Dec precipitation mm = 51.0 |year precipitation mm = 656.4 |rain colour = green |Jan rain mm = 0.1 |Feb rain mm = 1.6 |Mar rain mm = 3.9 |Apr rain mm = 11.1 |May rain mm = 45.3 |Jun rain mm = 81.5 |Jul rain mm = 65.4 |Aug rain mm = 67.2 |Sep rain mm = 69.4 |Oct rain mm = 48.9 |Nov rain mm = 15.1 |Dec rain mm = 0.9 |year rain mm = 410.5 |snow colour = green |Jan snow cm = 53.3 |Feb snow cm = 36.9 |Mar snow cm = 35.0 |Apr snow cm = 17.6 |May snow cm = 6.1 |Jun snow cm = 0.0 |Jul snow cm = 0.0 |Aug snow cm = 0.0 |Sep snow cm = 0.9 |Oct snow cm = 12.6 |Nov snow cm = 34.3 |Dec snow cm = 50.1 |year snow cm = 246.7 |unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm |Jan precipitation days = 8.6 |Feb precipitation days = 6.8 |Mar precipitation days = 7.3 |Apr precipitation days = 5.9 |May precipitation days = 7.3 |Jun precipitation days = 9.2 |Jul precipitation days = 8.6 |Aug precipitation days = 9.4 |Sep precipitation days = 12.9 |Oct precipitation days = 10.9 |Nov precipitation days = 9.2 |Dec precipitation days = 9.4 |year precipitation days = 105.5 |unit rain days = 0.2 mm |Jan rain days = 0.12 |Feb rain days = 0.38 |Mar rain days = 1.1 |Apr rain days = 2.8 |May rain days = 6.5 |Jun rain days = 9.2 |Jul rain days = 8.6 |Aug rain days = 9.4 |Sep rain days = 12.8 |Oct rain days = 8.6 |Nov rain days = 2.6 |Dec rain days = 0.41 |year rain days = 62.5 |unit snow days = 0.2 cm |Jan snow days = 8.5 |Feb snow days = 6.7 |Mar snow days = 6.4 |Apr snow days = 3.6 |May snow days = 1.0 |Jun snow days = 0.0 |Jul snow days = 0.0 |Aug snow days = 0.0 |Sep snow days = 0.22 |Oct snow days = 2.9 |Nov snow days = 7.1 |Dec snow days = 9.3 |year snow days = 45.7 |source 1 = Environment Canada{{cite web | publisher = Environment Canada | url = http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?stnID=4076&lang=e&province=ON&provSubmit=go&page=101&dCode=0 | title = Hornepayne, Ontario | work = Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000 |date = 31 October 2011| access-date = 24 April 2015}} |date=November 2011

Demographics

|title = Historical census populations – Hornepayne |align = none |cols = 3 |percentages = |footnote = Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. |source = Statistics Canada | 1921 |384 | 1931 |790 | 1941 |910 | 1951 |1282 | 1956 |1659 | 1961 |1727 | 1966 |1790 | 1971 |1825 | 1976 |1719 | 1981 |1850 | 1986 |1843 | 1991 |1610 | 1996 |1480 | 2001 |1362 | 2006 |1209 | 2011 |1050 | 2016 |980 | 2021 |968

Mother tongue (2021):

English as first language: 83.8%
French as first language: 9.9%
English and French as first language: 2.1%
Other as first language: 4.2%

Economy

Hornepayne serves as a railway divisional point on the main Canadian National Railway line. The forestry industry (by way of Haavaldsrud's Timber Company) is the major employer to the local economy. Hunting- and fishing-related tourism in the area (particularly just north of the town in nearby Nagagami Lake Provincial Park) is served by several small companies.

The township of Hornepayne has been the proposed site of a low level nuclear waste storage facility for some time. The town's community liaison group chose to withdraw from this development in the early 1990s, but as of May 2010 the township is still being considered for nuclear waste management/storage.

Transportation

runs through Hornepayne and connects it to in the north and at White River in the south, both of which are part of the Trans-Canada Highway system.

Hornepayne is served by the Canadian, Canada's transcontinental passenger rail service, which is operated by Via Rail and stops at Hornepayne station. The rail line through the town is part of the Canadian National Railway and was originally constructed by the Canadian Northern Railway in 1915. Hornepayne, a divisional point on the railway, marks the point that two rail subdivisions join with each other: the CN Caramat Subdivision to the west (ending at Nakina) and the CN Ruel Subdivision.

The town is also home to the Hornepayne Municipal Airport.

::data[format=table] | [[File:Hornepayne ON 3.JPG|thumb|none|240px|The CN rail yard; the old station in the background had been abandoned and was demolished in 2020.]] | [[File:VIA - The Canadian - End Car.jpg|thumb|none|220px|Passengers milling around the train at the station stop in Hornepayne.]] | |---|---| ::

Popular culture

Retired ice hockey player Mike McEwen was born in Hornepayne.
Retired ice hockey player Goldie Goldthorpe (who served as the inspiration for Ogie Ogilthorpe in the 1977 film Slap Shot) was born in Hornepayne.
Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations for NHL Kris King, was raised in Hornepayne.
Gordon Lightfoot's song "On the High Seas" mentions Hornepayne with the following lyric "Was it up in Hornepayne, where the trains run on time?"
Hornepayne was featured on an episode of Survivorman with Les Stroud and a slew of NHL hockey players.

References

{{SCref. (2021)
(1915). "Altitudes in the Dominion of Canada". Commission of Conservation.
"Robert Montgomery Horne-Payne".
"History". [[Hornepayne First Nation]].
Douglas, Dan. (1995). "Northern Algoma: A People's History". [[Dundurn Press]].
(17 Dec 2021). "Hornepayne aura enfin un hôtel en 2022". Radio-Canada.
"Hornepayne, Ontario, Canada Weather Forecast and Conditions - The Weather Channel {{!}} Weather.com".
[[Canada 1996 Census. 1996]], [[Canada 2001 Census. 2001]], [[Canada 2006 Census. 2006]], [[Canada 2011 Census. 2011]] census
(December 2024). "Hornepayne census profile". Statistics Canada.
"Olav Haavaldsrud Timber Co. LTD.".
"Hornepayne, Northern Ontario Tourist Outfitters, Canada".
"Home".
"Johnstons Fly in Fishing Outpost Camps - Hornepayne, Ontario".
http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73397/1/j.1754-7121.1994.tb00885.x.pdf {{Bare URL PDF. (March 2022)
"Reports | NWMO".

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