Blind River | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Blind River

Blind River, Ont, incorporated as a town in 1906, population 3549 (2011c), 3780 (2006c). The Town of Blind River is located at the mouth of the Mississagi River on the North Channel of Lake Huron, 132 km southeast of Sault Ste Marie.

Blind River, Ont, incorporated as a town in 1906, population 3549 (2011c), 3780 (2006c). The Town of Blind River is located at the mouth of the Mississagi River on the North Channel of Lake Huron, 132 km southeast of Sault Ste Marie. Named by early voyageurs because it was difficult to detect from Lk Huron, the site was important for the fur trade from the mid-17th to the mid-19th century. From 1853, when the first sawmill was constructed, until the closure of McFadden Lumber Co in 1969, lumbering was the main economic activity of the community. The town has benefited from the uranium mining boom in nearby Elliot Lake, from the establishment of the CAMECO uranium refinery and from the continuing growth of tourism.