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Port McNicoll is a small urban community in the township, now municipality, of Innisfil in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. [edit] History
The community of Port McNicoll was established in 1908 as a Great Lakes port on the southern shores of Georgian Bay. It was the home port of the Canadian Pacific Railway's Great Lakes Service from 1908, when the eastern terminus of the marine operations were relocated from Owen Sound. It was named for railway executive David McNicoll (1852-1916). Port McNicoll was also the western terminus of the CPR's Georgian Bay and Seaboard Railway, connecting to its Ontario and Quebec Railway, near Bethany. Warehouses were constructed on the western side of the port for handling package freight, as well as the station for passengers, the roundhouse and railyards for servicing the trains, the community was west of the harbour. On a peninsula to the east, the railway constructed a large grain elevator for storage of grain brought in by bulk freighter, from the Canadian Lakehead. At Port McNicoll the grain was loaded into box cars, for shipment to the Port of Montreal, via Orillia and Lindsay.
From 1912, Port McNicoll was home port of the CPR's passenger and package freight steamships, SS Keewatin and flagship SS Assiniboia. The steamers would take on passengers from the "boat train", arriving from Toronto, upbound to Port Arthur / Fort William to connect with their trains there. Downbound, the steamers would carry passengers back to Port McNicoll, returning to Toronto, via Medonte and Midhurst. During the depression of the 1930s the rail connection between Orillia and Lindsay was abandoned. The CPR's older steamers, SS Alberta, SS Athabaska and SS Manitoba continued to run from Owen Sound until the mid-1930s when the Alberta and Athabaska were withdrawn from service. With an increase in the handling of package freight, these two ships were pressed into freight-only service from Port McNicoll, until the end of the war. The SS Manitoba was retired in 1950, following the SS Noronic disaster. The SS Keewatin and SS Assiniboia continued operating until the cessation of passenger service in 1965, when they too were reduced to freight-only service. The coal burning Keewatin was withdrawn from service in November 1966, while sister ship Assiniboia, with boilers converted to burn oil years earlier, lasted longer. The SS Assiniboia retired November 26, 1967. Built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Scotland as Hull No. 453, the Keewatin was launched 6 July 1907 and entered service in the following year. She ran continuously for almost 60 seasons, being retired in 1966. Soon after, she was acquired by RJ Peterson of Douglas Michigan for historic preservation. Her sister ship, the Assiniboia, was also set to be preserved as an attraction, but burned in Camden New Jersey in 1971 and was scrapped. On June 23, 2012 the SS Keewatin, the last of the CPR Ships built in 1907, was returned to Port McNicoll where it had worked from 1912 until 1967. Keewatin is the last Edwardian steamship left in the world.[1] The SS Keewatin is in pristine condition on June 23, 2012 and is open for visitors from late April until mid October from 9 am until 5 pm. [edit] Research TipsThe primary source for basic documents (vital statistics, land records, wills) for people who lived in the Province of Ontario is the Archives of Ontario, 134 Ian Macdonald Blvd, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M7A 2C5. [edit] Early RecordsCivil registration did not begin in the province until 1869. Before then there may be church records of baptisms and burials. For the most part these are still held by the denomination who recorded them. Copies of marriage records made pre-1869 had to be sent by individual clergymen to the registrar of the county in which the marriage took place. These marriage records are available through Ontario Archives, on micorfilm through LDS libraries, and on paid and unpaid websites, but because they were copied at the registrars' offices, they cannot be considered a primary source. [edit] Vital Records after 1869Birth, marriage and death registrations are not open to the public until a specific number of years after the event occurred. Births to 1915 are now available [October 2014]; dates for marriages and deaths are later. Birth and death registration was not universally carried out in the early years after its adoption. Deaths were more apt to be reported than births for several years. The more rural the area, the less likely it would be that these happenings were reported to the authorities.
[edit] Land Records and WillsInformation on how to access land records and wills is best sought on the Archives of Ontario website. An ancestor's land holding might be found on Canadian County Atlas Digital Project if he was in occupancy circa 1878. Association for the Preservation of Ontario Land Registry Office Documents (APOLROD). A list of Land Registry Offices for all Counties of Ontario. [edit] CensusesThe original censuses are in the hands of Library and Archives Canada, known to Canadians as "LAC". Copies of original microfilms are online at the LAC website for all censuses up to 1921. Each census database is preceded with an explanation of the geographical area covered, the amount of material retained (some census division material has been lost), the questions on the census form, and whether there is a name index. Census divisions were redrawn as the population increased and more land was inhabited. [edit] Hard-to-Find Places
[edit] E-books, Books and Newspapers
[edit] Websites with more local information on Simcoe County
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