Chisholm, Ontario
Chisholm is a township in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, located in the Nipissing District.
Geography
The township has a rectangular shape, long by wide, with gently undulating terrain that gradually rises from in the north to in the south.It is situated on the height of land between the Great Lakes watershed and the Ottawa River watershed; the Wasi River flows west to Lake Nipissing, while the Depot Creek flows into Lake Nosbonsing and from there into the Mattawa and Ottawa Rivers.
Communities
Maps show the township as comprising the communities of Alderdale, Booth's Landing, Chiswick, Fossmill, Grahamvale and Wasing. However, these communities are now little more than slightly denser areas of housing, or completely abandoned in the case of Fossmill. The township administrative offices are located in Chiswick. Alderdale, Fossmill, Grahamvale, and Wasing were all once stops or milepoints along the Canadian National Railway Alderdale Subdivision. Rail service declined in the mid-20th century and was eliminated altogether in 1996.History
Circa 1860, logging began in the area and continued for some 50 years until all old-growth trees were clearcut. Afterwards, farming and sawmill operations were the main economic activity. In 1880, the township was surveyed, named after Kenneth Chisholm.In 1912, the Township of Chisholm was incorporated. In 1915, the Canadian Northern Railway was built through the township, with stations at Fossmill, Alderdale, and Wasing. At Fossmill, a large sawmill was built that led to the rapid development of the community. Its fortunes reversed after a big fire in the lumber yard in 1934 and another one in 1936 that burned down the mill itself. It was not rebuilt, and Fossmill became a ghost town.