Longlac is a small town in northwestern Ontario- on the Northern Route of the Trans-Canada Highway #11. It is 190 km E of Nipigon, 300 km W of Kapuskasing, and 200 km W of Hearst. Long Lake, just to the south of town is 85 km long, stretching 2/4 the way to Lake Superior
Longlac has a beautiful natural setting, and is popular for outdoor activities such as hiking, snowmobiling, birdwatching, fishing, boating and camping in the surrounding forests and lakes. Anglers can fish for walleye, northern pike, and lake trout.
Longlac History
The area around Longlac was originally inhabited by the Ojibwe people, who lived there for thousands of years. The first European to explore the area was French explorer and coureur des bois Pierre-Esprit Radisson, who arrived around 1660. (He later went on to co-found the Hudson’s Bay Company)
Longlac was established in 1912 as a divisional point on the National Transcontinental Railway. The town grew rapidly. By the 1920s, it had become an important hub for forestry, mining, and transportation. In 1923, Longlac was incorporated as a village, and in 1953 it became a town.
The town was home to several sawmills and pulp mills, as well as nearby gold and silver mines. The mines’ success declined in the latter half of the 1900s, and today the town’s economy is primarily based on forestry, tourism, and transportation.
Longlac has a strong francophone population, and the town is home to several French-language schools and community organizations.
