Burk’s Falls is a small townof 1000 residents in the district of Parry Sound, Ontario on Highway 11, which continues north to become the Northern Route of the Trans-Canada. Burk’s Falls is 85 km S of North Bay and 90 km north of Gravenhurst and 160 km N of Barrie.
Burk’s Falls History
In the early 1870s, the first sawmill was built in the area by a man named John Burk. The mill was located on the Magnetawan River, where logging was happening upstream from that location. In 1878, the first post office was established in Burk’s Falls. It was named after John Burk, who was the first postmaster.
In 1885, the Northern and Pacific Junction Railway (later part of the Canadian Pacific Railway) was built through the area, connecting Burk’s Falls to other communities and markets in Ontario.
This led to an increase in population and economic activity, and by 1908, Burk’s Falls was incorporated as a village. In the early 1900s, Burk’s Falls expanded agricultural production of potatoes and dairy products
During the 1920s and 1930s, Burk’s Falls had continued growth and prosperity with the logging industry and the railway.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Burk’s Falls, like so many small towns in Ontario, experienced a population shift to larger cities for work. Over that period, the town has maintained its status as a regional hub for agriculture and tourism.