Cochrane is a town with 5000 residents located in northeastern Ontario about 300 kilometers north of Timmins. Cochrane lies on a bend in the Northern Route of the Trans-Canada Highway #11, about 150 km NW of Kirkland Lake and about 120 km SE of Kapuskasing.
Cochrane is a small town in Northern Ontario that offers a variety of outdoor recreation and cultural attractions for visitors. The town is also known for its rich cultural heritage, which is celebrated through a variety of festivals and events throughout the year.
Cochrane History
The area was originally inhabited by indigenous people including the Ojibwe and Cree.
In the late 1800s, the National Transcontinental Railway was built through the region, and connected eastern and western Canada (now CN). Cochrane was founded in 1908 as a divisional point on the railway for refueling, rewatering, and crew changes. Cochrane grew rapidly as a result of its strategic location, and it became an important transportation hub for the region.
The town was named after Francis Cochrane, a prominent Canadian politician and businessman who played a key role in the development of the National Transcontinental Railway.
During the early years of the town’s development, many of the buildings were constructed using local timber, which was readily available in the surrounding forests. The first school in the town was established in 1910, and a post office was opened in 1912.
In the decades that followed, Cochrane became an important center for mining, forestry, and tourism, and it remains a vibrant and thriving community to this day.