Swastika

Photo by contributor Lianne Johnson Lowens - Posted June, 2006

Plaque Location

The District of Timiskaming
The Town of Kirkland Lake
In Swastika, in Fireman's Park on Riverside Drive, first left after
crossing the Blanche River northbound on Government Road

Coordinates: N 48 06.579 W 80 06.252

Plaque Text

When the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway was completed to Cochrane in 1908, a station named Swastika was opened here at the Blanche River where gold had been discovered by James and William Dusty. In that year, the Swastika Mining Company was formed but low initial yields dampened interest in the region. In 1911, after the discovery of gold at Porcupine, the Swastika mine was expanded, the Lucky Cross mine was opened and prospectors returned to the region. A community of about 450 quickly developed around the station and a post-office was opened. The mines at Swastika soon failed, but with the discovery and development of the Kirkland Lake gold field 8 km to the east, the community emerged as an entrepôt for this area

Related Ontario plaques
Porcupine Mining Area
Kirkland Lake Gold Camp

More
Information

More
Settlements

Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

Posted July 29, 2010
I would love to visit this strong willed community some day soon

Posted November 24, 2009
An quote from Google Earth and Wikipedia regarding the town's name....
"During World War II, the provincial government sought to change the town's name to Winston, in honour of Winston Churchill, but the town refused, insisting that the town had held the name long before the Nazis co-opted the swastika symbol. Residents of Swastika used to tell the story of how the Ontario Department of Highways would erect new signs on the roads at the edge of the town. At night the residents would tear these signs down and put up their own signs proclaiming the town to be "Swastika".
"Periodically, Swastika has been subject to derision for retaining the name. However, local residents have resisted a change."
Denis Gionet.

Posted September 26, 2008
nice name.

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