Schreiber, Ontario

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Schreiber
Isbester's Landing
Township (single-tier)
Township of Schreiber
Schreiber ON 2.JPG
Schreiber is located in Ontario
Schreiber
Schreiber
Coordinates: 48°49′N 87°16′W / 48.817°N 87.267°W / 48.817; -87.267Coordinates: 48°49′N 87°16′W / 48.817°N 87.267°W / 48.817; -87.267
Country  Canada
Province  Ontario
District Thunder Bay
Settled 1883
Incorporated 1901
Named for Sir Collingwood Schreiber
Government
 • Mayor Mark Figliomeni
 • Federal riding Thunder Bay—Superior North
 • Prov. riding Thunder Bay—Superior North
Area[1]
 • Land 36.79 km2 (14.20 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 1,126
 • Density 30.6/km2 (79/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal Code P0T 2S0
Area code(s) 807
Website www.schreiber.ca
Highway 17 through Schreiber

Schreiber is a municipal township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located on the northernmost point of Lake Superior along Highway 17. The town, with a population of approximately 1100 people, is almost completely located inside the geographic township of Priske, with a small western portion of the town in the southeast of Killraine Township.

The town was named after Sir Collingwood Schreiber, a railway engineer, founding member of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, and deputy minister of Railways and Canals 1892-1905.

The town is near the main exposure of the Gunflint chert, which contains rare single-celled proterozoic fossils.

Passing close to the town is the Casques Isles Trail, a dream of Schreiber-born outdoorsman Tom McGrath.[2] This scenic pathway along Lake Superior now forms part of the Voyageur Hiking Trail.

Climate[edit]

Schreiber's weather is influenced by the flow of cooler air from the Northwest and the presence of Lake Superior. The Lake acts as a temperature moderator, providing milder winters but cooler summers.

Climate Ontario describes Schreiber's climate, according to the Koppen classification, as the Humid Microthermal Climate, Dfb (Humid Continental, cool summer, no dry season).

According to Weatherbase.com, "The average temperature for the year in Schreiber is 33.0°F (0.6°C). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 59.0°F (15°C). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 6.0°F (-14.4°C).

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Schreiber is 30.8" (782.3 mm). The month with the most precipitation on average is September with 3.6" (91.4 mm) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of 1.7" (43.2 mm)."

History[edit]

The place was founded in 1883 as a construction camp for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Steamships loaded with supplies for building the railway would dock at what was then known as "Isbester's Landing", named for railway contractor James Isbester, who in partnership with Robert Gillespie Reid was responsible for building many of the railway bridges along the north shore of Lake Superior. Isbester's Landing grew from construction camp to railway division point. A station, roundhouse, car shops, icehouse and stock yard soon followed.

The town was renamed Schreiber in 1887. On July 13, 1901, the township was officially incorporated. The C.P.R. moved the divisional office from White River to Schreiber in 1912, and thereafter remained as one of the town's biggest employers. The town's economy is also sustained by a pulp mill in Terrace Bay, which is located 15 minutes away.

During World War II, Schreiber was the site of one of the four work camps established for Japanese-Canadian internees. Several Prisoner of War camps for Axis soldiers, sailors and air force personnel were also built nearby.

Many immigrants soon came to Schreiber with a large proportion finding jobs on the railroad. A large percentage of these immigrants were from Italy. Many others came from Poland, Finland, Scotland, Ireland, and other countries in Europe as well as other parts of Canada.

Schools[edit]

The town has always had a recognition of the value of education as demonstrated by its long-standing history in building schools.[3][4][5]

The town presently has two elementary schools: Schreiber Public School and Holy Angels Catholic School.

The first Schreiber Public School was built in 1903.[6] The school was located at the northwest corner of Ontario and Winnipeg Streets.[7] By 1912, overcrowding forced the addition of two more classrooms and an enlarged entranceway.[8] The present Schreiber Public School building was constructed in 1956, again, with additions being added over the later years.[9]

To ease overcrowding at the Schreiber Public School, in 1943, Schreiber's Catholic community undertook to create a separate school section. The Guild Hall,[10] which stood next to the Catholic church, was reconfigured into classrooms. It was soon realized that a true Separate School was needed and in 1949, Holy Angels Separate School was built. This new building consisted of 4 classrooms and a large lower area which could be converted into classrooms. Several additions were made over the years to handle a growing student population with the last major extension being built in 1966.[11]

Interestingly, while the public school was located on the North side of town, the separate school was built on the South side of town with the divider being the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks. Pedestrian and vehicular access to each side of the town is provided through an underpass.

Secondary school education in Schreiber was started in 1924 when provincial approval was received to commence the Schreiber Continuation School. Subsequently a four-room annex was added to the existing Schreiber Public School. In 1958, the Continuation School received official High School status. An overflowing student population was resulting in the usage of several different spaces. This forced the township to negotiate with the Department of Education and, in 1962, provincial approval was given for the construction of a new building which would now be the Schreiber High School. The original Continuation/High school remained in use until 1963. The new and modern Schreiber High School building was constructed on the south side of town and officially opened on August 31, 1963. The original Continuation School was later demolished.[12] In 1972, the existing Schreiber High School had been renamed as the Schreiber campus of the Lake Superior High School. The former Terrace Bay High School was renamed as the Terrace Bay campus of Lake Superior High School. In 2002, a decision was made that there would be one designated location to provide secondary education to the students of Schreiber, Terrace Bay and immediate area. That school would be located in Terrace Bay. The Schreiber campus was subsequently closed.[13] The former Schreiber High School building was initially designated as the Schreiber Training Centre of Excellence. It has now been re-purposed as the Schreiber Municipal Complex and houses the Schreiber municipal offices. The Lake Superior High School in Terrace Bay accommodates all secondary school students from Terrace Bay, Schreiber and immediate surrounding communities.

The Railway[edit]

Schreiber's birth and continued existence is based on the Canadian Pacific Railway. Schreiber has gone through several iterations.[2]

Schreiber was, and remains, a home terminal train crew change point for the railroad. As such, a portion of its populace is trained and employed to operate the trains from Schreiber in both directions, westward on the Nipigon Subdivision to Thunder Bay, the next train crew change-off point or eastward on the Heron Bay Subdivision to the change-off terminal of White River, Ontario. This status of being a home terminal for train crews ensures the township of a number of high quality skilled jobs.

The railroad also attracted to the township and employed people for track maintenance, signal maintenance, telecommunications, mechanical and locomotive maintenance, yard operation, radio communication, engineering and administration. The railroad built and maintained homes in Schreiber which were reserved for its officials. In order to give these officials experience and exposure to its various subdivisions, their challenges and to meet the local rail customers, the railroad transferred their staff often. Having housing available in a small centre such as Schreiber, made such a transfer easier for the railways' incoming staff.

At its peak, the town was home and headquarters for Canadian Pacific's Schreiber Division superintendent, his management staff and the territory's dispatching office.[3] Schreiber, with a population of approximately 2000 people, was the smallest location on the CPR's rail line to be the designated home of a Divisional Superintendent and his dispatching office. The fact that the closest airport was in Thunder Bay approximately 120 miles away and that the lake-affect weather could make driving a concern, made corporate stopovers more challenging. On November 16, 1989 it was announced that the Schreiber and Sudbury Divisions would be amalgamated into one new territory, the Algoma Division, with one superintendent located in Sudbury overseeing the combined territory and its operations.[14] This organizational change served to resolve the issue of travel to a "remote" location for the railway with Sudbury being more accessible for flights from Toronto and Montreal.

The news of this amalgamation was coupled with the announcement that Canadian Pacific would be implementing cabooseless train operation testing with the goal to eventually replace the manned caboose with an electronic device on all freight trains.[15]

Together these changes would mark the start of an economic slide for a proud railway community.

Demographics[edit]

Population trend:[18]

  • Population in 2011: 1126
  • Population in 2006: 901
  • Population in 2001: 1448
  • Population in 1996: 1788
  • Population in 1991: 1903

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Schreiber census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-03-29.  Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "cp2011" defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Casque-Isles Hiking Trail Professional Trail Guide, Topo Map, Reviews & Photos". Trails.com. Retrieved 2016-02-06. 
  3. ^ "Schreiber Women's Institute Scrapbook 3, 1985, p. 46: Schreiber Public Library Digital Collections". images.ourontario.ca. Retrieved 2016-01-26. 
  4. ^ "Schreiber Women's Institute Scrapbook 1, 1972, p. 21: The Gateway to Northwestern Ontario History". images.ourontario.ca. Retrieved 2016-01-23. 
  5. ^ "Schreiber Women's Institute Scrapbook 1, 1972, p. 19: The Gateway to Northwestern Ontario History". images.ourontario.ca. Retrieved 2016-01-23. 
  6. ^ "Full Image View: Post card of Schreiber Public School.: Schreiber Public Library Digital Collections". images.ourontario.ca. Retrieved 2016-01-29. 
  7. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 2016-02-06. 
  8. ^ "blackmagic". flickrhivemind.net. Retrieved 2016-02-08. 
  9. ^ "Schreiber Women's Institute Scrapbook 1, 1972, p. 29: The Gateway to Northwestern Ontario History". images.ourontario.ca. Retrieved 2016-01-23. 
  10. ^ "Roman Catholic Church & Guild Hall, Schreiber". Flickr - Photo Sharing!. Retrieved 2016-02-08. 
  11. ^ "Schreiber Women's Institute Scrapbook 1, 1972, p. 33: The Gateway to Northwestern Ontario History". images.ourontario.ca. Retrieved 2016-01-23. 
  12. ^ "Full Image View: Old Schreiber Continuation School Torn Down: Schreiber Public Library Digital Collections". images.ourontario.ca. Retrieved 2016-01-29. 
  13. ^ Wilson-Boast, Director of Education, Heather (June 21, 2002). "Lake Superior High School - Schreiber campus closure" (PDF). PRESS RELEASE – via http://www.sgdsb.on.ca/. 
  14. ^ Branchline (January 1989). "Divisional Operations streamlined in Northern and Eastern Ontario p.3" (PDF). CP Rail News Release 16/11/88. 
  15. ^ [1]
  16. ^ "2006 Community Profiles". Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-21. 
  17. ^ "2001 Community Profiles". Canada 2001 Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012. Retrieved 2011-04-21. 
  18. ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census

External links[edit]