Bancroft, Ontario

Town of Bancroft
Town
Station Street, Bancroft
Nickname:  York Mills
Motto:  A four seasons playground.
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Hastings
Settled	1853
Renamed †	October 15, 1879
Government
• Mayor	Lloyd Churchill
• Council	Bancroft Town Council Bancroft Ward Dungannon Ward
Area
• Land	227.84 km2 (87.97 sq mi)
Population  (2006)
• Total	3,838
• Density	16.8/km2 (44/sq mi)
	The population decreased 6.1% from 2001 to 2006.
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Area code	613 (332 & 334 exchanges)
Website	www.town.bancroft.on.ca
† Bancroft was originally named York Mills.

Bancroft (2006 Population 3,838) is a town located on the York River in Hastings County in the Canadian province of Ontario.

History

In 1853 the first family settled in the area, and in the next 15 years the settlement grew quickly when another 88 families followed. The original settlement was called York Mills but on 15 October 1879, it was renamed Bancroft by Senator Billa Flint after the maiden name of his wife Phoebe.

The town was once a centre for uranium mining, and the closing of the Madawaska mine caused some economic hardship.

Attractions

The old train station in Bancroft was serving as the Chamber of Commerce and Mineral Museum but was condemned in 2008. The Chamber, Mineral Museum and the Art Gallery have relocated in town.

Located in Central Ontario, part of the Canadian Shield, Bancroft is well known in Canada as an excellent location for rockhounding. Bancroft styles itself as the "mineral capital of Canada" and holds an annual event in August called the Rockhound Gemboree.

There is also a Mineral Museum in Bancroft dedicated to the area's storied mining history. There is little active mining going on today.

A popular location is a craggy lookout called Eagle's Nest, a short distance north of the town. This scenic cliff, with a height of over Template:M to ft, overlooks the York River valley, the town of Bancroft, and other densely forest-covered ridges that surround it. Template:M to ft icicles dangle from its largest and most massive cliff in the winter and conceals parts of it entirely. It is a popular spot for mountain climbers to practice ice climbing in the winter. However, the road to the top is steep and generally impassable in the winter. Another popular location is a series of abandoned Mineral caves/mines at Egan's Chute on Highway 28 north-east of Bancroft.

Egan's Chute lies east of the town on Highway 28. The chute is a small gorge which the York River churns through, creating white water falls.

The local post office on Station St. services locals with lock boxes and five rural routes.

The lakes surrounding Bancroft are dotted with cottages, mostly seasonally occupied. One of the largest and most beautiful in the area, with a very fine public beach, is Paudash Lake, about 15 minutes south down Hy. 28.

Bancroft lies in a region criss-crossed with snowmobile trails, making it a hub for snowmobilers in the winter months. In the summer these trails are used by hikers and ATV enthusiasts.

The local curling club has existed for 50 years (est. 1957), and has hosted increasingly notable bonspiels - including a recent (winter 2005) Ontario Regional Men's Championship and (March 2008) Tim Hortons Colts Provincial Championship. The town now sports one 9 hole golf course, and one 18 hole golf course.

Arts

In 2004, Bancroft won TVOntario's "Most Talented Town in Ontario" contest. A large number of artists and artisans live in the surrounding area, and when exhibiting together in events like the "Fall Studio Tour" the local talent is quite remarkable.

The town has the Bancroft Village Playhouse, a theatre which has been hosting sold out plays and musicals since the early 1990s.

Notable People

• Former NHL defenseman Bryan Watson.
• Olympic bronze medalist in luge Clay Ives.

Transportation

Bancroft lies at the intersection of two provincial highways, Highway 28 and Highway 62.

Bancroft is served by a small airport, Bancroft Airport, with a 2,200 foot (670 meter) crushed gravel runway, located immediately adjoining the town. The airport is operated by the Bancroft Flying Club and is freely available to the general public. Due to high terrain near both ends of the runway, pilots typically use a non-standard circuit, following the York River valley through the town for departing from runway 12 or landing on runway 30.

The railroad used to go through the town. The first train from the Central Ontario Railway arrived in November 1900. The railway went through the Musclow-Greenview road and extended behind Birds Creek through a back trail (which is now used for cyclists and fourwheeling) and continued through the town eventually going further away from the town at the 'Y' road division. The line was closed in 1975 and subsequently removed.

Camping

Nearby Silent Lake Provincial Park provides local camping opportunities. American sportsmen fished and hunted on this private lake for 40 years before it became a park. Silent Lake has a rocky and undeveloped shoreline, a mixed forest and marshes full of birds and wildlife best seen by canoe. A rugged trail circles the lake, and sections of groomed ski trails have been graded for mountain biking.

Media

Print

• Bancroft Times
• Bancroft This Week
• North Hastings Advertiser

Radio

• AM 600 - CBLV, CBC Radio One
• FM 97.7 - CHMS ("Moose FM"), hot adult contemporary
• FM 103.5 - CKJJ ("Re-broadcaster of UCB Canada"), Christian Music

Television

• Channel 2: CIII-TV-2 - Global Television
• Channel 4: CHEX-TV-1 - CBC Television

See also

• List of communities in Ontario

External links

• Town of Bancroft official website
• Bancroft Village Playhouse
• Bancroft & District Chamber of Commerce