Geraldton

Geraldton

Geraldton is a community of a couple of thousand people on Highway 11 in northern Ontario.

Understand

Geraldton is the largest town in the amalgamated Municipality of Greenstone, which covers about 3,200 km² and stretches along Highway 11 for 185 km. Formed in 2001 by the amalgamation of a group of remote mining and forestry communities, Greenstone includes the towns of Beardmore, Caramat, Geraldton, Jellicoe, Longlac, Macdiarmid, Nakina and Orient Bay. As of 2021, the population of Greenstone totalled some 4,300 people, of whom about 1,800 live in Geraldton.

History

The discovery of gold on the shores of Kenogamisis Lake in the early 1930s led to the founding of Geraldton. There is a historical marker on the west side of Main Street in the downtown area.

The name Geraldton is a compound of the surname of financiers of a nearby gold mine near Kenogamisis Lake in 1931 (Fitzgerald and Errington).

The discovery of the Little Long Lac mine in 1932 meant that the Canadian National Railway line (formerly the Canadian Northern Railway) was soon delivering carloads of supplies and equipment to Kenogamisiss Main Street developed between the mine and the tracks, crossing Barton Bay. A townsite sprang up on both sides of the road and railway because it rose so quickly from the swamp.

The Geraldton-Beardmore Gold Camp was home to eight gold mines from 1936 to 1976.

Geraldton was incorporated as a town in 1937. In 1939, a highway link was established with points west and south, including Thunder Bay.

By 1947, Geraldton had benefited from ten gold producers within a 10-mile radius.

As the mines closed down in the 1970s, Geraldton came to depend on forestry as the main resource industry. Several decades passed without any active mines, but mineral exploration continued. These efforts eventually bore fruit, pointing to feasible prospects south of town near the junction of Highways 11 and 584, in the area of the old Hardrock, MacLeod, and Mosher underground mines.

Construction started on the Greenstone Gold Mine in October 2021, a massive open-pit operation which required Highway 11 to be rerouted. The mine poured its first bar on 22 May 2024, marking the first gold production in the area in some 50 years.

Climate

Greenstone experiences a humid continental climate, with long, brutally cold winters and warm summers.

Get in

By car

Geraldton has Highway 11 (Trans-Canada Highway) passing through it.

• From Thunder Bay, it's 280 km. Go east on the combined Highways 11 and 17 to Nipigon, and north on Highway 11.
• From North Bay, it's 835 km north and west on Highway 11.

By bus

• 1 Kasper Bus, 211 Main St (at Spot On Convenience), ☏ +1-807-699-7200, toll-free: +1-855-566-2378. Operates bus service in Northern Ontario and Manitoba.. (updated May 2022) Operates a bus route between Thunder Bay and Longlac including stops in Nipigon and Geraldton. Travel time to Geraldton from Thunder Bay is 3.5 hours, from Nipigon is 2.25 hours, and from Longlac is 40 minutes.

By train

• The nearest train station is in Longlac, about 40 km (25 mi) east on Highway 11. Alternatively, you can catch the train in Nakina, 65 km (40 mi) north via Highway 584.

By plane

• 2 Geraldton (Greenstone Regional) Airport (YGQ  ^IATA), 102 MacOdrum Drive, Highway 584 (9 km north of Geraldton), ☏ +1 807 854-1694. It serves private aircraft only. (updated Dec 2018)

The nearest airport with scheduled service is Thunder Bay International Airport (YQT ^IATA).

Get around

• G-Town Taxi, 109 Third Ave NE, ☏ +1 807 853-2746. 

See

• 1 Geraldton Interpretive Centre, 1800 Main Street (at the junction of Highways 11 & 584), ☏ +1 807 854-0099. Mid-May to late Aug: daily 9AM-5PM. A visitor centre and small museum on the Trans-Canada Highway. The museum describes the history of the region's fur trade and mining activities. A small gift shop offers items handcrafted by local artisans.. (updated Jun 2024)

Do

• At the entry point to the town stands the Greenstone municipal administration building, which has a pleasant lakeside park with picnic tables and a playground for children.
• 1 Kenogamisis Golf Club, 432 Michael Power Blvd (Hwy 584), ☏ +1 807 854-1029, fax: +1 807 854-1029. 18-hole course with driving range, practice green and bunker, pro shop, clubhouse with restaurant (open for breakfast, lunch and dinner), fully equipped bar. (updated Jun 2024)
• 2 MacLeod Provincial Park, Highway 11, ☏ +1 807 854-0370. Mid-May to mid-Sep. 74-ha park. Campground, small beach, and good fishing. Offers canoeing on Kenogamisis Lake. Campsites accommodate tents, trailers, and RVs; many sites are on the shoreline. (updated Jun 2024)

Annual events include a popular trade show, a fish derby, a music festival for local talent, and the Bergstrom golf tournament, played on an 18-hole course.

Eat

• 1 Popeye Restaurant, 209 Geraldton Main St, ☏ +1 807 854-0053. Tu-F 8AM-2PM, Sa 7:30AM-2PM. Not the chicken chain restaurant—a local diner with friendly atmosphere, good food, generous portions, and delicious home cooking. (updated Apr 2022)
• 2 Rotiss-A-Fry, 311 Main St, ☏ +1 807 854-0735. M-F 11AM–8PM. Formerly a Mary Browns franchise location, this local place offers fried chicken, fried potatoes, and fried finger foods, but also sandwiches, burgers, and salads. (updated Dec 2024)

Drink

• 1 The Country Club Venue, 107 Third St N, ☏ +1 807 620-6876. Bar with disc jockey or live music. 

Sleep

• 1 Kenogamisis Lake Resort, toll-free: +1-877-801-3101. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 10AM. Hunting and fishing on Kenogamisis Lake. Eight cabins with broadband Internet, satellite TV, gas furnace or fireplace, electric range and refrigerator. $100-150/day. 
• 2 The Victoria Bed & Breakfast, 205 2nd Ave SE, ☏ +1 807-863-0243. Six rooms on two floors. Each floor has its own living room with flat screen TV and cable TV. Free wi-fi throughout. (updated Jun 2024)
• 3 Between Bridges Inn, 8358 Highway 11, ☏ +1 807 854-0188. Restaurant on site. (updated Jun 2024)
• Crown & Anchor Motel, 1801 Main Street, ☏ +1 807 854-1985. Kitchen suites available. Restaurant on site. (updated Dec 2018)
• 4 White Wolf Resort (7 km N on Highway 584), ☏ +1 807 854-1519, awakeat1216@gmail.com. The cottages are fully furnished, and overlook Hutchison Lake. Every cottage is fully winterized, and electrically heated. Fully serviced RV sites, and tenting areas in the summer months. 12 acres of waterfront property, a sandy beach which is great for swimming, a playground for children, a boat docking area, a laundry area, a fish cleaning station. Satellite TV and Wireless High Speed Internet are available. (updated Dec 2018)

Connect

• 1 Greenstone Public Library - Geraldton Branch (405 Second St W). M T Sa 1-5PM, W Th 10AM-noon, 1PM-5PM. Provides free public Wi-Fi, and computers with internet access. (updated Jun 2024)

Go next

• Longlac — the next small town heading east on Highway 11, served by VIA Rail's transcontinental service between Vancouver and Toronto, The Canadian.
• Nipigon — southwest, where Highway 11 joins Highway 17, en route to Thunder Bay on the Lake Superior North Shore. A smaller town than Geraldton, but a hub for fishing on Lake Superior.

Routes through Geraldton

Thunder Bay ← Nipigon ←

W  E

→ Longlac → Cochrane