Atikokan, Ontario, is a charming town nestled in the Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as one of the main entry points into Quetico Provincial Park, Atikokan proudly promotes itself as the "Canoeing Capital of Canada". With a population of 2,642 as of the 2021 census, this town is an enclave within the Unorganized Rainy River District.
The original inhabitants of the Atikokan area were the "Oschekamega Wenenewak" (Ojibwa/Chippewa). The arrival of Jacques de Noyon in 1688 marked the beginning of European contact and the expansion and exploration of the Atikokan area.
Atikokan was established as a Divisional Point for the Canadian Northern Railway. The town is geographically located within the Central Time Zone, but uses UTC−05:00 year round and does not observe daylight saving time.
Before the 2nd World War, mineral exploration in the area determined the presence of a large, high grade, iron ore deposit at the bottom of Steep Rock Lake. After the war, a large water diversion project on the Seine River system was undertaken to enable the draining and dredging of Steep Rock lake in order to develop open-pit mining operations.
Two large mines (Steep Rock Iron Mines and Caland Ore Co.) commenced operations in the late 1950s and continued for more than 30 years. When the mines closed in the early 1980s, the town of Atikokan suffered economically but continued to survive on natural resource-based industries and tourism.
In 1994, a 10 megawatt hydroelectric generating station (Valerie Falls Power) was developed on the Seine River diversion that had facilitated the opening of the mines 40 years earlier. From 2012 until 2014, the Atikokan Generating Station was converted from a coal-fueled to a hundred percent biomass-fueled plant. On February 1, 2013, Resolute Forest Products announced its plans to develop a new single-line random-length sawmill located in the Atikokan area, to be operational in 2014. The plan would create 90 direct jobs in Atikokan, with the additional benefit of supplying residual forest products to nearby pulp and paper mills.
Atikokan has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with four distinct seasons. Winters are long, cold and snowy while summers are warm. Precipitation is higher during the summer months and lower during the winter months.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Atikokan had a population of 2,642 living in 1,259 of its 1,464 total private dwellings, a change of -4% from its 2016 population of 2,753. With a land area of 313.64 km2 (121.10 sq mi), it had a population density of 8.4/km2 (21.8/sq mi) in 2021.
The town is located off Highway 11, between Thunder Bay and Fort Frances. A CN Rail branch line runs along the south side of town. When Atikokan opened its first rail line, fares were $15. Atikokan Municipal Airport is located to the northwest of the town.
Atikokan was selected as the host site for the 2003 edition of 'Raid the North Extreme', a televised 6 day multi-sport expedition race that visits wilderness locations across Canada. A key factor in the selection was the proximity to Quetico Provincial Park. Quetico Park, located about 20 minutes south from the town of Atikokan, is a protected park with a route of lakes that was once traveled by the voyageurs.
The Atikokan Public Library started on December 16, 1952, with only 700 books. Currently it has a varied collection of 30,000 items such as books, CDs, DVDs, and e-books, and offers public computers and computer instruction. The Atikokan Centennial Museum has a collection of heavy equipment from early logging, mining and railroad days. The Atikokan Entertainment Series offers six or more high quality performances per season. Quetico Provincial Park's Artist in Residence Program offers workshops, demonstrations and opportunities to artists from around the world to immerse themselves in the beauty of the area. The Pictograph Gallery is a volunteer-run gallery that features arts and crafts of local and regional artists.
