Temiskaming Shores and Cobalt
Rocky Canadian shield, vast lakes, majestic forests — welcome to Ontario’s north. Indigenous peoples have inhabited these lands for centuries and Lake Temiskaming, at the headwaters of the Ottawa River, makes it an historic region for transportation and trade. Then there’s the extraordinary history of Cobalt’s silver rush in 1903, resulting in headlines around the world. No wonder the region provided inspiration for artists like the Group of Seven.
Day One
Haileybury was founded in 1889 by Charles C. Farr, an employee of Hudson Bay Company. As a lakeside neighbour to Cobalt, many mining bigwigs made it their home, evidenced by beautiful houses from that era that still exist on Lakeshore Road, once known as Millionaire’s Row. Walking in downtown Haileybury and out to the marina is a great way to see the town and its lovely sand beach, complete with waterslide. You may want to fortify yourself for that walk with a breakfast stop at Beach Bitez in the Haileybury Beach Motel — the restaurant also specializes in Indian food and west-meets-east fusions. (Butter chicken poutine, anyone?) And while, yes, it’s still morning, craft beer lovers note that Haileybury is home to July’s annual North on Tap Craft Beer Festival, featuring Ontario craft breweries, local food and music.
Drop into the Haileybury Heritage Museum to explore the town’s history, in particular the 1922 fire (one of the ten worst natural disasters in Canadian history). It’s an essential stop for Northern Ontario history buffs and kids alike. The latter will beeline to the fire truck, streetcar and tugboat on display. The former will be intrigued to know that after the fire Toronto sent a fleet of streetcars — for relief housing.
Another aspect of the region’s heritage is found at the Haileybury RockWalk Park and Arboretum, on the grounds of Northern College. You’ll see over two hundred geological exhibits from both near (Northern Ontario mines) and far (Baffin Island and Labrador).
Next, head to the Temiskaming Art Gallery, a showcase for both local artists as well other artists from Ontario’s north. The gallery — fully accessible and featuring a spectacular view of Lake Temiskaming — has been pivotal in showcasing northeastern Ontario visual art since 1980. TAG is also a mainstay in the community, hosting Art in the Park events and Open Studio Libre, a free-access art studio.
New Liskeard, the biggest of the three towns making up Temiskaming Shores, is on the northwest tip of Lake Temiskaming, making it a perfect place to savour the vast lake’s beauty. (Kids can enjoy the Rotary Splash Pad while adults gaze upon the lake.) Savour lunch too, with options including Tap That Bar & Kitchen’s “barrel aged cocktails to craft burgers and comfort food” or Ali’s Bar & Grill’s “casual fine dining.” Café and book/game lovers check out Chat Noir Books with its vast collection of books and games, (plus specialty coffees), while fans of local arts and crafts will want to visit Spirit of the Arts Gallery and Foto Shop. (And, on summer Saturdays, the Riverside Farmers’ Market.)
While on the waterfront, take time for reflection at the moving monument to Shannen Koostachin, who led a campaign to have a new school built in her Indigenous community — the largest youth-led rights movement in Canadian history. Note too that the New Liskeard base for Keepers of the Circle Aboriginal Family Learning Centre is a community hub for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples alike, with cultural workshops, community feasts and more.
North of New Liskeard the land transitions from rugged shield to the flatlands of the clay belt, a surprise to many first-time northern visitors. The giant Ms. Claybelt, a 12-foot tall cow, stands proudly beside The Little Claybelt Homesteaders Museum as a marker of the region’s agricultural prowess. The museum itself looks at early pioneer life from the 1880s to the 1950s. On Saturdays in summer continue north on highway eleven to visit Bison du Nord, Canada’s largest bison farm, run by a family with a passion for everything bison. Tractor-towed wagon tours provide an opportunity to get up close to the shaggy beasts.
A popular spot for dinner is 28 On The Lake for high-end pub food and (yet another!) great view of Lake Temiskaming. Or check out Zante’s Bar & Grill, with farm-to-table cuisine. Take a post-dinner stroll along the lovely waterfront boardwalk trail before enjoying live music at either of the above — Zante’s is also home to trivia nights. Francophiles (the region’s strong French presence dates back to the 17th century) may want to check in with Le Centre culturel ARTEM to see if any events are in the offing. Or, time your visit for November’s Village Noel Temiskaming, a Christmas village filled with Francophone artisans and musicians. Incidentally, the Lake Temiskaming Tour website is an excellent source of French-related activities on both the Ontario and Quebec side of Lake Temiskaming.
Day Two
The stampede for glittering silver turned Cobalt into the fourth-largest silver producer in history, with Willet G. Miller, Ontario’s first provincial geologist, noting there were “pieces of native silver as big as stove lids and cannon balls.” In truth, for two thousand years before white man’s “discovery” of silver Indigenous people had been trading metals from the area — ceremonial panpipes and jewellery made from Cobalt silver have turned up in burial mounds and archeological digs in the U.S. Indigenous claims did not deter white prospectors and claim jumpers though. They swelled the town’s population, and the frenetic growth included everything from saloons to an opera house. The speed at which Cobalt was born is evidenced today in the curving streets and wood-framed houses perched precipitously on hills. It’s a bit of a time machine, with the old mining buildings best explored via the self-guided Cobalt Silver Heritage Trail. (For a look through an arts lens, visit Lake Temiskaming Tour).
Take a lunch break at the Silver Café, an unpretentious spot with good diner fare. Then head to the Cobalt Mining Museum, a literal treasure trove with the world’s largest display of native silver ore, plus a deep-dive collection of silver rush artifacts. At its mining peak Cobalt had over 100 mines, and it’s credited with creating the Toronto Standard Stock and Mining Exchange in 1908. As the joke of the day went, Toronto was the place you changed trains to get to Cobalt! No wonder Cobalt’s been called Ontario’s Most Historic Town and is a Parks Canada National Historic Site. In Cobalt you also have a rare opportunity to get a firsthand glimpse of what it would have been like to be a silver miner, via a guided tour of the Colonial Mine, which operated from 1907 to 1937 and produced a whopping 1.25 million ounces of silver.
White Mountain Books provides excellent browsing as well as the opportunity to learn more about local history. The bookstore is even housed in an historic site, the Coniagas Shaft House #4 at Silver Street and Prospect Avenue. Check out Poor Boy Soles Bespoke Shoe Co. for made-to-measure footwear and leather goods using traditional techniques. Then visit Laura’s Art Shoppe for locally-made sculpture, pottery and glass creations, as well as cards and prints reflecting Temiskaming’s beauty. Drop into The Crystal Vault, an artisan-run collective, for eco-friendly sustainable products. From shopping to hiking – a fifteen-minute drive east takes you to the magnificent cliff originally known as Manidoo-Wabikong, today as Devil’s or Spirit Rock. The 40-minute hike (two to four kilometres, depending on the trail) ends with superb lake views. The landmark cliff has literary history too, featured on the cover of the Hardy Boys mystery, The House on the Cliff, ghost written by local (and highly successful) author Leslie McFarlane.
For a pub stop in Cobalt the place to go is Miner’s Tavern, boasting live local music. You could also check out the Classic Theatre, the only remaining theatre from the silver boom, with shows ranging from comedy to magic to music. Or, conclude your northern weekend in the larger centres of New Liskeard and Haileybury. New Liskeard’s Waterfront Inn is a popular spot to stay by the lake, while Haileybury’s Whiskey Jack Beer Company is a local favourite, a microbrewery founded by a self-proclaimed “boy from the North.”
Your trip at a glance
See
- Cobalt Silver Heritage Trail
- Lake Temiskaming Tours
- Cobalt Mining Museum
- The Classic Theatre Cobalt
- Manidoo-Wabikong, Known Today as Thunder/Devil's Rock
- Haileybury Heritage Museum
- Temiskaming Art Gallery
- Ms. Claybelt
- The Little Claybelt Homesteaders Museum
- Bison Du Nord
- Le Centre Culturel Artem
- Monument to Shannen Koostachin
Shop
Eat & Drink
This guide represents a weekend-long experience, highlighting one of the many wonderful destinations in the area. To suggest a destination for a future guide, please CONTACT US.
All editorial decisions were made at the sole discretion of Ontario Culture Days staff. This guide was written by Li Robbins.