Rainy River, Ontario
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| Rainy River | |
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Ontario |
| District | Rainy River |
| Settled | 1895 |
| Incorporated (township) |
1901 |
| Incorporated (town) |
1902 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Town |
| - Mayor | Deborah Ewald |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal code | P0W 1L0 |
| Area code(s) | 807 |
| Website: www.rainyriver.ca | |
The Canadian town of Rainy River (2006 population 909) is situated on the Ontario-Minnesota border, along the Rainy River opposite Baudette, Minnesota, USA and southeast of the Lake of the Woods along Highway 11.
Rainy River and Baudette are connected by the Baudette-Rainy River International Bridge.
Incorporated as the town of Rainy River in 1904, the actual community was first formed around 1895 by a group of lumbermen whose mill was purchased by the Beaver Mills Lumber Company in 1898. The small village took the name Beaver Mills until it was incorporated as a town, at which point it took its new name from the river on whose shores they had settled.
The town grew rapidly because of the thriving lumber industry, and bolstered by the Ontario and Rainy River Railway built through the town in 1901. However, in 1910, a forest fire originating in northern Minnesota swept north and destroyed most of the town. The mill industry relocated as a result, contributing to a drop in population from more than 4500 people to its current 1000. However, due to the railroad, (absorbed by the Canadian Northern Railway in 1915) since taken over by Canadian National Railways, the growing hunting/fishing tourism industry, the town remained firmly established.
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