Almonte is a former mill town located in Lanark County, in the eastern portion of Ontario, Canada. Formerly a separate municipality, Almonte is now a ward of the town of Mississippi Mills, which was created on January 1, 1998, by the merging of Almonte with Ramsay and Pakenham townships. Almonte is located south-west of downtown Ottawa. Its population as recorded in the 2016 Canadian Census was 5,039.
History
First settlers
Almonte's first European-bred settler was David Shepherd, who in 1818 was given by the Crown to build and operate a mill. The site became known as Shepherd's Falls. That name was never official, however, and Shepherd sold his patent after his mill burned down. The buyer of the patent, Daniel Shipman, rebuilt the mill and the settlement became known as Shipman's Mills by about 1821. The majority of Shipman's Mills' early settlers were Scottish and later Irish. A textile town almost from the start, by 1850 it was the home of seven busy woollen mills of Messrs B & W Rosamond. It was one of the leading centres in Canada West for the manufacture of woollen cloth. The construction of a railway line to Brockville stimulated the economic growth of Almonte. During this time of rapid expansion, the town changed its name from Shipman's Mills to Ramsayville, and then to Waterford. In 1869, Almonte was a village with a population of 2,000 situated on the Mississippi River in the Township of Ramsay, County of Lanark. It was a station of the Brockville and Ottawa Railway. By the 1870 the town had thirty stores and forty other businesses. Almonte was incorporated as a village in 1871, and was later incorporated as a town in 1880.
Origin of the name Almonte
When, in 1855, the newly-created Canadian post office pointed out there was already a Waterford in Canada West, the town needed yet another name change. Relations between the United States and Great Britain had been antagonistic since the Revolutionary War and later the War of 1812. Border wars between Mexico and the United States in the 1830s increased this antagonism. Mexican general Juan Almonte had fought honourably in these latter wars, and by 1853 had become Mexico's ambassador to the United States. In the ensuing climate of Canadian mistrust of American territorial ambitions, General Almonte's name would have been well known to Waterford's citizens. Though there is no decisive evidence as to the final motive for the name change, it appears likely that Waterford saw Almonte as a "principled David fighting a Goliath interested in swallowing up all North America." The proposed name change was accepted by the Combined Counties of Lanark and Renfrew in June 1855, although the post office didn't record the new name until 1859. Whenever the name may have been formally accepted, it led to Almonte being the only community in Ontario, and likely Canada, to be named for a Mexican general.
Almonte train wreck, 1942
On December 27, 1942, a troop train rear-ended a passenger train standing in the station at Almonte. Thirty-nine people were killed and more than 150 were injured. The local genealogy page provides photos and a contemporary newspaper report of the wreck.
Present day
After the last textile millclosed in the early 1980s, Almonte no longer had a dominant industry. It has since turned its attention towards tourism. It offers museums and several historical spots, such as the home of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, and the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum. Almonte retains much of its 19th-century architecture. The former Almonte post office, designed in 1889 by Thomas Fuller, and the Rosamond Woollen Mill, the largest 19th-century textile mill in Canada, are both designated as National Historic Sites of Canada. Almonte has a skate park and splash pad which is open to the public and is located at the arena.
Events and attractions
Festivals
Almonte is home to several festivals and events, including the North Lanark Highland Games, Naismith 3-on-3 Basketball Festival, Almonte Celtfest and Busfusion.
North Lanark Highland Games
The North Lanark Highland Games have been held annually in Almonte since 1982. The Games feature traditional Highland sports and entertainment, and bring in about 6,000 visitors each summer.
Almonte Celtfest
The Almonte Celtfest has been held annually in Almonte's Gemmill Park since 1997. The festival's goal is to "celebrate and promote the Celtic heritage of the Ottawa Valley through music and dance."
