Capreol | |
|---|---|
Community | |
 | |
 Location of two squares withinGreater Sudbury. | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Ontario |
| City | Greater Sudbury |
| Ward | 7 |
| Incorporated | April 1, 1918 |
| Government | |
| • City Councillor | Mike Jakubo |
| • Governing Body | Greater Sudbury City Council |
| • MP | Marc Serré (Liberal) |
| • MPP | France Gélinas (NDP) |
| Population (2016)[1] | |
• Total | 3,260 |
| • Density | 1,417.9/km2 (3,672/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Postal Code FSA | P0M 1H0 |
| Area code | 705 |
| Website | Capreol Community Action Network |
Capreol (/ˈkeɪpriɒl/KAY-pree-ol)[2] is a community in theOntario city ofGreater Sudbury. Situated on theVermilion River (35 mins north of the downtown core), Capreol is the city's northernmost populated area.
From 1918 to 2000, Capreol existed as an independent town. However, on January 1, 2001, the towns and cities of theRegional Municipality of Sudbury were amalgamated into the single-tier city of Greater Sudbury.
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Capreol formed around theCapreol railway station, which was a majordivisional point on theCanadian National Railway line. Its name comes fromFrederick Chase Capreol, the original promoter of theNorthern Railway of Canada. It was founded in 1911 and incorporated as a town in 1918.[3] The first family to move into Capreol was Adolph and Margaret Sawyer, both of whom pioneered in farming.
Although the town was originally an independent community with its own thriving economy, it gradually became a satellite community to the more rapidly growing city ofSudbury, approximately 40 kilometres to the south. In 1916, there were thirty families in town, and by 1919, sixty houses had been built. It was then decided that Capreol would build its ownYMCA. In 1920, the construction of the YMCA was in progress, but was damaged by fire, to the extent of $40,000. The YMCA was rebuilt at double the cost and finally opened in 1921.
In 1973, the boundaries of the town of Capreol were expanded to include the nearby villages of Sellwood and Milnet, and the town was incorporated into theRegional Municipality of Sudbury. However, despite its status as part of the regional municipality, during this eraStatistics Canada did not include the town in Sudbury'sCensus Metropolitan Area.
The former villages of Milnet and Sellwood, located within the area annexed by Capreol in 1973, are both nowghost towns. TheNational Steel Corporation mined iron ore in Sellwood and transported it south toDepot Harbour for onwards shipment to its plants inDetroit.
Milnet (originally named Sellwood Junction up to 1916) began as a stop along theCanadian Northern Railway. In 1917, after the railway was laid down, the Marshay Lumber Company built a mill and began a 22-year process of cutting trees from the area. Men from logging camps upstream would let theVermilion River carry the logs to the mill in Milnet. From there the men at themill would cut the wood on the blade and then move it along to the planar mill, for eventual shipment eastwards by rail.
Anopen pit mine now stands where the Sellwood townsite once was.
On January 1, 2001, Capreol and the other cities and towns of the regional municipality were amalgamated into the city of Greater Sudbury. In theCanada 2011 Census, Capreol was listed for the first time as one of six distinct population centres (orurban areas) within the city, with a population of 3,276 and a population density of 537.7 km2;[4] however, the boundaries of this statistical aggregation correspond only to the main townsite of Capreol, and not to the full municipal boundaries as they existed prior to 2001. The community is part of Ward 7 onGreater Sudbury City Council, and is represented by councillor Mike Jakubo.
Capreol is the location of theNorthern Ontario Railroad Museum, a heritage attraction located in the former CN and CNoR superintendent's home and Prescott Park, taking up a large portion of the town's downtown core parallel to the railroad tracks.
From 1978 to 1986, Capreol had aNorthern Ontario Junior Hockey League team called theCapreol Hawks, who won the league title in 1980-81.
Capreol has a long history as a Northern Ontariorailway town and is today still situated along theCanadian National Railway mainline. It is served by theCanadian, Canada's transcontinental passenger rail service, which is operated byVia Rail and which stops atCapreol station. Capreol station marks theCanadian's last north- and west-bound stop in Greater Sudbury before continuing its journey towardNorthwestern Ontario and, ultimately,British Columbia.
Local bus service is available in Capreol viaGreater Sudbury Transit's 105 Valley Route, which connects with downtown Sudbury and the Sudbury Transit Centre.
