Killaloe, Ontario

[1] The name Killaloe (pronounced "KILL-a-LOO") hails from a community of the same name in Ireland and salutes the Irish heritage of many of the first settlers to this area, who came to Canada in the early 19th century seeking a better life.

Built in 1849, and rebuilt in 1870 after a devastating fire, the mill at Old Killaloe harnessed waterpower to grind grain for area residents up to 1930, and planed lumber until the 1960s.

In those days it was known as Fort McDonnell, but it became known as Killaloe Station circa 1868[2] when the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway was expanding at a furious pace through the rugged countryside of the Madawaska Valley in response to the demands of the lumber industry.

Both large and small logging operations and sawmills still support the local economy even though the railway no longer runs through the village.

For years, Killaloe was known across Canada for its radio and weather station, which operated here from 1938 to 1972[3] as part of a country-wide chain of sites designed for aircraft communication.