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the air, the train's conductor advised Gagné not to leave the safety of the train. Gagné instead entered Nushka and led 35 people to the railway line. He then returned to the burning town to save 28 others. Within a few hours both groups had burned to death or been suffocated, the lone survivor a man who used moist clay to filter the smoke. Nushka was completely destroyed. Of the town's inhabitants, only eight were left after the fire.
63:
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305:
On July 29, 1916—at around the same time a large forest fire was reaching Nushka—the settlement's priest, Wilfred Gagné, was arriving in Nushka by train following a clerical retreat. Gagné had been priest in Nushka for just a month, and lived above Nushka's store. As heavy smoke filled
279:
In 1911, the Church of the
Immaculate Conception was founded in Nushka, along with a school. A post office, "Nushka Station", opened that same year. The early settlement had a creamery, a store, about 20 frame houses, and a temporary railway station made of a boxcar fitted with a platform.
260:, which burned more than 3,100 km (1,200 sq mi) of forest. The town was rebuilt and renamed "Val Gagné", for Wilfrid "Little Father" Gagné, a Catholic priest who died trying to rescue his parishioners from the fire.
320:
The Church of the
Immaculate Conception continues to function in Val Gagné. Val Gagné has an outdoor skating rink, a ball park, a community hall, a senior's housing facility, a fire department, and a
375:
272:
constructed a line through the area between 1906 and 1909. Shortly after, a
Catholic clergyman named Bourassa began settling families from the nearby province of
39:
891:
729:
1109:
608:
636:
The
Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church Front Cover
1581:
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84:
1433:
1377:
1372:
269:
276:, at two locations along line, Ramore and Nushka (now Val Gagné). Under the auspices of the church, the settlers established farms around Nushka.
829:
Sessional Papers, Vol. XLVIII — Part XL - Second
Session of the Fourteenth Legislature of the Fourteenth Legislature of the Province of Ontario
520:
1035:
324:
credit union. The township of Black River-Matheson operates a bi-monthly transportation service to take Val Gagné residents shopping in
1367:
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55:
196:
283:
The influence of the church made Nushka "something of a spiritual centre...more of an extension of northern Quebec than of
Ontario".
807:
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644:
309:
When Nushka rebuilt, it was renamed in Gagné's honour, and a monument dedicated to Gagné was erected in the Val Gagné Cemetery.
1102:
468:
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253:, which passed through Val Gagné, made its final passenger run in 2012. An Ontario Northland bus now stops at Val Gagné.
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440:"Canadian National Railways system time table April 30, 1961 to October 28, 1961 Timetable Table 38 n"
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1019:"Corporation of the Township of Black River-Matheson - Minutes, Regular Council Meeting"
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577:"A Century Later, Great Matheson Fire of 1916 Still Deadliest in Canadian History"
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The railway in Nushka shortly after the fire, where at least 35 bodies were found
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875:"'Lest We Forget' Canada's Major Wildland Fire Disasters of the Past, 1825-1938"
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609:"#Canada150: The Deadliest Fire in Canada's History was in Northern Ontario"
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390:"Page 22: Present Day King's Highway 11 Photographs (Matheson to Cochrane)"
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Previously called "Nushka", the settlement was completely destroyed in the
1181:
688:
Changing Places: History, Community, and
Identity in Northeastern Ontario
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325:
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129:
521:"Matheson Museum Exhibit Marks 100th Anniversary of Devastating Fire"
273:
1491:
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547:"A Survivor's Story of Northern Ontario's Disastrous Bush Fire"
235:. For many years the community was accessible by train. The
223:, Canada. It is located 1.5 km (0.93 mi) east of
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is an unincorporated rural community in the township of
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751:. Iroquois Falls & District Chamber of Commerce
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115:
23:
1024:. Township of Black River-Matheson. 27 June 2011.
774:"Eyewitness Story of the North Country Holocaust"
18:Unincorporated rural community in Ontario, Canada
825:"Annual Report: Bridge and Building Department"
1041:. Township of Black River-Matheson. June 2013.
691:. McGill-Queen's Press. pp. 67, 70, 108.
1103:
1053:"Community Transportation Schedule 2017-2018"
880:. International Association of Wildland Fire.
469:"Northlander Train Makes Historic Final Ride"
8:
894:. Library and Archives Canada. 27 May 2014.
732:. Library and Archives Canada. 27 May 2014.
364:. Natural Resources Canada. 6 October 2016.
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602:
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317:The Val Gagné post office closed in 1980.
44:The abandoned National Tavern in Val Gagné
20:
791:
789:
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873:Alexander, Martin E. (25 October 2010).
743:
741:
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270:Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway
1080:. Société Radio‑Canada. 18 August 2010.
680:
678:
394:Photographic History of King's Highways
350:
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114:
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48:
36:
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710:
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716:"Church of the Immaculate Conception"
378:. Statistics Canada. 2 November 2016.
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7:
1078:"Décès de l'auteure Hélène Brodeur"
1058:. Township of Black River-Matheson
999:. Township of Black River-Matheson
977:. Township of Black River-Matheson
955:. Township of Black River-Matheson
933:. Township of Black River-Matheson
906:"Église de l'Immaculée-Conception"
780:. 2 August 1916. pp. 1, 4, 5.
14:
340:, educator, journalist and writer
62:
1582:Communities in Cochrane District
1556:Communities in Cochrane District
1145:
61:
54:
38:
718:. GCatholic.org. 19 March 2018.
633:Pace, Edward Aloysius (1922).
607:Commito, Mike (28 July 2017).
545:Dowson, William C. H. (1916).
519:Hale, Alan S. (18 July 2016).
32:Unincorporated rural community
1:
846:Black, Robson (August 1916).
848:"The Searchlight on Ontario"
525:Cornwall Standard-Freeholder
1561:Census divisions of Ontario
661:"Ontario Northland Railway"
1598:
975:"Meeting Rooms/Auditorium"
551:Popular Mechanics Magazine
290:
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852:Canadian Forestry Journal
237:Ontario Northland Railway
80:
49:
37:
30:
1036:"Community Profile 2013"
802:. Dundurn. p. 271.
749:"The Great Fire of 1916"
639:. : Encyclopedia Press.
1361:Unorganized territories
796:MacKay, Donald (2007).
685:Abel, Kerry M. (2006).
823:Oldham, W. G. (1916).
376:"Black River-Matheson"
302:
287:The Great Fire of 1916
1388:Local services boards
778:The Porcupine Advance
300:
176: • Summer (
100:48.61694°N 80.63889°W
1203:Black River-Matheson
447:Streamliner Memories
415:"Val Gagne, Ontario"
213:Black River-Matheson
152:Black River-Matheson
1208:Fauquier-Strickland
997:"Senior's Services"
497:. Ontario Northland
475:. 28 September 2012
105:48.61694; -80.63889
96: /
1472:Fontaine's Landing
1406:Lac-Sainte-Thérèse
1345:Indian settlements
931:"Outdoor Rink Use"
831:. A. T. Wilgress:
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1187:Smooth Rock Falls
1119:Cochrane District
419:Roadside Thoughts
217:Cochrane District
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583:. 29 July 2016
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81:Coordinates:
57:
41:
29:
22:
16:
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1336:New Post 69A
1264:Marten Falls
1072:
1060:. Retrieved
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1001:. Retrieved
991:
979:. Retrieved
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449:. p. 25
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15:
1532:Smoky Falls
1522:Pagwa River
1487:Ghost River
1422:communities
1352:Fort Albany
1331:New Post 69
1259:Kashechewan
1254:Fort Albany
1249:Flying Post
1177:Kapuskasing
892:"Val Gagné"
613:Sudbury.com
495:"Val Gagne"
362:"Val Gagné"
242:Northlander
103: /
1554:See also:
1396:Hallébourg
1378:South West
1373:South East
1295:Abitibi 70
1269:Moose Cree
345:References
227:, between
225:Highway 11
91:80°38′20″W
1542:Val Gagné
1517:Norembega
1477:Frederick
1459:Driftwood
1279:Wahgoshig
1223:Opasatika
1196:Townships
557:: 517–519
209:Val Gagné
159:Time zone
88:48°37′1″N
69:Val Gagné
25:Val Gagné
1576:Category
1482:Gardiner
1444:Calstock
1218:Moonbeam
1182:Moosonee
1162:Cochrane
581:CBC News
473:CBC News
251:Cochrane
229:Matheson
148:Township
142:Cochrane
137:District
125:Province
1497:Kitigan
1467:Florida
1449:Coppell
1434:Bourkes
1137:Timmins
1123:Ontario
1062:27 June
1003:27 June
981:27 June
959:27 June
937:27 June
915:22 July
755:27 June
667:27 June
618:22 July
587:22 July
561:22 July
530:22 July
501:22 July
479:22 July
453:22 July
424:22 July
399:22 July
326:Timmins
264:History
247:Toronto
221:Ontario
130:Ontario
116:Country
1527:Reesor
1439:Brower
1401:Jogues
1322:(part)
1167:Hearst
806:
695:
643:
274:Quebec
119:Canada
1537:Tunis
1492:Hunta
1463:Eades
1368:North
1155:Towns
1056:(PDF)
1039:(PDF)
1022:(PDF)
878:(PDF)
858:(8):
443:(PDF)
245:from
202:FCZKZ
185:UTC−4
164:UTC−5
1512:Mead
1130:City
1064:2018
1005:2018
983:2018
961:2018
939:2018
917:2018
804:ISBN
757:2018
693:ISBN
669:2018
641:ISBN
620:2018
589:2018
563:2018
532:2018
503:2018
481:2018
455:2018
426:2018
401:2018
268:The
231:and
199:Code
197:GNBC
860:663
856:XII
249:to
239:'s
189:EDT
178:DST
168:EST
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