The village of Kiosk was located on Kioshkokwi Lake, which is now a campground. The Village/Campground is on the north shore of Kioshkokwi Lake. The abbreviated name Kiosk or Kioshkokwi means “lake of many gulls”.
Two tribes of natives already populated this region before the white man arrived. One tribe was the Montagnais led by Chief Antoine who’s hunting area was to the north of the Mattawa River, and then you had Chief Amable du Fond who’s hunting ground was to the south of the Mattawa River.
Many lumbermen stayed and brought their families, while other families arrived to work the rich farm land. As time went by, the sawmill changed hands. It was taken over by J.R. Booth in 1902, then by Sydney Stanisforth in 1936. It developped into a busy town with a train station and schools. Then tragedy struck in July of 1973, when the mill burnt to the ground. The community was demolished in the 1980s and is now a recreational area.
The first white settlers to arrive in this region was in the 1840’s. They were lumbermen who came to work for the Mackey Lumber company or farmers that wanted to work the land and sell their supplies to the lumber companies that were working in this area.
Related Articles
Doug Mackey, 57:July 27, 2001 – Staniforth Lumber Company comes to Kiosk
Doug Mackey, 58:August 3, 2001 – Fire causes chaos at Kiosk in 1973
Doug Mackey, 112:November 1, 2002 – New Novel on Kiosk Opens Old Wounds
Doug Mackey, 245:May 26, 2006 – Some Good Luck Stories
The Star 2016 – Setting of The Witch: Once a small town, Kiosk lies empty
Related Publications
THE KIOSK STORY: The Saga of Life, Logging & Lumbering In & Around Northwest Algonguin Park by Doug Mackey
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