Lawrence Township, Ontario

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surname/tag: Canada

The township of Lawrence was named after Sir John Laird Lawrence, the 'Saviour of India', and was surveyed in 1877. The 1871 Peterborough County Directory notes that at this time it was not settled. In the mid 1800s documented Algonquin groups were marginalized to locations such as the south shore of Golden Lake in the Township of Algona, the Township of Lawrence (watershed of the Madawaska – today part of Algonquin Park), the Township of Nightingale (directly east of Lawrence Township – today also part of Algonquin Park), the Township of Sabine (located south-east of Nightingale Township), and the Townships of Bedford, Oso, and South Sherbrooke - all in the Province of Ontario. A petition for land sent to Charles Stanley Viscount Monck, Governor-General of the Province of Canada in 1863, signed by eight Algonquin chiefs and over 250 members of their tribe, They requested 4,000 acres in the Township of Lawrence (now the southern border portion of Algonquin Park) which they stated was “near their hunting grounds, is suitable for a village. In 1866 A. Russell, Assistant Commissioner of Crown Lands, advised James Bangs, Agent for the Algonquin Indians, that the “Commissioner has reserved the South East quarter of the Township of Lawrence from sale during the pleasure of the Crown for the use of the Algonquin Indians for a settlement” but they “are not to have any right to the merchantable timber on the land” and could not interrupt parties who had timber licences in this area. Two years later, on July 25th, 1868, Pon Somugniche, High Chief of the Algonquin and Nipissing, inquired of the Commissioner of Crown Lands, in respect to the “tract of land granted to me for the use of my tribe of Indians” on the Madawaska River in the Township of Lawrence as to whether the “boundary lines will be run and the lots laid out so that each one of my tribe settling will know his portion”. Russell replied, “that the S. E. ¼ of the Township Of Lawrence has been reserved for the use of the Algonquin Indians during the pleasure of the Crown, not granted as you suppose” and then went on to say that the Department of Crown Lands had no funds with which to subdivide the township into lots. Ten years later, in 1878, a survey was completed in Nightingale Township, directly east of Lawrence Township, by A. Niven, Provincial Land Surveyor. In 1886 Algonquin Chief Nogon-nah-suh-way from Bird's Creek sent a request to Mr Vanconant that land be set aside as a reserve in the Township of Lawrence or elsewhere for himself and his band. Two years later, on February 2nd, 1888 Chief Non-no-che-ke-shick, living in the southeast quarter of Lawrence Township, made a request these lands be exchanged for land closer to a market in the northern part of Hastings or

Haliburton Counties. October 1894 Chief Peter Charbot (or Sharbot), who had resided in the Township of Lawrence since 1849, requested that the land in Lawrence be confirmed as a reserve. Hayter Reed indicated that Chief Charbot had been resident there for 45 years and asked that Crown Lands take the necessary steps to hand the land over to the Department of Indian Affairs. Aubrey White finally replied on December 7th, 1894, and stated that he was aware that the South East part of this township was withdrawn from sale...for the use of the Algonquin Indians for a settlement.” [However, he went on to say] “It is not in the nature of an Indian reserve, nor is there anything to indicate that a grant of this portion of the township was to be made. The Townships of Lawrence and Nightingale were added to Algonquin Provincial Park in 1911. Algonquin Provincial Park was established in 1893, initially named Algonquin National Park but changed in 1913 by the Provincial Parks Act. Initially it was comprised of eighteen townships but in 1911 was enlarged to include the Townships of Lawrence and Nightingale. Algonquin Highlands is a township located in Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada. The northeastern section of the township is included in Algonquin Provincial Park.The township was formed through the amalgamation of Stanhope and Sherborne et al. townships, the latter of which included McClintock, Livingstone, Lawrence and Nightingale. It was thereafter briefly known as the Township of Sherborne, Stanhope, McClintock, Livingstone, Lawrence and Nightingale until it was renamed to its current name in March 2001.