Lanark, Ontario

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The village of Lanark is located in the township of Lanark Highlands in eastern Ontario.

According to the 2001 Statistics Canada Census:

• Population: 869
• % Change (1996-2001): 0.5
• Dwellings: 362
• Area (km².): 4.73
• Density (persons per km².): 183.7

Race Break Up

• White: 98.5%
• Aboriginal: 1.1%
• Asian: .2%
• Black: .2%

The village was first settled in 1820 by Scottish immigrants who named it after the town of Lanark in Scotland. It soon became a major hub of the lumbering and textile industries, both of which used the Clyde River which runs through the village, as a source of power and as a transportation route to transport logs east to the Ottawa River.

The textile industry lasted for about 170 years, but was finally defeated by the flood of cheap Asian textiles into North America. Logging still continues in a much reduced manner, producing wood mostly for the pulp industry or for firewood.

Until the late 1990s the major employer in the village was the Glenayr Kitten Mill which produced clothing and offered their products at several factory outlet stores in the village. Several of the buildings are still known by their numbers (e.g. Kitten Factory #1) to local residents. Kitten Factory #2 is now home to several retail operations including, By The Clyde (a furniture store), Pauze Piano (Pianos/Services), and Lanark Clothing Outlet (Women's/Children's Clothing). The Clyde Woolen Mills was the founder of these properties. The original office is now Mousepoint (a computer store/technology centre), the original steam plant is in transition to becoming an Internet Cafe.

Lanark has in the past been the location for the Canadian Big League Baseball Championships. This highly regarded baseball tournament features 18 year old players from across the country to play at Clyde Memorial Park.