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Francis Cochrane was the Ontario minister of lands, forests, and mines in the early 1900s. The townsite at the terminal point for the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway was named in his honour.

The townsite itself was not laid out until 1907; prior to that, the area had been touched only by Natives, trappers, and the natural kingdom. In November 1907 a public sale of lots was held for prospective settlers. The lots measured 20 by 36 metres (66 by 120 feet), surrounded by 17 avenues 30 metres (100 feet) wide, running north and south, and narrower ones running east and west.

As you can well imagine, there were no long lineups to purchase these lots, as they were quite small for the standards of the time. The plans changed somewhat when lots were not properly cleared, and those not sold at the auction were allowed to keep their blankets of virgin forest. The close proximity of lots meant homes were built so close together that fire was a major threat to the community. As a matter of fact, Cochrane suffered a rash of fires in a span of six years.

A few months after its incorporation in 1910, Cochrane’s core was destroyed in a burning blaze and promptly rebuilt. Later, in July 1911, at the height of the Porcupine gold rush, gale-force winds turned scattered bush fires into one massive firestorm that devastated several towns and mining camps in the area, including Cochrane and Timmins. The 3,000 residents of Cochrane rebuilt their town, hoping to never see the likes of such a fire again. Hopes aside, tragedy struck again, in July 1916. They called it “The Great Fire of 1916.” High winds once again turned separate fires, which were already burning in the tinder-dry woods along the railway lines, into one vast conflagration that scorched 500,000 acres. Numerous settlements, including Matheson and Cochrane, were affected, and many lives were lost.

Cochrane has survived a rash of fires and, as pictured, many heavy winters.

Archives of Ontario

One of the first buildings in Cochrane was shipped on railway flat cars from its original site in Chapleau. The year was 1909 and the building was an Anglican Church. The church was set among the pine trees north of what was later known as Bishopthorpe. By 1914 there was also a Catholic Church and a Baptist Church.

The town underwent some changes after the fire of 1916. Residents opted for concrete foundations to beat the muskeg, and the streets in town were widened. By 1920 Cochrane had evolved from a frontier town into a prosperous centre. Although it was primarily a railway settlement, farming and lumbering had assumed important roles in the economics of the area. When prospectors discovered the minerals in the district, Cochrane quickly became a major supply and shipping point.

The town of Cochrane, located in the heart of excellent fishing and hunting country, is well-known to tourists. The popular Polar Bear Express conveys visitors on one-day train excursions in the summer, from Cochrane to the James Bay lowlands and the otherwise isolated communities of Moose Factory and Moosonee. The train operates from the end of June until Labour Day and offers the traveller a unique experience in northern sightseeing. Small planes, boats, and ski-doos can take you farther if you are keen to see more. A unique aspect to the train ride is that part of the track runs over bog land and involves a kind of “floating rail bed,” which you can actually feel in the way it rides. You can also see first-hand the way folks who live in remote areas have to travel. Tiny, isolated settlements exist along the route, where people wait beside the track; the train simply stops for them if needed.

Looking at Cochrane another way, you could say, “It’s at the end of the road!” It is well worth visiting, because that kind of existence creates quite a different town.