Spanish, Ontario, is a charming town nestled in the Canadian province of Ontario. It's conveniently located on the Trans-Canada Highway 17 in the Algoma District, near the border of the Sudbury District. Formerly known as the Township of Shedden, the municipality adopted its current status and name in 2004, taking the name of its largest community.
The town of Spanish is situated at the mouth of the Spanish River, where it empties into the North Channel of Lake Huron. This river and its ecologically rich delta have significantly impacted the development of the community of Spanish. The river has played a crucial and continuous role in the local economy, from the days of the fur trade, through the timbering era, and now contributes to the thriving tourism industry.
The name "Spanish" was derived around the year 1750, according to local legend. Numerous theories attempt to explain the rationale for the name "Spanish" in what was once historically part of New France. One popular theory involves a Spanish-speaking woman who had been captured in a battle in Spanish-controlled lands far to the south and married a local Ojibway chief. Another theory suggests that a Spaniard who had fled the Spain-controlled lower Mississippi Valley during the fur trade days took refuge along the North Shore and married into a local Ojibway community.
The earliest version of the Spanish Indian Residential Schools was a log cabin in Wiikwemkoong, Manitoulin Island, from 1850 to 1911. It was a day school for Native boys. In 1913, a new school was built at the mouth of the Spanish River. Boys from as far as Manitoba and as close as Cutler (Serpent River First Nations) attended the school. A Native School for girls was also located in Wiikwemkoong, run by the Daughters of the Heart of Mary from 1862 to 1914.
The history of Spanish, Ontario, is marked by significant events, from the construction of the railway station in 1902 to the demolition of the former Garnier residential School in 2004. The town has seen the rise and fall of industries, the establishment of schools, and the growth of its population.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Spanish had a population of 670 living in 322 of its 392 total private dwellings, a change of -5.9% from its 2016 population of 712. With a land area of 106.9 km2 (41.3 sq mi), it had a population density of 6.3/km2 (16.2/sq mi) in 2021.
The town is served by Highway 17, an Ontario section of the Trans-Canada Highway. Ontario Northland provides intercity motor coach service to Spanish as a stop along its Sault Ste. Marie–Sudbury–North Bay–Ottawa route, with one bus a day each headed eastbound and westbound from Sunday to Friday, with no service on Saturdays.
