Val Gagné, Ontario
Val Gagné | |
|---|---|
Unincorporated rural community | |
The abandoned National Tavern in Val Gagné | |
| Coordinates: 48°37′1″N 80°38′20″W / 48.61694°N 80.63889°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| District | Cochrane |
| Township | Black River-Matheson |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| GNBC Code | FCZKZ |
Val Gagné is an unincorporated rural community in the township of Black River-Matheson, Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada. It is located 1.5 km (0.93 mi) east of Highway 11, between Matheson and Iroquois Falls. For many years the community was accessible by train. The Ontario Northland Railway's Northlander from Toronto to Cochrane, which passed through Val Gagné, made its final passenger run in 2012. An Ontario Northland bus now stops at Val Gagné.
Previously called "Nushka", the settlement was completely destroyed in the Great Fire of 1916, which burned more than 3,100 km2 (1,200 sq mi) of forest. The town was rebuilt and renamed "Val Gagné", for Wilfrid "Little Father" Gagné, a Catholic priest who died trying to rescue his parishioners from the fire.