The Ontario Northland Railway
In 1900 the Ontario Government ordered a survey for a railway from North Bay to the head of Lake Timiskaming to encourage settlement and provide access to mineral deposits. Construction of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway began in 1902, and the following year silver and cobalt were discovered in what was to become the Cobalt mining field. By 1908 the main line had reached the site of Cochrane, and branch lines were built to other new mining areas. Between 1928-32 the railway was extended to Moosonee on James Bay. Renamed the The Ontario Northland Railway in 1940, this provincially-owned line was primarily responsible for the development of northeastern Ontario.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Ontario Plaques. Full page here.