Drummond/North Elmsley

History

The township was formed on January 1, 1998, through the merger of Drummond Township and North Elmsley Township.

Geography

Communities

The township comprises the communities of Armstrong Corners, Balderson, Beveridge Locks, Cook's Shore, Craig Shore, Drummond Centre, Ebbs Shore, Elmgrove, Ferguson Falls, Glenview, Innisville, McCreary's Shore, McCulloughs Landing, McNaughton Shore, Port Elmsley, Prestonvale, Richardson, Rideau Ferry, Robertson's Shore and Wayside.

Ecology

The most common landscape is gently rolling Canadian Shield, predominantly gneiss. The valleys often have clay or sand deposits from events near the end of the last ice age. At one point near the end of the last ice age, the Champlain Sea flooded the Ottawa valley as far inland as what is now the town of Perth. West of Perth along Highway 7 one can see a remnant of this clay plain. An old shoreline of the Champlain Sea crosses Highway 7 near Ramsay Concession 2 before winding south into Drummond/North Elmsley. North of Perth, this clay plain is occupied by the huge Blueberry Marsh.

The hard rock and thin soil produced distinctive deciduous forests dominated by maple, oak, beech, ash and pine. Southern trees like hickory and butternut are less common. Wetter areas have elm, silver maple and white cedar. Hemlock was much more common in the past, but logging for bark used in tanning has much depleted this species. Only a few large hemlock stands remain, although there are many scattered trees through the remaining forests. Natural forest fires from lightning created some fire barrens in the southern parts of the township. Generally speaking, settlers cleared the deeper pockets of soil, and the clay plains. This produced the distinctive landscape with fields surrounded by forested uplands. The stone piles along the edge of the field illustrate the labour involved in creating agricultural land here. The many outcrops of Canadian shield in fields are also a reminder of just how close to the surface bed rock remains.

The Mississippi River and the Rideau River have extensive areas of wetland. The less flooded areas tend to have silver maple swamp, while lower on the shoreline are marshes and aquatic plants. One of the largest wetlands is the Innisville wetland, a provincially significant wetland that formed upstream from Mississippi Lake. Other wetlands include the Tay Marsh (south of Perth) and The Swale (near Smiths Falls). Both rivers are popular with canoeists and naturalists. Smaller wetlands occur throughout the county; many are produced by beavers. Beaver ponds are an important as they provide habitat for a great many kinds of species, including frogs, turtles, otters, muskrats and migratory waterfowl. Beaver ponds provide a cycle of flooding, from shallow water through to wet meadow, and most phases of pond ecology can be seen driving the township roads.

Owing to its location—the combination of two large rivers, wetlands and forests—the county has a rich array of wildlife, and wildlife viewing is a popular activity. Significant animal species include the black rat snake (now officially renamed the Gray ratsnake by experts on this species) and the Blanding's turtle.

Climate

|Jan record high C = 13.0 |Feb record high C = 14.0 |Mar record high C = 27.0 |Apr record high C = 32.5 |May record high C = 35.0 |Jun record high C = 35.0 |Jul record high C = 36.5 |Aug record high C = 37.5 |Sep record high C = 35.0 |Oct record high C = 27.5 |Nov record high C = 21.5 |Dec record high C = 17.0 |year record high C = 37.5 |Jan record low C = −36.0 |Feb record low C = −35.5 |Mar record low C = −33.0 |Apr record low C = −13.5 |May record low C = −10.5 |Jun record low C = -1.5 |Jul record low C = 3.0 |Aug record low C = -0.5 |Sep record low C = −5.0 |Oct record low C = −9.0 |Nov record low C = −24.5 |Dec record low C = −32.5 |year record low C = −36.0 | access-date = Mar 23, 2025}}

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Drummond/North Elmsley had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 365.67 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

|2001| 6670 |2006| 7118 |2011| 7487 |2016| 7773 |2021| 8183

| 1871 |2467 | 1881 |2378 | 1891 |2202 | 1901 |2078 | 1911 |1764 | 1921 |1584 | 1931 |1426 | 1941 |1423 | 1951 |1448 | 1956 |1432 | 1961 |1428 | 1966 |1500 | 1971 |1639 | 1976 |1949 | 1981 |2144 | 1986 |2345 | 1991 |2771 | 1996 |3185

| 1871 |1418 | 1881 |1319 | 1891 |1233 | 1901 |1087 | 1911 |1066 | 1921 |779 | 1931 |788 | 1941 |725 | 1951 |825 | 1956 |933 | 1961 |1048 | 1966 |1225 | 1971 |1568 | 1976 |1954 | 1981 |2118 | 1986 |2360 | 1991 |2833 | 1996 |3018

Places of interest

• Port Elmsley Drive-In theatre

Transportation

The north-south Ontario Highway 7 passes through the township from Perth towards Carleton Place. The east-west County Road 43 goes between Perth and Smiths Falls.

The Rideau Trail passes through the township twice, between Smiths Falls and Perth and to the south of Perth.

References

References

2. (1 February 2023). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population: Drummond/North Elmsley, Township". [[Statistics Canada]].
3. "Municipal restructuring activity summary table - Dataset - Ontario Data Catalogue". Government of Ontario.
4. Chapman, L.J. and D.F. Putnam. 1951. The Physiography of Southern Ontario. University of Toronto Press, Toronto. 284 p. plus map in four sections.
5. Keddy, P.A. 2008. Earth, Water, Fire. An Ecological Profile of Lanark County. General Store Publishing House, Refrew, Ontario. Map 14.
6. Keddy, C.J.. (1993). "Forest History of Eastern Ontario". Eastern Ontario Forest Group.
7. (1999). "Savannas, Barrens, and Rock Outcrop Plant Communities of North America - ch. 24 The Flora and Ecology of Southern Ontario Granite Barrens". Cambridge University Press.
8. "Perth Wildlife Reserve". Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.
9. (2012). "Canoe Journeys". Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists.
10. "Touring the Rideau - Paddling Routes". Rideau Heritage Route.
11. Keddy, P.A.. (2008). "Earth, Water, Fire. An Ecological Profile of Lanark County". General Store Publishing House.
12. (October 2008). "Blanding's Turtle". Royal Ontario Museum and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
13. "Blanding's Turtle". Ontario Nature.
14. [[Canada 1996 Census. 1996]], [[Canada 2001 Census. 2001]], [[Canada 2006 Census. 2006]] census
15. (1944). "Eighth Census of Canada 1941 - Volume II - Population by Local Subdivisions". Dominion Bureau of Statistics.
16. (July 1973). "1971 Census of Canada - Population Census Subdivisions (Historical)". Statistics Canada.
17. "Drummond/North Elmsley census profile". Statistics Canada.