Jaffray Melick

Jaffray Melick, Ont, was a town from 1988 to 2000. Its former territory is now the easternmost section of the city of KENORA. Located on the north shore of LAKE OF THE WOODS, the township of Jaffray was founded in 1894 and the township of Melick in 1902. The 2 townships were amalgamated in 1908 as Jaffray and Melick. Three years after incorporation as a town (1988), the name was shortened to Jaffray Melick. What was the area of the town is now identified as 2 separate townships within the city of Kenora. The township of Jaffray was named after a prominent businessman and senator, Robert Jaffray (1832-1914). The township of Melick was named after a parish in Ireland.

The first settlers arrived in the area in the late 1880s and early 1890s and established farms. In 1896 gold was discovered and the area enjoyed a quick burst of prosperity. A commercial fishery at one time was carried out on nearby Black Sturgeon Lake. While the gold was soon depleted, Jaffray and Melick had other resources of economic importance; notably, the timber stands and the area's recreational potential, because of its proximity to the Lake of the Woods.