Since no road or railway led to Temagami, O'Connor established the Temagami Hotel and Steamboat Company in 1903. The company operated three steamboats in the area, which allowed lumbermen to travel between camps. O'Connor would eventually open mines further up north. He died on March 29, 1933 in Timmins, Ontario.

Railway

The arrival of the railway came about as the result of two factors. One was that as the Timiskaming area was being developed, residents were looking to a year-round alternative to steam boats. The second factor was the Provincial officials looking to open the area for settlement and for agricultural and mineral resources. The Government looked to the private sector to find people interested in constructing a railway which was met with difficulty. Many people felt that the settlements were simply too small to justify having a railway and that any agricultural, mineral or lumbering potential had not been proven.

To resolve the problem, on March 17th of 1902, the Government created the Timiskaming & Northern Ontario Railway (T&NOR). The T&NOR would construct it's own railway line from North Bay up to New Liskeard. The line was to be completed by 1904.

An interesting side note: As the railway passed by Long Lac, two workers (J.H. McKinley and Ernest Darragh) looking for trees to be used for railway ties, discovered silver and created the largest silver rush in Canada as well as the resulting community of Cobalt.

The newly constructed railway meant that tourists could now take the train north of North Bay. It would not be until 1927 that the Ferguson Highway (today's highway 11) would connect North Bay and Temagami.

Train Station

Tourists began using the railway in increasing numbers and it became evident that a train station would need to be built. So in 1907 the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway began construction on the "Temagami Station". Sadly two years later, a fire would destroy the interior of the station and would be rebuilt immediately.

The new station brought new life into the area: two steamboat companies were formed, two hotels established and a shantytown was started in 1905. With residents and tourists now active in the town, the train arrived in Temagami three times each week.

North of the railway station was a freight building and a restaurant beside where a garden spelled out "TEMAGAMI" in flowers. South of the station a second garden contained an ornamental pond. Today only the station remains.

The main floor of the 28x65 foot station was divided into three areas. A central core with bay windows facing to the east and west contained the railway office, telegraph and signal equipment. Ticket counters and washrooms were also found on the main floor. There were north and south waiting rooms which were reserved for ladies.

Since the initial station's construction it has seen some changes. In the 1940's, a false ceiling was put in to save energy. A fire in 1976 resulted in modernizing the north waiting room and office area while the ladies waiting rooms were closed off and used for storage. The original station only had entrances on the eastern side (facing the track) while today's visitor will find a western entrance has been added.

Name Change

In 1942, chairman Arthur Cavanagh proposed that the railway's name be changed. Cavanagh felt that the railway should be associated with the province of Ontario, not just the Timiskaming District. Furthermore the initials T&NOR could easily be confused with those of the Texas and New Orleans Railway. Boxcars meant for Ontario would end up in the United States while receiving invoices that were meant for Texas.

On April 5, 1946 a bill was passed which amended the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway Act and changed the railway's name to Ontario Northland Railway.

The future of the station

In 1996, ONTC put out a request for proposals to operate the existing station. The successful proponents were Claire and Richard Smerdon. The Smerdon's established the Temagami Station Restoration Trust which is charged with a 20 year license agreement to restore the building and to operate the Station for the public.

The northern portion of the building is sublet to Temagami Station Enterprises Ltd., which is a commercial business operating a tourist attraction in the Station. The company leases out a part of the basement for manufacturing of model railroad kits and souvenirs.

In 1998 the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation announced that it would provide $200,000 to the restoration project, while the Temagami Station Restoration Trust would provide the remainder.