Jake Englehart was memorialized as an important founding father of the town that bears his name, during a July 9 conferral of the Order of the North.
“The Order of the North is considered the most prestigious honour that can be bestowed on any resident of the North, living or deceased,” reads a description of the award.
“It was created as a tribute to Jack Munro and is intended to recognize those who demonstrate the highest level of achievement excellence in any field beneficial to the North.”
The Town of Englehart, located north of Temiskaming Shores and southeast of Timmins, was incorporated in 1908 during the building of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario (T&O) Railway — now the Ontario Northland Railway — as a divisional point between North Bay and Cochrane.
An American businessman who hailed originally from Cleveland, Englehart found early success in the oil business as an original founder of the Imperial Oil Co. Ltd. while living in Petrolia in southern Ontario.
But residents of Northern Ontario know him best as the chairman of the T&O Railway, a role he took on in 1906 as the Crown-owned company prepared to extend the railway 400 miles north through the wilderness.
It is said that Englehart was asked personally by Ontario Premier Sir James Whitney to come north to overhaul the railroad’s affairs, which were in shambles. He agreed and successfully turned the railway around, extending it by several lines, and turning its finances from red to black.
Englehart additionally played a key role in providing relief during the area’s devastating 1911 bush fires, purchasing food for people left without, and enlisting the railway to evacuate hundreds of refugees.
He moved to Toronto around 1912, following the death of his wife, Charlotte, and retired from the railway in 1919. Englehart died in Toronto of a brain hemorrhage in April 1921.
Englehart is only the second to be bestowed the Order of the North; he joins Jack Munroe, who was named as the recipient in 2014.
The Order of the North was introduced by the Jack Munro Historical Society of Elk City, which was founded in 2009, on the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the Township of James/Elk Lake, as an affiliate member of the Ontario Historical Society.
“The Order is intended to be awarded to one recipient annually, dependent on the strength of the nominations received and at the decision of the nomination review committee,” explained Latchford Mayor George Lefebvre in an email.
“We presently have additional nominations for review by the nominations review committee.”
To be eligible, nominees must reside, or have resided, in the North for a significant portion of their life, unless military service has interrupted their residency.
On one side, the silver-plated Order of the North medal features Jack Munro, a pugilist, prospector and war hero, alongside his collie Bobbie Burns, while the reverse includes the words Order of the North, encircled by a wreath of maple leaves and accompanied by a wind-swept conifer. It hangs from a green and white ribbon — the seasonal colours of the North.
Pewter copies of the medal have been reproduced and are available for purchase as souvenirs or gifts. All proceeds support the activities of the Jack Munro Historical Society of Elk City, which include the commissioning and framing of sketches of Order recipients, the reproduction of the medals, and all associated ceremonies.
To nominate someone for the Order, or to obtain more information about the program, email elklake@sympatico.ca or dhasonje@ontera.net.
