Clay Belt

The Clay Belt is a vast expanse of fertile clay soil in northeastern Ontario and northwestern Quebec, standing out within the rocky Canadian Shield as unusually flat and open land. Formed when Glacial Lake Ojibway drained about 8,200 years ago, it appeared highly promising for agriculture, and surveys beginning in 1887 encouraged governments to promote settlement, especially for returned veterans after the First World War. Experimental farming and colonization projects followed, but the region’s harsh climate, short growing season, and unreliable rainfall made agriculture difficult and often unprofitable. Many settlers left, and the area’s economy came to rely more on mining, logging, and pulp and paper.

Ontario · Canada