Gananoque ( ) is a town in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville of Ontario, Canada. The town had a population of 5,383 year-round residents in the 2021 Canadian Census, as well as summer residents sometimes referred to as "Islanders" because of the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River, Gananoque's most important tourist attraction. The Gananoque River flows through the town and the St. Lawrence River serves as the southern boundary of the town.
Etymology
The name "Gananoque", first given to the river, is of indigenous origin, but its roots and meaning are unclear. Over the centuries, it has been written in no less than 57 different variations, making it difficult to determine its meaning.
Among the possible meanings proposed are:
- The door to the flint at the mountain
- Water Rising over Rocks
- Garden of the Great Spirit
The Mohawk-English Dictionary of 1971 lists the name as Kananókwi or Kananóhkwih.
History
thumb|left|upright|A [[Surveying|surveyor's map of Gananoque from 1787]]
In 1784, the site was surveyed and land was granted to Loyalists John Johnson (on the east side of the Gananoque River) and Colonel Joel Stone (on the west side). Johnson did little to develop his possession, but Col Stone, who served with Loyalist militia during the American Revolutionary War, established a sawmill on this site in 1789. In 1812, Charles McDonald laid out the town site and also built a mill, its first store, and church there.
The blockhouse was quickly repaired in the 1837–38 Patriot War when there were fears American militia forces were planning to attack. The Gananoque Blockhouse stood until 1852.
| 1871 |2020
| 1881 |2871
| 1891 |3669
| 1901 |3526
| 1911 |3804
| 1921 |3604
| 1931 |3592
| 1941 |4044
| 1951 |4572
| 1956 |4981
| 1961 |5096
| 1966 |5237
| 1971 |5212
| 1976 |5103
| 1981 |4863
| 1986 |4939
| 1991 |5209
| 1996 |5219
| 2001 |5167
| 2006 |5285
| 2011 |5194
| 2016 |5159
| 2021 |5383
Private dwellings occupied by usual residents (2021): 2,562 (total: 2,767).-->