Bancroft () is the largest town in Hastings County, in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located on the York River.
Bancroft is the Mineral Capital of Canada and is the economic hub of the North Hastings region. The town serves regional population is 60,000 and hosts 150,000 annual visitors to Bancroft.
It was first settled in the 1850s by descendants of the United Empire Loyalists and Irish immigrants. From the mid-1950s to about 1982, mining was the primary industry. A village until 1999, Bancroft then merged with Dungannon Township to form the Town of Bancroft.
Bancroft had a population of 4,065 in 2021.
History By 1823, the government had purchased nearly two million acres of land from the Chippewa and Mississauga First Nations including a tract on the York River in Hastings County which had been established in 1792. The area was mapped in 1835 by explorer David Thompson.
The first family to build a cabin here, the Clarks in 1853, did so to take advantage of the fur trade. Early settlers included James Cleak and Alfred Barker from England who arrived in 1855, settling on Quarry Lake. They got jobs in administration; Cleak opened a small store and Barker became the first postmaster. Over the years the settlement grew quickly. In fact, there were 89 families by 1868. Lumber companies arrived to remove timber.
Some of the earliest settlers were United Empire Loyalists, but from 1856 to 1861, most were from Ireland, fleeing the problems caused by the Great Famine; many had farming experience and settled in the Township of Dungannon where the land was fertile. Most of the settlers were attracted to the area by the offer of free parcels that had been advertised in Great Britain. Some of the residents also sold furs, obtained through trapping.
Several colonization roads were built to the settlement in the 1850s70s, opening up the lands along the way to further settlement. The Hastings Road ran north. It was joined at Bancroft by the Mississippi Road running northwest from Plevna in Frontenac County and the Monck Road running west from Atherley on Lake Couchiching. This made Bancroft (then still known as York Mills) a significant crossroads.
The settlement had various names over the first years, York Mills, York River and York Branch. When the post office opened in 1861, it was called York River. A grist mill opened in 1865, gold was discovered in 1866 and other minerals would be discovered later. The discovery of sodalite by Frank Dawson Adams in 1892 led to the opening of the Princess Sodalite Mine.Gem, Kitchener-Waterloo. "Mineral of the Month: SODALITE." (2006). The first church and two schools were built in 1870. In 1879, the name of the settlement was changed to Bancroft by Senator Billa Flint, after the maiden name of his wife Elizabeth Ann Clement Bancroft.Bancroft & District Chamber of Commerce, Bancroft District 2006 Destination Guide Flint convinced tradesmen to move to the area, which helped to attract more settlers. A woollen mill began operating in 1884.
The Central Ontario Railway arrived in 1900. In 1903, the Irondale, Bancroft and Ottawa Railway connected to the COR north of town at what is now Y Road, referring to the wye junction joining the two lines. They were beneficial in transporting settlers and goods; the railway would operate until 1982. Bancroft was incorporated as a village in December 1904. The first telephone in the village was at the railway station; it was connected in 1905. Electricity was not available until 1930.
Uranium was discovered in 1949 and construction of Faraday Mine started in 1952. The Red Cross Hospital opened in 1949. Faraday Mine was later renamed Madawaska Mine and operated until 1982. Other minerals were also mined over the years. The closing of the mine caused some economic hardship.
The Ontario Municipal Board approved a request for Bancroft village to become a town on August 9, 1995, with Bancroft Council bylaw 649-95 confirming the new status on 28 August 1995.Bancroft Becomes a TOWN, Stewart Smith, The Cardiff Courier, Volume 2, No 17, 31st August 1995. In 1999, Bancroft merged with Dungannon Township to form the Town of Bancroft.
Paul Jenkins was elected as Mayor in the October 2018 municipal election. He was reelected in 2022.
Geography Climate
Demographics In 1931 the population was 911 people, growing significantly when the uranium mines opened.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Bancroft had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Languages spoken Languages spoken mother tongue languages spoken in Bancroft in 2021 are: English as first language: 94.2% French as first language: 1.2% English and French as first language: 0.3% Other as first language: 3.9%
Economy Bancroft is the economy hub for North Hastings and has a catchment area of approximately 60,000 people. It hosts 150,000 annual tourists that spend $19.5 million.
Housing costs in Bancroft doubled from 2019 to 2021. In 2021, Bancroft was ranked as the best place to buy housing, and the average house price in Bancroft was calculated to be 47% below the national average, in the Zoocasa Average Price Index.
Government and politics
Administration
Bancroft was settled in the 1950s and incorporated as a village in 1904.
Bancroft is a lower tier municipality in Hastings County and its mayor serves as one of the fourteen members of Hastings County Council. It is described by Hastings County as the largest town in the county.
The municipal offices of Bancroft were opened at 24 Flint Street in 1962, and relocated to the former railway station located at 7 Hastings Heritage Way, in 2017.
Political leadership from 1904 to 1999
Between 1904 and 1999, the town's government was led by Reeves (sometimes described as "mayors"). Reeves have includes John S. Hattin (between 1977, 1978, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1983, 1985, 1988);Photographs of Hastings County Council, Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County, 1978 to 1999 Russell Hawley (in 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982); Lloyd Churchill (from 1986 until 2002); and Charles Mullett (in 2003 to 2006).
Dungannon Township, which amalgamated into Bancroft in 1999.THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF BANCROFT, BY-LAW NO. 31-2024 Prior to amalgamation, Dungannon Township had Reeves including Calvin White (in 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997); and Martin West (in 1989, 1990, 1991).
Political leadership since 1999 After the 1999 amalgamation, Lloyd Churchill was the Town of Bancroft's first mayor.
Catherine Bernice Jenkins,Statement or Remuneration and Expenses Paid to Members and Appointees of Hastings County Council, 2011, Hastings Council Council commonly known as Bernice Jenkins, was Bancroft's second mayor, and first female mayor. Bernice Jenkins beat the sole opposition candidate, then Deputy Mayor,THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF BANCROFT, RESOLUTION NO. 191-2009 Larry McTaggart in the 2010 Hastings County municipal elections. Bernice Jenkins won 56.44% of the vote, beating sole opposition candidate Scott Munro in the 2014 Hastings County municipal elections.Municipal election results, Government of Ontario Bernice Jenkins resigned in September 2017 on health grounds, with municipal councillor Paul Jenkins then assuming the role.
Paul Jenkins was appointed as Acting Mayor in December 2017 and held that role until the 2018 municipal election.THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF BANCROFT BY-LAW NO. 37-2017, 23 May 2017 During the 2018 Hastings County municipal elections, Paul Jenkins won 59.63% of the vote against fellow municipal councillor Mary Kavanagh. In the 2022 Hastings County municipal elections, Paul Jenkins won 47% of the vote, beating Scott Munro and Michael Anderson. His term runs until 14 November 2026. In May 2026, Paul Jenkins confirmed that he would not seek a third term in the 2026 Ontario municipal elections, but may run as a municipal councillor.
On 1 May, 2025, the Mayor of Bancroft was given Strong Mayor Powers.
Transportation
Road transport Bancroft lies at the intersection of two provincial highways, Highway 28 and Highway 62, with several other inroads allowing access to the city.
Since 2001, the non profit organization Bancroft Community Transit provides public transit services by cars and minivans.
Airport Bancroft is served by the Jack Brown Airport, a Transport Canada Registered Aerodrome (CNW3), with a crushed gravel runway, located immediately adjoining the town. A small airport, it was named after the man who was reeve at the time and instrumental in its construction. Currently operated by the Bancroft Flying Club, the Jack Brown Airport is freely available to the general public and frequently referred to as The Bancroft Airport. Due to high terrain near both ends of the runway, pilots typically use a non-standard circuit, following the York River valley through the town for departing from runway 12 or landing on runway 30.
Railways The Central Ontario Railway arrived in November 1900, connecting Bancroft with Trenton. The railway went through the Musclow-Greenview road and extended behind Birds Creek through a back trail (which is now used for cyclists and four wheeling) and continued through the town eventually going further away from the town at the 'Y' road division. The line was closed in 1975 and subsequently removed. The Bancroft, Irondale and Ottawa Railway connected Bancroft with Kinmount, Ontario. The line was purchased by the Canadian Northern Ontario Railway which became part of the Canadian National Railways in 1918. The line was abandoned in 1960.
The old train station in Bancroft served as the Chamber of Commerce and Mineral Museum until it was condemned in 2008. The Chamber, Mineral Museum, and Art Gallery relocated to other sites in the town. In 2011, the old station was moved onto a new foundation; it is now restored with an addition at the southern end of the building to house the Bancroft Gem and Mineral Club's museum and a caboose, which is not currently in use.
Education
1970 to 2011
Schools were opened in L’Amable (now Bancroft) and settlement of Umfraville in 1870. North Hastings High School was opened in 1947.
Bancroft Public School was closed in 2011 and merged with North Hastings Senior Elementary School, which was renamed as York River Public School.
Since 2011 Bancroft is served by Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board that operates North Hastings High School and York River Public School. Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board operates Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School. Loyalist College has a campus in Bancroft.
Public Health
1929 to 2002
Bancroft's first public health care was opened in 1927, when a health post was opened in response to injuries in the mining industry. In 1949, the Red Cross Hospital opened in Bancroft. In 1983, the Red Cross Hospital was merged with Belleville General Hospital and was renamed as "North Hastings District Hospital".
2003 to present Quinte Health operates the North Hastings Hospital located at 1-H Manor Lane, Bancroft. The hospital has eight primary care beds, a 24/7 emergency department, emergency obstetrics, diagnostic imaging and telemedicine services.
Parks
Parks in Bancroft include Freedom Skate Park, Cenotaph Park, and Riverside Park, and the Off-Leash Dog Park, near the Community Centre.
Churchill Park is located on the York River. The park was originally named Sparrow Park, after the Sparrow family who settled the area. It was renamed after former Bancroft mayor Lloyd Churchill in 2010Shelby_Kramp-Neuman MP, Instagram Post May 11 2024 and continues to be known by both names.