La Cloche Mountains

Geobox|Range
name=La Cloche Mountains


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region=Ontario|region_type=Province
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The La Cloche Mountains are a range of hills in Northern Ontario, along the northern shore of Lake Huron near Manitoulin Island. The hills are located in the Canadian Shield, and are composed primarily of white quartzite.

They extend roughly from La Cloche Provincial Park, south of Massey, to Killarney Provincial Park, southwest of Sudbury. The communities of West River, Willisville and Whitefish Falls are located directly within the range; the town of Espanola and the municipality of Killarney are located nearby.

The hills are crossed primarily by Highway 6.

Geology

An estimated 3.5 billion years old, the hills are believed to have once been higher than today's Rocky Mountains. They remain among the highest altitudes in Ontario.

A southern extension of the La Cloche Mountains, the "South La Cloche Mountains", extends to the south and juts into Georgian Bay along Badgeley Point, north of Killarney and Secondary Highway 637.

History

According to legend, the hills were warning bells, or "tocsins", used by local First Nations for signaling. These "Bell Rocks" could be heard for a considerable distance when struck, and accordingly when "voyageurs" explored the area they named it with the French word for “bell” — La Cloche.

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