As long ago as 500 BC the area was inhabited by Ojibway Natives who lived along the Pic River and there are still their descendants living in the area today. Marathon was born as a railway community named Peninsula, due to its location on a peninsula on Lake Superior. Constructing the railway, between 1881 and 1883, over the region's terrain was a great engineering feat. At the time of the construction, some 12,000 men and 5,000 horses worked out of the town. It has been said, but not verified, that certain sections of track would be laid one day, only to be devoured by the earth the next. Like most railway communities, once the railway had been completed Peninsula's population dwindled considerably, and by 1935, the census of the town was just 23. It wasn't until a pulp mill was constructed in town, between 1944 and 1946, that the population rose back to 2,500, and the town's name was changed, first to Everest - after D.C. Everest, president of Marathon Corporation of Wisconsin, owners of the pulp mill in the town - then, later the same year, to Marathon, in honour of the paper company. The Everest name was discarded due to sounding too close to Everett, Ontario. Marathon Corporation operated the mill for eleven years before the company was acquired by American Can Company in 1957. The Marathon mill operated under the name American Can of Canada Limited for over 25 years. Then James River Corporation, which had purchased American Can's US-based towel and tissue division in late 1981, entered into a joint venture with Buchanan Forest Products to create James River-Marathon Ltd. that purchased the mill in April 1983. In May 1997, James River Corporation merged with Fort Howard Corporation and the Marathon mill became Fort James-Marathon Ltd. Finally, in January 2000, Fort James sold Marathon to a 50/50 joint venture of Tembec and Kruger, creating Marathon Pulp Inc. In the early 1980s, gold was discovered at Hemlo, an uninhabited area adjacent to the Trans Canada highway some east of Marathon. By the late 1980s, three mines were running at Hemlo, with two of the three mines locating their employees in Marathon, which effectively doubled its population making it the largest town along the North Shore between Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay.
Geography
Personal residences encompass an area starting from Lake Superior, and stretch out to a new subdivision near Penn Lake, an in-town campsite and beach in the eastern portion of the town. The Pic River is outside of the town's eastern limits. The town is adjacent to Peninsula Harbour and has several coves including Carden Cove, Sturdee Cove and Craddock Cove; all three are west-northwest of Marathon. Penn Lake is a local lake within the town where tourists can enjoy camping and water sports. Heron Bay is a town located to the south of Marathon, and shares the post office and phone prefix. The Pic River First Nation is on the outskirts of Pukaskwa National Park.
Demographics
Economy and transportation
Marathon's resource economy was built on pulp, most recently managed by Marathon Pulp Inc. On February 12, 2009, Marathon Pulp Inc. announced an indefinite shutdown that eliminated hundreds of jobs from the region, and negatively impacted Marathon's tax base and its local economy. Starting in the mid-1980s Marathon's economy expanded to include gold mining. The Hemlo Operations included three gold mining operations: Williams, David Bell and Golden Giant mines. In 2009, Vancouver-based Teck Cominco mining company sold its 50% share of Williams and David Bell to its investing partner, Barrick Gold Corporation, while Golden Giant was decommissioned in 2005. Golden Giant mine is now owned by Barrick Gold Corporation, and is now part of David Bell mine. Marathon is the center of commerce for the rural region in which it is situated. It boasts the largest indoor shopping mall between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie, and one of only three Canadian Tire department stores in the region. Marathon is located west of Trans Canada Highway 17, to which it is connected via Peninsula Road. The town is served by the Canadian Pacific Railway and a geographically important airport just north of the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately northeast of the town.
Education
Marathon is served by five schools. Three of these are public schools: Margaret Twomey Public School, Marathon High School, and École Secondaire Cité-Supérieure. Two are Roman Catholic separate schools: Holy Saviour School and École Val-des-Bois.
Recreation and tourism
Marathon has a children's park named after Del Earle, one of the town's founders. There are numerous hotels in the town, including Travelodge, Harbour Inn and the Zero 100 Motor Inn. Marathon has a challenging 9 hole golf course, Cross-country skiing trails and down hill skiing, a 4-sheet curling venue, and the only indoor swimming pool between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie. Recent developments in the town include a new skatepark, basketball courts and the refinishing of the tennis courts.
Culture and the arts
Marathon's art and culture community has varied over time. Marathon has been home to a community entertainment series, a community choir, coffee houses & culture jams, a writer's group, an art gallery, house concerts, frequent dinner theatres, art and photography displays, quilting groups and shows, a ceramics club, annual craft shows, and numerous art classes. A summer music series, known as "Concerts in the Parking Lot", was inaugurated in July 2006 and is held in the town centre on Wednesday evenings in summer. This casual series encompasses a variety of musical genres, and showcases talent both local and from "away". In 2010, Marathon was one of the many Canadian communities that the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Torch Relay passed through.
Community groups and services
Marathon is served by numerous organizations and services. These include, among many others, the Cub Scouts, Salvation Army, Girl Guides, Victim Services, and the Royal Canadian Air Cadets.
Climate
Marathon has a warm-summer humid continental climate, with its position north of Lake Superior the climate is attenuated, mainly the southern heatwaves, due to the hot air masses already have crossing the entire lake. It is noted differences with Thunder Bay, for example, keeping winters still rigorous but warm summers and sometimes cool.
