Espanola, Ont, town, pop 5449 (2001c), 5796 A (1996c), 5527 (1991c), 5491 (1986c), area 82.37 km2, inc 1958, 69 km west of Sudbury on the Spanish River, started in 1899 by the Spanish River Pulp and Paper Co. Evidence indicates that the name relates to the native peoples' contacts with Spaniards when they claimed the central US. (Espanola, when used as a noun, means Spanish woman.)
In 1928 Abitibi Power & Paper Co Ltd purchased the mill but shut it down in 1929 because of depression conditions. Espanola was practically a "ghost town" for a decade. In 1940 the mill was converted into a prisoner-of-war camp, a function it served into 1943. That year the mill and town site were purchased by the Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Co, which switched from spruce to jack pine for its main wood supply. The company town and its fringe development united and became incorporated in 1958.
Currently, the mill is operated by E.B. Eddy Forest Products, a Canadian company. Although basically a one-industry town, Espanola is the centre for an active tourist area and has many regional mining developments.