Killaloe is a town located in the township of Killaloe, Hagarty and Richard which is in the Upper Ottawa Valley. The present day town is located about 1 km (0.62 mi) north of the former townsite of "Old Killaloe". In those days it was known as Fort McDonnell, but it became known as Killaloe Station in 1868 when the Ottawa, Arnprior, Parry Sound Railway was expanding at a furious pace through the rugged countryside of the Madawaska Valley in response to the demands of the lumber industry. In 1854 the construction of the Opeongo Line brought settlers and the logging industry to this area which originally had been occupied by the Algonquins. A majority of the settlers were French Canadians and Irish Catholic immigrants but among them were Poles, Kashubians and Germans as well. With the railroad construction essentially finished, and the forestry industry declining many of the people took to farming. Today the rail line has long been gone and the tracks removed. Now the track beds are used for walking, biking, 4 wheeling, snowmobiling and snowshoeing trails. Today Killaloe has a park across the street from the former rail station with a covered bridge over the original iron rail bridge.