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= THE FREE PKES& LONDON. ONTARIO, SATURDAY. JUNE 11, NINTH SECTION--PAGE Corunna Within Reach Of American Artillery "CORUNNA - - THE CANADIAN Parliament opened here today with a Speech from the Throne read. . ." Bnt, the reader will interrupt, Ottawa is the capital of Caftada. Ottawa is, of course, the capital of Canada, but if it had not been for hard feelings between the United States and United Canada in the early nineteenth century, Corunna might have been. And newspaper stories with a Corunna dateline might today be read in the world's capitals. At one time the capital of Upper Canada, as it was before the union of 1841, was Newark, which according to those who tell this »tory in Corunna, was unsatisfactory. George IV, therefore, decided that a new capital must be chosen. He sent Viscount Beresford to Canada to choose a site. Beresford toured Canada, and in 1823, while traveling up the St. Clair River, reached the site where Corunna now stands. The place appealed to him, and he became convinced that there should b« the new capital of Canada. Without more ado he laid out a large area of land for the great city he envisioned. But he reckoned without Quebec and the more settled areas of Ontario. When he submitted his survey to the Government they turned him down flatly. First of all, they said, the site was right on the border, and the capital of Canada would be in reach ol American guns at all times. And, they added, it was too far away, anyway. Thus Beresford's plan was dis- carded. But not before he had surveyed the new capital. Wide Avenues Corunna's streets today are wide avenues, some of them 99 feet across. Many of the lots are 100 feet wide and 300 feet long. In the village, behind the Blue Water Highway, is a large area of land surrounded by houses, but not built on. It was reserved for the market square and city hall. The village was surveyed again in 1837, and named Corunna after the battle in Spain marked the turning point of Napoleon's power. The streets were named after noted officers at the battle. Several years after the second survey, settlers reached the area, and Corunna began a slow steady growth. During World War H the village received an impetus with the building of the Polymer plant near Sarnia. Many of the workers at the plant bought or built homes in Corunna, contributing to the growth of the village. And for many years past the Moore Township community has enjoyed a growing popularity as a summer resort. SARNIA--PARKHILL BUS LINES Operating TWICE DAILY SARNIA TO GRAND BEND COACHES AVAILABLE FOR CHARTER TRIPS ANYWHERE-ANYTIME MODERN COACHES COURTEOUS SERVICE PARCEL EXPRESS HEAD OFFICE AND TERMINAL - - FOREST, ONT. PHONE 89-2 N. WEATHERDON, MGR. A Holiday FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY in the BLUE WATER COUNTRY Now is the time to plon a holiday which will suit the whole family -- a holiday in the lovely Blue Water Country. Here you'll find bright sunlit beaches -- whispering pine forests and clear blue water. Travel the Blue Water Highway from Sarnia north to Owen Sound, across to Midland and Orillia. There are fine modern resorts and quiet happy towns to bid you welcome. You'll find dreamless sleep after happy days in the cool water-washed air of the Blue Water Country. THE FINEST FOOD is yours in the Blue Water Country -- vegetables grown on the rolling green land; fish pulled fresh from the blue lakes; steaks which melt in your mouth. Berry pies, home-made bread, and rich creamy milk and butter will satisfy your hungry -appetite. REST OR PLAY on your holiday. Green golf courses challenge you, fine tennis courts abound. Fishing is a major sport, and blue waters invite you for a plunge or to play on the clean white beaches. Cottage communities, historical landmarks or modern resorts will capture your imagination. Whether you swing lazily in a hammock between tall trees, or seek thrills in o speedboat -- you'll find enjoyment. There is every-•hing for your family in the Blue Water Country. NATURE SMILED on the Blue Water Country -- endowed it with gemlike lakes, cool deep forests and natural beauties created by the ageless hand of time -- wind, rain and water. Flowerpot Island near Tober-mory in Bruce Peninsula vies with Kettle Point and Igperwash Beach in scenic wonder. Rolling countryside contrasts with rugged bluffs. 1,000 Reasons Why You'll Enjoy a Holiday In The Blue Water Country" Get this booklet just off ths press -- tells all about this wonderful holiday land -- Send for your copy to ... BLUE WATER HIGHWAY ASSOCIATION SARNIA CANADA Corunna, Courtright, Sombra -; ••:':-Mr; :w Courtright Terminal For Canada Southern CUTTING ACROSS ELGIN, MIDDLESEX and Lambton eounties, the Canada Southern Railway brought new •wealth, and prosperity to these districts in 1873. Land values along the route doubled and tripled in value. But the greatest benefit fell to Courtright, western terminus of the branch at the St. Clair River. Now known as the St. Clair branch of the Michigan Central, the line carries one train daily. But in the last years of the nineteenth century, the line carried a constant ' stream of traffic to and from St. Thomas. Non-existent before the railway reached the river, Court-right came to li'fe suddenly and with vigor. Much of tne freight in those days was salt. In the village itself there was a salt block, employing scores of men. And across the river, at St. Clair, Michigan, Grand Trunk Pulled Into Pt. Edward FROM A BUSY RAILWAY town to a quiet little lakefront village to a bustling lake port-- that's the story of Point Edward. Although the first actual settler in the vicinity was John P. Slocum who came from New York State in 1838, Point Edward was not incorporated as a village until 1879. However, for years before that it had been a thriving railway centre. Situated at the extreme northwest corner of Lambton County where the blue waters of Lake Huron flow into the St. Clair River, Point Edward was at one time the terminus of the Grand Trunk Railway. Railway Town At this time it was almost ex- clusively a railway town, and had a population of up to 2,000. But when the G.T.R. moved the roundhouse to Sarnia after the opening of the St. Clair tunnel, the railwaymen and their families moved to Sarnia and Point Edward's population suffered a sharp decline. Point Edward was quickly surpassed by its younger neighbor, Sarnia, during those years. Sarnia became a city while Point Edward remained a quiet little lakeshore village. However, especially since tha war years, Point Edward has experienced a boom. Its waterfront is now a hive of industry during the summer as many of the large lake boats tie up at its dock to discharge or take on cargo. The population now has climbed back up to 1,700, the village has a commercial section of 15 stores; a large fishing fleet operates out of the harbor where the Canadian Steamship Lines docks are located; its industries include a foundry, automotive electrical parts factory, two lumber companies, and a provincial fish hatchery; the village assessment has risen to $1,563,000; and permits for buildings valued at a total of nearly $600,000 have been issued during the past three years. Point Edward was formerly known as "Huron Village," but following the visit of the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, the village was renamed in honor of the prince. Point Edward south of tha St. Clair River, was formerly a bustling terminus of the Grand Trunk Railway. The dock and lighthouse are shown here in an artist's conception of the port before the turn of the century. there was an extensive salt works. With no railway line existing from St. Clair, much of the production from the U.S. side of the river was brought across by boat, and then loaded on Canada Southern trains. Taken to St. Thomas, it was then re-distributed to points across Canada and the United States. District Farmed Though the railway brought population and village status, settlers had farmed the district for many years. Before 1800, the land was tilled by Francis Decatur, a French-Canadian. In 1827, the land was purchased by William Cathcart, who farmed there for many years before the railway arrived. , Today both the salt block and the railway prosperity are gone. But between the river and th» village runs the Blue Water Highway, a new artery- of trade. And in and around the village, land values are steadily rising as more and more summer and permanent homes are built overlooking the busy St. Clair River. Camlachie Derives Name From Glasgow CAMLACHIE was founded to serve the rapidly growing farms of Plympton Township after completion of the Grand Trunk Railway from Stratford to Sarnia in 1859. This railway tapped a new territory along the Lake Huron shore, and several villages sprang up along its route. Camlachie was named after a suburb of Glasgow by Duncan McDonald, who settled there in 1862. The village through the years has been a shipping point and today boasts three churches and several stores. Pt. Lambton Busy With Tourist Trade BEFORE BUCKING THE CURRENT of the St. Clair River, the wood-burning steamer* of the last century were warped into the quarter-mile long dock at Port Lambton to take on fuel. Port Lambton, as a result, was the busiest river town south of Sarnia for many years. The first house in the village wag built by Duncan McDonald, who settled there in 1820. With the heavy movement of immigrants to the area in the "Twenties" and "Thirties," Port Lamb-ton grew rapidly. Along the continuous dbck-- while the river tugs still burned wood--were piled huge stacks of cordwood to feed the greedy furnaces. Extensive warehouses provided storage facilities for goods destined for the interior and for the produce of the farms. In the "Seventies," the rillag* boasted numerous light industries, most of which have fallen before the steamroller of progress. But, as is the case with most of the smaller towns along the St. Clair, Port . Lambton has found a new source of wealth In the tourist trade. Like its companion towns, it saw the end of the lumbering Industry as the forests were stripped from the land. And like them, It saw the grist and saw mills close up and decay. Like them, it has settled down to a quiet life as a trading centre for the surrounding farmers and ft* a mecca for tourists. FREEDOM OF THE PRESS is not just idle talk when we speak of the London Free Press . We appreciate your unbiased treatment of news and views down through the years. Congratulations on your 100th Anniversary J. W. MURPHY J. W. MURPHY LAMBTON-WEST French Families Farmed at Sombra AN IMPORTANT LINK In the chain of villages that dot the Canadian shore of the St. Clair River, Sombra is the municipal "capital" of Sombra Township. Long before the first English speaking pioneers settled at Sombra, the district had seen French families move in to till the soil, hunt and fish. When Abraham Smith and Samuel H. Burnham arrived in 1821, they found two French families had been there for many years. They recorded the names of these two families as Beauchamp and Matavie. By the 1880's Sombra had grown to contain the township town hall, a grist mill, docks and warehouses. Here, as at many of the St. Clair River villages, the early steamers halted to take on wood before breasting the current running from Lake Huron. In later years, the prosperity brought by wood-burning steamers gradually fell away. But as the scenic qualities of the river became more appreciated, Sombra, along with her neighbors along the river, became the centre of a thriving tourist industry. Mooretown Wealthy in Timber Tracts MOORETOWN, THE OLDEST settlement in Moore Township, was also at one time the largest, carrying on a large trade in the timber that covered the township in the early days of the last century. The first English-speaking settler to make his home there was Rufus Henderson, who arrived while the War of ^812 was still being fought--in 1813. Though Henderson arrived years before the first heavy wave of settlers, he was preceded by two French-Canadians, Campeau and Papineau, who tilled the soil near the present village. Thriving Village Following the end of the war, other families began to trickle in, and a thriving village soon grew. Its growth was based at first on forest products. Later, when river and lake traffic developed, Mooretown wai both a shipping and farming centre. In the 1880's the village boasted two hotels, several stores, grist, oatmeal, planing and carding mills, and several wharves and warehouses. Mooretown's trade today is still linked with the farming community around it, but the shipping trade has largely disappeared. Like all the villages along the Blue Water Highway^ however, Mooretown has a new industry to take up the slack resulting from the end of the shipping, the tourist industry. Oil City Purchased Three Times OIL CITY/ORIGINALLY LOT 18, concession 5, of Enniskillen Township, has been purchased from the Government three times in its 97-year history. It was first bought in 1852 by John Tripp. This Woodstock native was the first to attempt "mining" the gumbeds at Oil Springs. In 1852, when he was erecting buildings and machinery to process the oil beds, he bought the site of Oil City--probably for speculative purposes. But Tripp failed soon after, and was unable to continue payments to the Government for the land. The land lay idle for another decade, until flowing oil was discovered at Oil Springs. Then the land was sold at auction in London in 1864. A group of American oil speculators paid what was termed at that time "a fabulous price" for the land. But two years later, when oil ran out at Oil Springs, the lot again became practically worthless, and again reverted to the Government. Dormant Land Again the land lay dormant for almost, a decade. In 1874, the lot was bought by three men, Gurd, of Sarnia, McMillan, of Montreal, and Keating, of Oil Springs. These three men were aware that the St. Clair branch of the Canada Southern was to be built through the area that year. With a railway line through the lot, the village grew, and by the "eighties" had a saw and stave mill, as well as general stores and a hotel. Halfway between Oil Springs and Petrolia, the village has not had a rapid growth because of the prosperity of the other centres, particularly Petrolia. Today the village is a general trading centre for the surrounding; farm land. THE SARNIA ELEVATOR CO. LIMITED Storage Capacity 3,000,000 Bushels SKIPPERS FIND SARNIA ONE OF THE BEST LAY-UP HARBORS FOR GRAIN CARGOES - - The Sarnia Elevator Co., Limited takes considerable pride in the part it has played in the development of Sarnia's wonderful harbor. As a Young Company, Our Hearty Congratulations Are Extended to The London Press on Its Century of Service SARNIA, ONTARIO ESTABLISHED IN 1926