by Jean Turnbull Elford (1982) Beginning with British rule in the northern part of this continent, land was acquired from the Indians as it was needed for new settlers. Because of legislation passed in 1763, no Indian band forfeited their land without their own and the Crown’s consent. The Indians [...]
by Jean Turnbull Elford in Canada West’s Last Frontier (1982) Point Edward, Lambton’s largest incorporated village, placed where Lake Huron empties into the River St. Clair, made its way into recorded history earlier than any other part of Lambton. The first written account comes from the pen of Father Hennepin [...]
By Steven McKenna (2015) The year was 1889 when Patrick Grandcourt Kerwin was born in Sarnia, Ontario in what was a young Canadian nation where residents were considered British subjects. Queen Victoria was the monarch and the Prime Minister of the day was Sir John A. Macdonald, leader of the [...]
By Phil Egan – Special to the Sarnia Journal, Then and Now. It began with the blowing of a company whistle. At 4:45 pm on June 28, 1913, the sound of that whistle heralded the opening of Sarnia’s new H. Mueller Manufacturing plant at 100 Clifford Street. It was a [...]
By Phil Egan – Special to the Sarnia Journal, Then and Now. Sarnians passing by the River City Vineyard church and homeless shelter on Mitton Street might be surprised to learn that this location was once the heartbeat of one of Sarnia’s most celebrated industries. It happened like this. In [...]
By Phil Egan - Special to The Sarnia Journal, Then and Now. (2015) What began as a search for oil led to the discovery of salt. The discovery of oil in Lambton County in the late 19th century had many believing that vast wealth might be just around the corner. [...]
by George Mathewson for The Sarnia Journal (2014) It’s common knowledge that Sarnia’s airport is named for astronaut Chris Hadfield, the city’s more famous native son. But few know it was actually his father, Roger Hadfield, who first landed a plane at the airport. Or that the First Family of [...]
by Tyler Kula for the Sarnia Observer (2014) A destination for rock stars and visiting OHL hockey teams alike, a haven for lovers of Canadian bacon, and a proud purveyor of home-cooked meals and stellar service, John's Restaurant has entered its golden years. It was in 1964 that Greek [...]
Synopsis courtesy of Shell (2015) Shell’s Sarnia Manufacturing Centre is located on the St. Clair Parkway, about ten kilometres south of Sarnia between Froomfield and Corunna. The plant employees 350 full-time employees and has a capacity of 75,000 barrels of crude oil daily. Its products include gasoline, distillates, liquid petroleum [...]
by Tara Jeffrey for the Sarnia Observer (2014) Chris Hadfield was at his family’s Stag Island cottage when he watched the television coverage of the first moon landing in July 1969. That’s when he decided he wanted to be an astronaut. Thirty-two years later, dressed in a white spacesuit with [...]
