by Rob Ferguson for the Toronto Star (2015) For less than the price of a fixer-upper in Toronto, you can own a stately piece of Canadian history in Scotland for 287,000 pounds — or about 594,900 loonies. It’s the birthplace of Canada’s second prime minister, Alexander Mackenzie, who was born [...]
by Lawrence A. Crich (1986) Any attempt to get a clear picture of education in Sarnia prior to 1860 is met with frustration. This can probably be better understood when one realizes that the first Sarnia Board of Education was formed only in 1851 and the first recorded surviving minutes [...]
by the Sarnia Gazette (1978) In 1880, there were about 6,000 people living in the Town of Sarnia which was described as a thriving railway and shipping centre having an extensive waterworks and sewerage system, a horse-drawn street railway between Sarnia and Point Edward, a number of industries, including a [...]
by R.W. Ford (1987) Stretching for over 30 kilometres along the St. Clair River from the southern tip of Lake Huron to the village of Sombra lies the largest concentration of petroleum and chemical industry in Canada. Some 25 kilometres inland ancient oil wells grudgingly yield a few barrels of [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer William Logie's claim to fame is that he was Mayor of Sarnia when Council decided to build the Community's first Public Library. In a way it was fitting, because our 25th Chief Magistrate was something of a book worm. Born in Hensall, Ontario, [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer Fred Watson may have been too nice a man to be a great Mayor. The Community's 24th Chief Magistrate was popular with voters but, once in office, he had a difficult time dealing with an unruly group of Aldermen. In fact, according to [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer The Mayor who did so much to prepare Sarnia for a new century. T.G. Johnston, the Community’s 23rd Chief Magistrate, was in Office when Council lured Imperial Oil to the Municipality. The move would transform a sleepy little 19th century market Town of [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer Ebenezer Scrooge may not have been the only 19th century figure to be visited by the ghosts of Christmas. The faded yellow minutes of a December 15, 1896, Sarnia Council meeting suggest celebrated author Charles Dickens's apparitions may have come calling on Mayor [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer He was a politician who hated politics. William J. Proctor, who served three terms as Sarnia's Mayor, was a man who never campaigned for the job. He wouldn’t give speeches, kiss babies, distribute pamphlets or do advertising of any kind. According to a [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer He helped launch the local tourism industry and gave Sarnians direct control over their Police Department. Those were among the major achievements of Mayor Richard LeSueur. Born in Quebec City in 1850, LeSueur settled in Sarnia, becoming a shoe merchant and County Registrar. [...]
