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Heritage Tour

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  EDUCATE, APPRECIATE AND CELEBRATE
  
  South Georgian Bay’s history runs deep, dating back to the lives of the First Nations people who navigated ourwaterways. Follow the paths of the Jesuits, Samuel de Champlain, The Hurons and the Petun tribe, ship-builders, British soldiers and pioneers.
  
  Downtown Collingwood Heritage
  The Town of Collingwood is proud of its rich, architectural heritage that dates back to the late 19th century. In order to preserve, restore and compliment the wonderful and historically significant buildings, the downtown core has been designated an official Heritage District — the first historic designated downtown in all of Canada. Learn more through a self-guided walking tour of the downtown core and a driving tour through some of the city’s residential neighbourhoods. Tour on foot, save gas and escape worrying about parking cars.
  
  Collingwood Ship-building
  Boat building has been a part of Collingwood from the beginning. The earliest boat builder, William Watts arrived in Collingwood in about 1850. He soon began construction on sailing skiffs for the local fishing industry. It was the arrival of the railroad in 1855 that cemented Collingwood’s worth as a centre for shipping and shipbuilding, since the rail line offered the ability to transport goods, materials and people easily and efficiently through the Great Lakes and points west. For 103 years, Collingwood built lake freighters, corvettes, minesweepers, barges, ferries, ice breakers — anything that could sail on the Great Lakes and beyond. All of the ships were all launched sideways, usually about 12 o’clock noon. Until 1986, there was almost always a boat at the end of Hurontario Street. A thousand men worked at the shipyard when the town’s population was under ten thousand. Many town folk have fond memories of the shipyard whistle, which was heard throughout the town, marking the end of the day.
  
  Craigleith Heritage Depot / Ski History
  The Depot owes its existence to Sir Sandford Fleming, Canada’s celebrated railway engineer. Naming the area Craigleith, meaning Rocky Harbour, the Flemings established a quarry and a furniture factory and donated land for the original schoolhouse along the Township’s first gravel road. The road followed an ancient native trail traveled by resident Petuns, Jesuit missionaries and traders alike in the 1600’s. In 1872, A.G. Fleming, Sandford’s father, sold a parcel of land to the Northern Railway along the same road for the purpose of constructing a station for the community. By 1880 a handsome station with the very newest architectural design, a rounded turret, opened its doors to the whistle of the locomotive and promise of prosperity for the community. In a direction quite unforeseen by the Flemings, the little station became the hub of ski trains from Toronto in the early 1940’s, and planted the seeds for what was to become Ontario’s premier ski and four season recreational destination. In July 2001, The Town of The Blue Mountains, with support from the Craigleith Heritage Committee and Blue Mountain Watershed Trust Foundation, purchased the Depot. On September 21st 2008 the Craigleith Heritage Depot reopened their doors as a community heritage interpretation centre and tourism office.
  
  Meaford Hall Arts and Cultural Centre
  Beautifully restored and renovated, the Meaford Hall Arts & Cultural Centre thrives in historic downtown Meaford. For over a century, Meaford Hall has echoed with music, drama and debate, serving as the political, social and cultural heart of Meaford.
  
  Nancy Island Historical Site / War of 1812
  On August 14, three American ships arrived at the mouth of the Nottawasaga River to wait for the British schooner which was thought to be on route from Fort Michilimackinac. It was only when wood gathering parties from the American ships happened upon the Nancy in her hiding spot that the secret was revealed. The engagement was brief and decisive. Lieutenant Worsley’s force consisted of 22 seamen and 23 Ojibway under the command of Lieutenant Ramsay Livingston and nine French Canadian Voyageurs. The American force of three ships, and 500 men provided formidable odds. The Americans proceeded to pound the Nancy from Georgian Bay across the narrow neck of land, which separated the river from the Bay. She burned to the waterline and sank. Gradually, the river currents deposited silt and sand about the sunken hull and an island was formed. On August 14, 1928, 114 years after the gallant defence of the Nancy, the Nancy Museum was officially opened to commemorate this episode in the War of 1812. 
  
  Scenic Caves Nature Adventures and The First Nations People
  The Scenic Caves are situated at one of the highest points on the Niagara Escarpment from which you can view the town of Collingwood, the spectacular shoreline of Georgian Bay and several thousand square miles of unsurpassed scenery. They were carved millions of years ago by the glacial ice. The caves are set in one of Canada’s six UNESCO biosphere reserves and reveal rock formations from another era. One cave is so deep that snow and ice remain here all year round defying summer’s hottest days. The earliest written records of this area were by the Jesuit missionaries, who, in the first half of the 17th century, lived with the Hurons. The Hurons were the largest First Nation in North America at one time. Over 30,000 Natives lived, farmed the land and hunted here. The area around the Scenic Caves was the home of the Petun tribe or “Tobacco Nation”, who used to grow tobacco for trade. Excavations at Scenic Caves from 1975 to 1978 by archaeologist Charles Garrad, confirm that this area was once visited by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain and is the historic site of the Hurons’ village of Ekarenniondi, which is named after its famous rock, which they used to worship. The deep clefts and the imposing standing stone of the site lent themselves perfectly to the spiritual beliefs of the native people who migrated northward to the region before the arrival of the Europeans. Today, no-one disputes that the sacred Rock marking the trail to the Village of the Dead is the rock long so identified at the Scenic Caves. It is the only rock which meets all the tests implied in the legends.
  
  Craigleith Fossils
  Four hundred and forty-five million years ago, The Town of The Blue Mountains was submerged under a most unusual sea. This Ordovician Sea was not at all like our modern deep ocean basins. It was extensive and shallow, probably warm, oxygenated and sunlit. These factors combined to make the perfect environment for one of the world’s first species of animal to flourish — the trilobite. Trilobites enjoyed a long history of scavenging the bottom of our ancient sea, all this happening approximately 250 million years before the first dinosaur walked the earth. Ideal geologic and atmospheric conditions allowed for fossilization of these creatures, giving us the unique opportunity of viewing these ancient inhabitants of our area.
  
  Petun Villages
  A former president of the Ontario Archaeological Society, Garrad spent many years unearthing the sites of two Petun villages next to the Nipissing Ridge in the Craigleith area. A few of the hundreds of artifacts discovered during the digs are now on display at the museum in the Craigleith Heritage Depot. Samuel de Champlain found a series of well-built villages belonging to an agricultural and trading people in 1616. He inexplicably named them Nation de Petun (Tobacco Nation). They were the Ouendat (Wyandot) people who had broken away from the Huron Nation and moved into the area around Craigleith to participate in the fur trade.
  
  Agricultural History
  The success of our area apple orchards are one the single most important components of our region’s prosperity. The South Georgian Bay region is perfect for apples. The valley on either side of the Beaver River protects the area from most of the severe weather, and the proximity of Georgian Bay moderates the coldest winter weather. One of the pioneers in the development of the local fruit industry was John G. Mitchell. Mitchell lived near Clarksburg and grew apples and plums. In 1932, the company built a large cold storage plant on Hwy #26 east of Thornbury. In 1939, one of the largest canneries in Canada was built across the road. Over the years many packers, families and growers have made small fortunes in wholesaling apples. With greater technology and tree improvements, the industry is poised for success. Come and visit some of our members, who have apples on their minds 24/7, they include Grandma Lambes, Farmer’s Pantry and Fernwood Farms.
  
  Sheffield Museum — Black Pioneers
  Through displays and artefacts, visitors may gain an understanding of the trials and successes of Ontario’s early Black pioneers. View some actual slave chains, and learn of the ‘Underground Railroad’ that helped many to freedom. Discover the many marine and military accomplishments of the Black settlers in the Collingwood area. The museum is located outside of Clarksburg on Clark Street and open seasonally.
  
  Craigleith Oil Shale Works
  A growing demand for artificial light led to the establishment, in 1859, of plant called the Craigleith Oil Shale Works to Courtesy of The Craigleith Heritage depot obtain oil through the treatment of local bituminous shales. The enterprise, the only one of its kind in the province’s history, failed by 1863. The inefficiency of its process made its products uncompetitive after the discoveries of “free” oil at Petrolia and Oil Springs, near Sarnia. A commemorative plaque can be found at the Craigleith Provincial Park off Highway #26.