by Phil Egan (2015) He left a trail of chaos and human misery in his wake, yet he was a “charming rogue” who managed to fool almost everyone he ever met. Norman J. “Red” Ryan and his companions swathed a trail of criminal activities from Montreal to Minneapolis, but it [...]
by Stephen Huebl (2005) Over the past 100 years, the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce has played an active and vital role in Sarnia Lambton's growth. But even before its official incorporation in 1905, the Chamber can trace its roots back to the late 1800s. It all started on Feb. [...]
by Randy Evans, Special for The Sarnia Journal While conducting research at the Sarnia Library recently I came across a trio of stories from Sarnia-Lambton’s colourful past and thought readers might enjoy them. 1 – Auchtung the Kaiser: In 1916 Canada asked U.S. authorities to extradite one Albert C. Kaltschmidt [...]
by Charles Phelps writing in A History of Blackwell Church & Community, 1880-1980 (1980) The Purdy family has been fishing commercially in Lake Huron for more than 75 years. The 1911 Sarnia and Port Huron Directory lists the name, “Purdy, Milton B., fisherman, lives 310 Nelson.” Later, his son, William [...]
by Brian Bolt for the Sarnia (2001) In its glory days in the late 1800s, the former Belchamber Hotel building was a downtown Sarnia landmark reputed to be one of the finest hotels in Ontario. Today, while the historic four-storey building at 178 Front St. N. isn’t about to revisit [...]
By Jean Elford for the Sarnia Gazette (1961) Everyone familiar with downtown Sarnia refers to building number 176 on the east side of Front Street south of Lochiel as the Belchamber. It has been called that ever since James Belchamber had it built as a hotel in 1866. The name [...]
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 Jim Blake for the Sarnia Gazette (1978) “We played for the fun of it and we played the full 60 minutes per game. The only way you got off the field was if you got your neck broken, your arm broken, or your brains kicked out.” So says 74 [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer Six decades before Prime Minister Jean Chretien introduced a national "infrastructure program" in a bid to combat high unemployment, Sarnia Mayor Arthur Kirby was doing the same thing at the local level. Born in Yorkshire, England, Kirby came to Canada as a four-year [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer William J. Scott's main claim to fame is that he played a role in the development of Ipperwash Provincial Park. Scott, who was elected our 46th Chief Magistrate in 1928, talked senior government officials into creating the popular – and controversial – North [...]
