Sarnia: Then & Now

Whether we’re young or old or somewhere in between, we all love a good story.

At The Sarnia Journal and the new Sarnia Historical Society, we remember the words of Rudyard Kipling, who said if history was taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.

We are blessed to live in a city with a wealth of fascinating tales. The story of Sarnia is replete with wondrous characters, heroic warriors, and often incredible events, from First Nation traders to the first glimpse of an airplane at the 1911 Fall Fair, to a city turning on the lights for its own man in space.

Sarnia’s story is also the story of a river and a lake, of tragic shipwrecks and violent storms, of days of pleasure cruising and historic resorts on the beach. It traces a time span from black, sticky crude seeping out of the gum beds of Bear Creek, to the Allies racing to build a new industry in Sarnia critical to defeating the Axis powers in the Second World War.

It takes us to all these places, and beyond.

This week, pick up a copy of Sarnia: Then and Now and take some time and enjoy the stories presented in this special edition of The Journal. And when you’re done here, find hundreds of additional stories that make up Sarnia’s rich, exciting and fascinating past at the newly launched www.sarniahistoricalsociety.com

Phil Egan, editor-in-chief, Sarnia Historical Society

George Mathewson, editor, The Sarnia Journal

 

A big thank you to all involved:

 It takes a village to raise a special publication. First and foremost, we’d like to thank all of our advertisers, whose belief in The Sarnia Journal and the work it does makes this and the weekly newspaper possible.

To the Journal sales and graphics teams and paper carriers who went above and beyond.

And the lead contributors:

 Phil Egan: a novelist, freelance writer and Secretary-Treasurer of the new Sarnia Historical Society

David D. Plain: an award-winning author and historian from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation

Kip Cuthbert: a Sarnia-based DJ with a passion for local history

Lambton County Archives and Lambton Heritage Museum: which provided copies of images from its photographic collection