By Phil Egan At the time the St. Clair River Tunnel opened in 1891, it was considered one of the engineering wonders of the world. For decades thereafter, Sarnia was known as “Sarnia Tunnel” or “Tunnel Town.” For many years prior to its opening, transborder trade between Canada and the [...]
By Phil Egan Few areas of Sarnia have changed as much over the years as Ferry Dock Hill. For much of its existence, this was the busiest place in town. Most of Port Sarnia’s earliest settlers arrived by boat. As late as 1846 there were fewer than 500 citizens in [...]
By Phil Egan In 1808, Jean Baptiste Pare became one of the first non-indigenous settlers to arrive in what is, today, Sarnia. He arrived with his family from Clinton River, today’s Mount Clemens. Many settlers would come upriver from Michigan following the British surrender of Detroit in 1796. The local [...]
By Phil Egan Much of our knowledge of old Sarnia came from the pen or the remarkable Charlotte Vidal Nisbet. The granddaughter of Sarnia founder Richard Emeric Vidal and daughter of Senator Alexander Vidal can be considered the honourary godmother of all Sarnia historians. From 1935 until her death in [...]
By Phil Egan It would come to be known as the White Hurricane, the Freshwater Fury, the Big Blow, or simply the Great Storm of 1913. Canadians who listen to the music of Gordon Lightfoot are familiar with “the gales of November,” as described in Lightfoot’s ballad of the sinking [...]
Story by Phil Egan It’s an historic Sarnia treasure that was saved at the last minute from obscurity. The inscription reads: “Presented to W.J. Hanna No.1 Hose Company Sarnia” Retired Sarnia firefighter Kyle McKelvie was doing some chores for an elderly family relation. She was Carla Perry, the widow of [...]
Phil Egan The first time I heard Ken McLachlin sing, it sent a little chill down my spine. The setting that day was special, as was the song that Ken sang. It was the last Sunday in September, 2018 – National Police and Peace Officers Memorial Day. Ken McLachlin, on [...]
By Phil Egan for the Sarnia Journal From the early 1920s, the week of October 8 has been observed in Canada and the United States as Fire Prevention Week. Many understand that this date was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire – an event that [...]
By Phil Egan for the Sarnia Journal On a cold January day in 1866, a calamitous fire had struck Sarnia’s downtown core. As consecutive buildings caught fire on Front Street, citizens rushed into the buildings, hauling out rescued goods and property and placing it into a growing pile of goods [...]
By Phil Egan for the Sarnia Journal This past Hallowe’en, my beautiful little one-year-old, grandniece, Lily, was photographed dressed as a unicorn. It was a perfectly fitting outfit for such a rare, precious little gem. Through an opening in the creature’s head, Lily’s smiling face beams out at the photographer. [...]
