By George Mathewson for The Sarnia Journal A fish caught near the foot of Lake Huron on May 18, 1874 had the citizens of Sarnia agog. The creature was five feet long and sported a paddle-like snout that was nearly half as long as its body. The bizarre fish was preserved and [...]
By Laura Greaves for Year of Local When Frank Praill started Praill’s Greenhouse in 1915, he did so because he loved flowers. In 1946 his son Harold took over when Frank passed away. In 1997, Harold’s son Bruce took over the business, and in 2015, Bruce retired and passed the [...]
By Phil Egan for The Sarnia Journal (2016) Kevin Oake sat in a meeting room in Vancouver thinking about a city he’d never seen. The mortgage broker was attending an investment club presentation on real estate opportunities in Sarnia, Ont. Oake was intrigued. Home prices in Sarnia seemed too good [...]
By Phil Egan for The Sarnia Journal (2016) For decades, Western Pennsylvania has been known as the “cradle of quarterbacks.” Some of the National Football League’s premier pivots hailed from there, including Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Joe Namath, Jim Kelly and Johnny Unitas. But Sarnia has its own cradle of [...]
by Tyler Kula for the Sarnia Observer (2016) Sarnia-Lambton unveiled a memorial Sunday to its soldiers who fought in Afghanistan, including two who made the ultimate sacrifice. Wind gusted and rain fell as pipers played in Veteran’s Park, where more than 200 people had gathered for the unveiling and dedication [...]
by Carl Hnatyshyn for Sarnia This Week (2016) It was built in Rotherham, England during the late 17th/early 18th century, it patrolled the Great Lakes aboard a gunboat named Prince Alfred, protecting Canada from the Fenian Brotherhood during the 1860s and it was witness to countless military, religious and social ceremonies that [...]
by Phil Egan for The Sarnia Journal (2016) For weeks the wretched stink pervaded both Sarnia and Port Huron. It was the main topic of conversation, and newspapers on both sides of the border complained about the smell and speculated when it would end. It was an embarrassing end for [...]
By Phil Egan Captain Justin Mallon thought his brother Gerald was still fighting in Italy. It was a surprise then when he saw something surprising while walking along a road near Arnhem. Men wearing his brother Gerald’s regimental shoulder patch were marching past. Moments later, the two brothers were embracing; [...]
by Phil Egan for The Sarnia Journal Most people, when they think of the first cars, think of the early 20th century. They might be surprised to learn that by 1869, the automobile had already claimed its first fatality. That August, Mary Ward of Ireland was thrown from a vehicle and [...]
By Carl Hnatyshyn, Sarnia Observer (2016) It was built in Rotherham, England in the late 18th or early 19th century and patrolled the Great Lakes aboard a gunboat named Prince Alfred while protecting Canada from the Fenian Brotherhood during the 1860s. Since 1869 it has been witness to military, religious [...]
