by George Mathewson for the Sarnia Observer (2003) From the illicit rum-running of “Scarface” Capone to the location of the Sarnia Golf & Curling Club lounge, alcohol helped shape the social history of Sarnia-Lambton. With its miles of lonely shoreline, the St. Clair River was a porous border for rum-runners [...]
by Mayor Mike Bradley (2015) When people pass away, their lives are usually frozen in time in our memories. If younger, then forever young. If older, over time the memories are usually nostalgically positive. Sometimes looking back at the lives of those we have lost, through the telescope of today’s [...]
by Rany Xanthopoulo for First Monday (2014) People of Portuguese descent have been a part of Sarnia’s multicultural make-up for many years. In general terms Portuguese people are known for being hard workers with a strong work ethic, strong family values and a love for food and wine. Once a [...]
by CBC News-Windsor (2010) Rescuers in military helicopters, snowmobiles and heavy trucks have freed the more than 200 stranded motorists who had been stuck on southwestern Ontario's Highway 402 since a heavy snowstorm hit Monday. Ontario Provincial Police confirmed Tuesday night that officers and Canadian Forces personnel had removed 237 people [...]
by Phil Egan for First Monday (2014) It’s pretty evident that Barry Mackey’s passengers love him, and, if you watch him drive for a few days, you can clearly see why. There’s always a pleasant welcome for riders as they board, usually greeting them by name. It’s the little things, [...]
by Paul Morden for the Sarnia Observer (2014) Sarnia was actually Canada’s second, or perhaps even third, Chemical Valley. By 1914, the year Sarnia became a city, its Imperial Oil refinery employed 1,200 workers, covered nearly 110 acres on the St. Clair River and manufactured products ranging from kerosene to [...]
by George Mathewson for the Sarnia Observer (2003) John Raeside Gemmill had lofty hopes when he started (the Observer). From a home-based printing plant at Davis and Christina streets he cranked out a lively weekly that struck a chord immediately. Within a month, one of every 12 residents in the [...]
by Paul Morden for the Sarnia Observer (2014) Joe Dagan believed Sarnia should be a city. As an alderman in the early 1900s, he urged town council to push for the growth needed to make that happen. As mayor, he led the celebrations in 1914 when the Duke of Connaught, [...]
by the Sarnia Observer (2003) When officials from the Imperial Oil company came before Sarnia council in 1897 seeking a tax break in exchange for expanding its refinery, town officials considered it too good a deal to pass up. So did The Observer, which praised the deal, declaring it would [...]
by George Mathewson for The Sarnia Journal (2015) Few business ventures ever survive 100 years, and even fewer are still run by the same family. But such is the case at Praill’s, a greenhouse operation that’s literally been part of the local landscape for four generations. Frank Praill was in [...]
