Port Elgin, Ontario
01-Apr-2018
While many towns and villages along the Great Lakes have engaged in massive revitalization programs to restore their once-industrial waterfronts into inviting recreational areas, the little village of Port Elgin, Ontario has never had to do so — it’s beautiful waterfront has always been all about the beach.
Located midway up the Canadian side of Lake Huron, Port Elgin is the kind of charming lakeshore town that seems to have it all: A picturesque beach, protected waters and gorgeous sunsets every night of the year. The village was first permanently settled in the mid-14th century by a band of about 500 Iroquoian First Nation peoples. Archaeological examinations of the village site, situated smack in the middle of town in present-day Nodwell Park, suggest the settlers were primarily farmers who grew corn, tobacco, pumpkins and sunflowers. They also engaged in a great deal of fishing.
As European colonization spread through the Midwest, a new wave of settlers arrived in Port Elgin, and they too found its rich farmlands and bountiful waters much to their liking. With the exception of aptly-named Harbour Street (which roughly parallels the lakeshore), many of the.....
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