| Town of Goderich | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
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| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| County | Huron County |
| Founded | 1827 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Deb Shewfelt |
| - Deputy Mayor | John Grace |
| Area | |
| - Total | 7.91 km2 (3.1 sq mi) |
| Population (2005)[1] | |
| - Total | 7,563 |
| - Density | 956.1/km2 (2,476.3/sq mi) |
| Website | http://www.goderich.ca/ |
Goderich (pronounced either God-rich or God-er-ich) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County. The town was founded by William "Tiger" Dunlop in 1827.[2] First laid out in 1828, the town is named after Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich,[3] who was British prime minister at the time. The town was officially incorporated in 1850.
As of 2008[update], the population is 8,000. The area of the town is 7.91 square kilometres.
Located on the eastern shore of Lake Huron, Goderich is notable for its sunsets. Queen Elizabeth II once commented that Goderich was "The Prettiest Town in Canada".[4] The town indicates that tourism is among its important industries.[5]
The town participates in the Communities in Bloom competition; in 2004, Goderich won the provincial competition in the 5000-10000 category.
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"The Square"
Goderich's downtown has an octagonal traffic circle known as 'The Square'. The county courthouse stands in the middle of The Square. This is where, in 1959, Steven Truscott was convicted of murdering Lynn Harper.
Contrary to a popularly held belief, plans for The Square were not intended for Guelph. It is thought this rumour started when Guelph was founded, as town planners the Canada Company originally wanted their community to be called Goderich, eventually resigning to Company Superintendent John Galt's wish to name it Guelph.[6]
Industry
Sifto Canada, Inc operates a salt mine underneath Goderich's harbour.[7] The mine extends 5 kilometers under Lake Huron and is the largest salt mine in the world.[8] Volvo operates a road grader manufacturing plant in Goderich.[9] In September 2008, Volvo announced plans to close all operations in Goderich and move operations to Shippensburg, PA.[10] The final stages of this plan are to take place by July 2010.
Ports
Goderich Airport (known unofficially as Sky Harbour Airport)[11] is a community airport with three runways: two are paved, with runway lighting, and one is grass.[12] It is located directly north of the town, and is accessible via the Bluewater Highway north of the community. During WWII, The airport was the site of an Elementary Flying Training School as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.[13] In addition to flight services, several industries are located in the immediate area of the airport to provide the full range of services that aviation requires, including interior and exterior re-finishing, and mechanical repairs.
Goderich Harbour is owned by the town, but is operated under contract by Goderich Port Management Corporation.[14] It is an industrial harbour, used primarily to load salt from the Sifto salt mines onto lake and ocean freighters.
Snug Harbour is a marina located within the industrial harbour basin; Maitland Valley Marina is also located near Goderich.
Railroads
The Goderich-Exeter Railway presently operates freight service to Goderich. The line was built by the Buffalo and Lake Huron Railway in 1859.[15] The railroad was soon taken over by the Grand Trunk Railway, later CN. In 1992, the line was sold to the GEXR.
CPR build a second railroad into Goderich in 1907.[16] Passenger service ran until the 1960s. The entire line was abandoned in 1989.[17] The trestle crossing over the Maitland River was converted through public fund-raising into a public walkway, with beautiful views of the harbour, Maitland Valley golf course and of course, the river valley itself. The Ontario West Shore Railway started to build a railroad from Goderich to Kincardine in 1909, but the road was never completely open.[18]
Attractions
The Huron Historic Gaol is a National Historic Site. It served as the region's gaol (old English form of jail) from its opening in 1842 until 1972.[19] It is open to the public between April and October. This is the site of the last public hanging in Canada. James Donnelly Sr. of the Black Donnellys also spent time here before his trial. As well, Steven Truscott was held here for some time.
The Huron County Museum is a community museum which offers modern exhibition galleries. Permanent exhibits depict the early settlement and development of Huron County. The museum also collects and maintains the Huron County Archives.
The Marine Museum, which is open in July and August, is dedicated to the lifestyle and culture of those who made a living on Lake Huron, highlighting The Great Storm of 1913. Admission to this museum is included in the entry fee for the Huron County Museum.
Goderich features 3 public use beaches which can be reached by car following signage in town to the beach hill, also known as West Street. After parking, beach users can also walk along a wooden boardwalk over a mile in length. The main beach, at the north end of the walkway is a sand and fine gravel beach where swimmers and sunbathers can watch lake freighters loading up with salt on the other side of the pier. Further south is St. Christopher's beach and at the far end of the boardwalk is "The Cove", a family-friendly sand beach with lifeguards and playground equipment. Of interest as well, are the man-made groynes along the beach, put in place to control sand migration from the action of water currents.
Sports teams
Besides school teams, during the winter season, hockey is prevalent in most Canadian small towns, Goderich being no exception. The town supports both the Sr. A Pirates and the Jr. C Sailors, much of the talent on both teams being of local origin.
Schools
Goderich is home to three elementary schools and one high school. Robertson Memorial, Victoria Public, and St. Mary's Catholic separate school are the in town elementary schools, with more elementary schools serving the rural areas outside of town. Goderich District Collegiate Institute (G.D.C.I.), the local high school, was founded in 1841.[citation needed] The Huron County Museum now uses the original schoolhouse as part of the museum.
Demographics
| 0-9 | 10-19 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60-69 | 70-79 | 80+ | Total | % of population | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 400 | 445 | 365 | 385 | 500 | 595 | 360 | 305 | 195 | 3,555 | 47 | |||
| Female | 335 | 485 | 405 | 375 | 585 | 630 | 435 | 400 | 360 | 4,010 | 53 | |||
| Total | 735 | 930 | 770 | 765 | 1,085 | 1,220 | 795 | 710 | 550 | 7,565 | 100 | |||
| Source: Stats Canada | ||||||||||||||
Notable people
- David Bauer (1924-1988) Influential Canadian amateur hockey organizer and coach
- Albert Dewsbury (1926-2006) former NHL defenceman
- Gary Doak (born 1946) former NHL defenceman
- Katie Durst Canadian Idol top 10.
- Larry Jeffrey (born 1940) former NHL forward, won the Stanley Cup in 1967 with the Toronto Maple Leafs
- Mistie Murray (born 1978) Subject of infamous unsolved missing persons case.
- Ted Nasmith fantasy illustrator, best known for his illustrations of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien
- Garth Picot guitarist, former member of The Revols
- Jack Price (born 1932) former NHL defenceman
- Jennifer Robinson (born 1976) former six time Canadian national figure skating champion
- Tim Sale (born 1942), retired cabinet Minister in the province of Manitoba Canada
- Dick Treleaven (born 1934) Ontario politician
- Ron Van Horne (born 1932) Ontario politician
- Joseph Griffin (1849 - 1925) First Catholic reeve (sheriff) of Huron County
Media
As of October 15, 2007, Goderich is now serviced by radio station CHWC-FM 104.9 The Beach which is broadcast at 104.9 FM with studios in town. 104.9 The Beach is owned and operated by Bayshore Broadcasting Corporation.
The local newspaper paper is the Goderich Signal Star, owned by Quebecor/Sun Media Corporation through Bowes Publishers.
Sister city
References
- ^ Statistics Canada Data regarding Goderich
- ^ "historic plaque". ontarioplaques.com. http://www.ontarioplaques.com/Plaques_GHI/Plaque_Huron13.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ "historic plaque". ontarioplaques.com. http://www.ontarioplaques.com/Plaques_GHI/Plaque_Huron15.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ "Huron Stewardship Council". Stewardship Network of Ontario. http://www.ontariostewardship.org/ontarioStewardship/home/osHSIndex.asp. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
- ^ "Statistics on Goderich". Town of Goderich. http://www.goderich.ca/statistics.html. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
- ^ Heritage Goderich
- ^ "Sifto Canada - About Us". http://www.siftocanada.com/about%20us/about.html. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- ^ "Salt Industry News item". Salt Industry News. http://www.saltinstitute.org/rss/industry_news/2006/07/compass_minerals_to_expand_wor.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ "Get in touch with us". http://www.volvo.com/constructionequipment/na/en-us/Applications/ContactUs/North+America.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- ^ "Volvo says to move grader business, cost $45 mln". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2008/09/30/afx5488979.html. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- ^ "photo of terminal building sign". Waymarking.com. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2CG7. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ "entry on Nav Canada site". Nav Canada. http://www.navcanada.ca/NavCanada.asp?Language=en&Content=ContentDefinitionFiles/default.xml. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ "historic plaque". Waymarking.com. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2CG7. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ "Statistics about Goderich". Town of Goderich site. http://www.goderich.ca/statistics.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ "The B&LHR". http://home.primus.ca/~robkath/railbuf.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
- ^ "Stops along Lake Huron". http://www.stopsalonglakehuron.com/menesetung.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
- ^ Informational plaque along the Goderich to Auburn Rail Trail.
- ^ The Signal (Goderich), January 4, 1912.
- ^ "historic gaol site". Huron County. http://www.huroncounty.ca/museum/hhg.php. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
See also
External links
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