The Fishing Islands

On the shores of Lake Huron, part of the South Bruce Peninsula

The mainland of the Peninsula opposite the Islands is mostly low lying and sandy,forming in several places small sand-dunes. 

The area between the shore and the Islands has been filled in with sand, leaving large areas of shallow water, miles in extent, over which people may walk or     drive. At low water great stretches of sand show their rippled, yellow surfaces; and some of the islands become attached to the mainland or to each other. 

So it is, that a definition of an island at Oliphant is “a piece of land with    sand all around it.” 

The Islands in all number over seventy and vary in size from a mere shoal of     flat rock with a few currant bushes growing thereon, to the largest, Cranberry,       containing one hundred and twenty-four acres.

Just north of Hawksnest Island, a picturesque spot, at times a part of the       mainland and at times an island, the “Diagonal Road” from Wiarton enters by way  of Marie Street. The town-plot of Oliphant, laid out at the time of the Rankin      Survey in 1855, reaches from this street northward one mile. Here it was expected that a commercial centre would have sprung up, a hope which has never been real- ized and which has doubtless long since passed away. Point au Rock is a small    peninsula stretching outward from the centre of the town-plot. Westward from it  is a marshy formation of reeds, through which the far-famed Gut Channel passes,  forming the  key of inside navigation between the North and South. The name is   far from being attractive, but it is time-honoured, and will doubtless remain    for all time.

In the few years of Oliphant’s existence as a summering place, it has grown up   rapidly. Pretty little summer houses have been erected here and there along the  shore and islands, some hidden amongst the ever-greens, 


others out in the open sunshine, some on the well protected islands, and others  away out where the great storms of Lake Huron break and almost tear away their   moorings. In all there are more than a hundred and fifty camps scattered over the  region, and there is scarcely a town in Western Ontario that is not represented  in their population. 

We may sum up Oliphant’s     varied charms in just a      few  words. It is a place         romantic, historic, and      beautiful; it has many       islands, channels, and by-   ways to explore amongst; it  has some of the finest bass  fishing in the Great Lakes;   it has bathing that for      warmth of temperature can    scarcely be equalled; it     has splendid boating —       sailing, rowing, paddling,   and motor-boating; 

it has an annual Regatta where strength and skill of body and craft are displayed to advantage; it has three athletic grounds, one on mainland, one on Rabbit      Island, and one on Frog Island, the scenes of many ball games and field sports;  it has a church, a government dock now lighted, a spring that never runs dry, and may we add, a post office which brings, let us trust, many joys; it has never had a fatality or serious accident, to mar its sense of pleasure; and above all its  inhabitants are of a high standard of citizenship, from which emanates a spirit  of helpfulness and sociability so necessary in the life of people seeking health, comfort, and happiness. 

The first gathering of the  campers was in the form of a picnic held in 1903 at  Cranberry, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Cross. The next year it was held at Hawksnest      Island. In 1907 the picnic was changed to a regatta and held at the Government   Dock built the year before. The Regatta has proved an extremely popular annual    event in which aquatic sports are keenly contested by all classes of campers old and young.

OLIPHANT AND ITS ISLANDS • LAKE HURON 

HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE SKETCHES 

WRITTEN BY IRENE MONKMAN AND ROY FLEMING 

COPYRIGHT, 1912 

A walk around the Oliphant Government Dock and Marina for Restless Jo
accompanied by a 1912 description of the area

following the PE&NS RR

At this time of year (after Labour Day) the beach at Port Elgin is very quiet. 

Kids are back in school and most of the tourists have gone.
Even Lake Huron was quiet and calm.

the gazebo where weekly summer concerts are held is a perfect place to sit and read out of the sun if you have a lawn chair with you, which you will also need for those Sunday evening concerts.



the little steam train sits quietly waiting for the weekend when it will run through a 1.6km trip on the Port Elgin and North Shore Railroad around the harbour and park, blowing its whistle along the way. I can hear it from the cottage where I am staying. it has been running for decades, and there are plans to have the station renovated and upgraded, and possibly moved to the North Shore Park at the other end of the waterfront, which led to false rumours that the town might scrap the train altogether.

in the background you can see the newly built Edinburgh Club, the first luxury condominium to be built on the waterfront. there are still 2 units left, according to a sign on the other side.



only three of the boats at the marina have been dry docked that I could see. and, glancing at the petrol pumps, I noticed the price is .20 cents more expensive than for autos (at $1.38 litre)

some Canada Geese were lazily drifting in between the boat docks, 

with others heading in to join them

until something spooked them 

(wasn't me, I'm sure!) and they suddenly all took off

there is an open area between the harbour and the park where this majestic willow takes pride of place. see how I cleverly included the house with my favourite upstairs sunporch? just for scale, of course.

the train tracks are that line in front of the willow

further down, a walking trail takes you through the North Shore Park where you will cross the narrow gauge of the railway near where it turns around

and, finally, another resting spot to view the sunset. 

the water is still at a high level.

from there, the trail continues on ...

(that is Chantry Island Lighthouse in the distance)
sharing with Jo's Monday Walk
and Our World Tuesday
the first pictures were taken in the early morning, the last seven in the late evening

Corydon Avenue

Corydon Avenue runs between Assiniboine Park 

 and what is known as Confusion Corner.  

After driving down it several times by bus and car on my way to and from downtown Winnipeg, I chose a (too sunny) morning to walk and capture the sights of the street at the Confusion Corner end that is known as Little Italy.

It was pretty quiet at 10am, but I found at least one other person enjoying the nice weather

There are many restaurants, though not all with such decorative patios

or decorative rear walls by the garbage bins

What first caught my attention were the many murals showcasing the area (see also here and here for other pictures) sponsored by the Corydon Ave BIZ (Business Improvement Zone)

Down some of the side streets, the homes look this

with many mature trees

the band on these trees are to protect against cankerworms. I saw many, many trees with these bands. Cankerworms cause a lot of damage in Winnipeg and really like American Elm, Manitoba Maple and fruit trees.





But on Corydon itself, many homes were lowrise apartment buildings with little character







though at least this one was getting a facelift

and this one has a few grand ideas

Scattered around, were these sculptures with painted images representing different countries. After I got home and did some research, I see I missed quite a few of them as according to the website there are eight  to be found. I was really disappointed in myself for not seeing them. If you want you can see the others here. This one is Argentina

 on the left is Spain, and the right, France

some business had rather unusual names...

and unusual canopies on the rooftop patios

Before I set out on my walk, I had high hopes of sitting on one of those patios with a coffee or latte, but  after commenting at one store that was open about how quiet it was on the street, I was told that none of the restaurants opened until dinner time. Sure enough, on a ride down the street in the evening, the place was hopping with people!

another urban walk for Jo's Monday Walks

with a few signs thrown in for Lesley's signs, signs

and some murals for Monday Murals

Ribfest

If you are a carnivore, 
then my city was the place to be this weekend.

For Burlington is home to 
Canada's Largest Ribfest
held at Spencer Smith Park for over 20 years on the Labour Day Weekend. Consider it our way to tastily mark the unofficial end of summer on this holiday weekend.





It can get pretty hot working over the grill

     

    and smoky

Past trophies are on display and there were 19 ribbers this year. Prizes go out for best ribs, best sauce and best "pig rig".There are long lines for the hungry - I don't particularly like ribs, but I was happy to sample the sauces. My vote for favourite would be the one with apple butter and a taste of Jack Daniels.

and there are other foods, like funnel cakes, beaver tails, and poutine

                         

 a short walk on the pier and you can get an overall view, but you can't really escape the smoky smell coming off the bbqs. I live five blocks from the park and some years when the wind is blowing in the right direction I am almost tempted to join the queues...

but for this year, it was just a walk around to share the fun with Jo's Monday Walks