The Place of the White Rolling Sands

In the long history of Canada, there has never been quite another place like Penetanguishene Ontario. Supposedly named by an Abenaki tribe, the town, situated on one of the most biggest picturesque Canadian fjords has experienced all aspects of Canada‘s development and historical identity.

Its peninsula was first occupied in the 1500s by the Huron-Wendat First Nation people, visited in the 1600s by French Governor and explorer, Samuel de Champlain, and then followed by Recollets and Jesuit missionaries. A British Naval and Military Establishment was constructed here to protect Lake Huron and Upper Canada which in turn brought an influx of British soldiers, French, English and Métis settlers to the area.

The late 1800s saw a pioneering boom in manufacturing, tourism and lumber production as the town quickly grew from a village to a bustling town that at one point was the epicenter of activity in North Simcoe.

In the second of a series of historical booklets, writer and resident historian David Dupuis brings his town to life in a concise manner through words, drawings and photos that will truly show the magnificent past of a historic town and the personalities that shaped it.