We departed Sherkston Shores after a relaxing few days, that
included touring the latest park model for sale there, the Black Diamond by General Coach. It is an ultra-modern park model! Some floor plans include
spiral staircases, second story decks and two sided glass fireplaces! WOW! This
is not your grandparent’s trailer! It is a great manufacturer, a
perfect lay-out partnered with a top of the line vacation destination!
We traveled on Highway 3 West for a good portion of our day.
It looks like it would be a great road to travel!
We discovered the Humberstone Speedway. It is home to the
Sportsman Super DIRTcar series, RUSH Late Models, Street Stocks, Pro 4 Trucks
and Mini Stocks. All of their races are simulcast on 90.3FM. Anytime we see
these small local tracks, it reminds us of our friends, Ken & Anne who love
the dirt tracks!
The beautiful Cottonwood Mansion is a must see. It is
on farmland north of Selkirk, Ontario,
and was built around 1865 by William
Holmes Jr on property inherited by his first wife, Mary (Hoover). Many of the
subsequent owners lived only in the back part (servant’s quarters and kitchen)
and the main building gradually deteriorated. In 1988 the property was
purchased by an interested Hoover descendant, Larry Hamilton. He set about the
difficult task of restoring it, established the Cottonwood Mansion Preservation
Foundation, and built his own apartment behind the Mansion. No one knows for
sure where the Cottonwood name comes from, but it is listed as such in the
Historical Atlas of Haldimand … County, 1877. In recent years cottonwood trees
have been planted around the perimeter of what remains of the original
property. In February of 1989 the Cottonwood Mansion Preservation Foundation
was established to restore the Mansion and to secure artifacts for it that
reflected the Victorian and Edwardian periods. In 1994 the bulk of the restoration
was completed. Dedicated volunteers and some paid professionals continue to
make the mansion a living, hands-on museum. The Mansion is growing in
popularity and is becoming a ‘must-see’ location for history buffs and tourists
from near and far.
Off of Route 3, we headed North on Route 24. We would have liked to take Route 3 further west, but it is very slow going and this is one of our longest days of travel! So, we are heading up to the four-lane highways!
Tobacco fields in Ontario? Is that what I really see? In
2008, there was a chance to get out of the tobacco industry for good. High
taxes and increased contraband had already sapped demand for Canadian-grown
tobacco. As a result, there were simply too many tobacco farmers with quotas to
fill and not enough buyers. With a $1-billion settlement from Imperial Tobacco
and Rothman’s Benson & Hedges, the quota system ended and they offered a
$300-million program to transition tobacco farmers into other crops. The catch
was anyone who takes the money can’t return to tobacco farming. It seemed to
work, estimates say 90% of the farmers took up the offer. But then something
interesting happened. Production in the years since increased over 140%, while
the number of acres devoted to the crop doubled. In 2012 the federation noted
that farmers had figured out a way around the conditions in the transition
program. By signing control of his farm to relatives, a farmer could resume
growing tobacco. It’s still the most lucrative cash crop you can grow per acre.
In 2016 about 250 farmers will be licensed to grow the crop. It’s a slight
increase over 2015, but they don’t expect the number to grow much higher. Many
of the farmers who took the buyout sold their equipment and kilns to American
growers. Companies like Grand River Enterprises, a cigarette manufacturer and
tobacco processor based in Six Nations, Ontario would like to change that. Currently,
Grand River has a contract to ship about 12 million pounds of tobacco to China.
The Tobacco Transition Program created a more diverse agricultural base in the
growing area. However, a few years ago, you really had to drive around to find
a tobacco field, now they are out there, and you don’t have to drive far to see
them.
We had to travel on a few four-lane expressways to get across Ontario in a timely manner. We traveled on 403 West and 401 West.
I saw a sign off the 401 and had to check it out … Wally
World at East Park. That immediately took me back to my youth and the Chevy
Chase movie, of the same name! Before Wally World, there was just East Park. It
has been a constant in the London area for over 50 years. It is a place where people
make time to “play”. Whether they are hitting a little white ball down a
fairway or sailing down a waterslide, visitors and Londoners have made
“playtime” a priority. That is why East Park has become London’s Place to Play!
It begs the questions … what brought the 10 prominent London families together
in 1963 to create East Park. With the vision and foresight of Roy James and the
other founding partners including his son Roscoe, Mowbray Sifton and James
Windsor and the inspiration provided by T.J. Branton, the first owner of the
property who had dreams of a Country Club Style resort he called Branton Acres
– East Park was launched on its path of ‘fun’ for the first 50 years. In its
early days, East Park was mostly about golf. There was also a larger-than-usual
mini-golf course called Putt-R-Golf. Over time the original owners started
adding new attractions such as batting cages, waterslides and a go-kart track. In
1988, Harry Stone and his son Ian, along with Neil Kapp purchased the park from
its founders. The new owners kept the long standing tradition of evolving and
changing the park. First, by adding a bridge to the go kart track, then in 1997
a 2nd mini golf course was added. In 2000, the indoor Intencity Fun Centre was
added that included rock climbing, bumper cars, a jungle gym play area as well
as a video arcade, a concession and bar. In 2004, the Wally World at East Park
Waterpark was opened to complement the existing 2 slide structure along with a
splash pad and a 2 ½ story water climber with tipping bucket was also added. Other
innovative programs include the East Park Corporate Challenge, various Team
Building Events and now, the very popular East Park Amazing Race. Of course,
Golf Tournaments and Corporate & Family Picnics are still a mainstay of the
summer happening at the park.
In 1901, Prohibition began in Canada through a provincial
legislation in Prince Edward Island. In 1916, prohibition was instituted in
Ontario as well, affecting all 64 breweries in the province. Although some
provinces totally banned alcohol manufacture, some permitted production for
export to the United States. Labatt survived by producing full strength beer
for export south of the border and by introducing two "temperance
ales" with less than two per cent alcohol for sale in Ontario. However,
the Canadian beer industry suffered a second blow when Prohibition began in the
U.S. in 1919. When Prohibition was repealed in Ontario in 1926, just 15
breweries remained and only Labatt retained its original management. This
resulted in a strengthened industry position. In 1945 Labatt became a publicly
traded company with the issuance of 900,000 shares. John and Hugh Labatt, grandsons
of founder John K. Labatt, launched Labatt 50 in 1950 to commemorate 50 years
of partnership. The first light ale introduced in Canada, Labatt 50 was
Canada’s best-selling beer until 1979. In 1951, Labatt launched its Pilsener
Lager; when it was introduced in Manitoba, the beer was nicknamed
"Blue" for the color of its label and the company's support of
Winnipeg's CFL franchise, the Blue Bombers. The nickname stuck and in 1979
Labatt Blue claimed top spot in the Canadian beer market. It lost this status
in the late eighties to Molson Canadian, but over the next decade, periodically
regained top spot as consumer preferences fluctuated. In 2004, Budweiser took
the top spot, pushing Blue to third for the first time in twenty-five years. Moreover,
Labatt Blue remains the best-selling Canadian beer in the world based upon
worldwide sales. Labatt's innovations include the introduction of the first
twist-off cap on a refillable bottle in 1984.
We got off the four-lane highway of 402 West onto Route 21 North. It was
great to not have the cars and trucks whizzing past you, and be back to a
slower pace!
Off Route 21, we turned onto Army Camp Road. It looks like
there used to be an Army installation there. So, I did some research. It used
to be called Military Camp Ipperwash. It is a former Canadian Forces training facility. In 1941 the Department of National Defense identified a
requirement for an army training facility in southwestern Ontario. There was a large parcel
comprising the eastern third of the Stoney Point Reserve, controlled by the
Chippewas Stoney Point First Nation. Camp Ipperwash was formed 1942 on this land using land expropriation. By July 1942, sixteen Stony Point
families had been moved further west to Kettle Point, giving DND full access to
the new military training area. Following the end of World War II, DND
indicated it was willing to return the majority of the expropriated land and
would lease back any areas that were still required for training, however this
offer was refused. It was generally thought that Camp Ipperwash would be
identified as surplus to DND's requirements, which would enable the
expropriated property to be returned to the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony
Point. However, this was not the case and Camp Ipperwash remained in use as a
training facility by the regular and reserve forces of the Canadian Army, and as
a summer training centre for the Royal Canadian Army Cadets. In 1972, the Minister of Indian Affairs
stated the land claim for the expropriation was valid, however DND still did
not relinquish control. Through the 1970s to 1993, Ipperwash saw use as a
firing range training facility for the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian
Regiment, Primary Reserve units, local and provincial
police and the Canadian
Cadet Movement. During the late 1980s, the Stoney Point First Nation began to
pressure the federal and provincial governments to revert ownership of the
entire property as per the 1941 expropriation agreement. The adjacent land at
Ipperwash Provincial Park was claimed by the Stoney Point First Nation and was
reputed to contain a burial ground. In May 1993, members of
the Stoney point First Nation began an occupation of the property, setting up
tents on the firing ranges in a bid to pressure the federal government to
revert ownership. The military identified the base as surplus and agreed to
transfer the facility to the Stoney Point First Nation by 1995. The caretaker
staff departed on July 29, 1995 when the Canadian Forces decommissioned the facility.
Following the military's departure, natives became more vocal over the
following days and weeks in demanding the ownership revert. The shooting death
of Stoney Point First Nation protester Dudley George by the Ontario Provincial
Police has come to be known as the Ipperwash Crisis. The federal government and
Stoney Point First Nation reached an agreement on the transfer of the IRTA on
June 18, 1998. Most of the World War II era "temporary" buildings on
IRTA remain, however some are in use by the Stoney Point First Nation.
Just down Army Camp Road you arrive at Silver Birches Carefree RV Resort. It is a nice sized campground tucked away in the woods. There is plenty of sunshine and green grass, but it is nicely shaded at the same time. The campground roads are set up in a figure eight, so it is one way in and one way out, which is great for your safety and security! Less than one mile down Army Camp Road from the campground is several public access beaches on beautiful Lake Huron. We road our bikes down on the wide shoulder of the road and enjoyed the calm water and clean beaches!
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