|
Situated just 20km north of Bayfield at the mouth of the Maitland River, GODERICH is a delightful country town of eight thousand inhabitants that's saved from postcard prettiness by its working harbour. It began life in 1825, when the British-owned Canada Company bought two and a half million acres of southern Ontario - the Huron Tract - from the government at the ridiculously low rate of twelve cents an acre, amid rumours of bribery and corruption. Eager to profit on their investment, the company pushed the Huron Road through from Cambridge in the east to Goderich in the west, an extraordinary effort that was witnessed by a certain Mr Moffat - "The trees were so tall, the forest was eternally dark and with the constant rains it was endlessly damp ? Clearing the centuries of undergrowth and tangled vines was only the beginning, the huge rotted deadfalls of hardwood had to be hauled deeper into the bush, already piled high with broken pine. Since each man was responsible for cooking his own food after a hard day's work, the men sometimes ate the fattest pork practically raw ? To make up for such fare, a barrel of whiskey with a cup attached always stood at the roadside." Completed in 1828, the road attracted the settlers the company needed. Indeed, within thirty years, the Huron Tract had two flourishing towns, Stratford and Goderich, and was producing large surpluses of grain for export, as it continues to do today.
Your Tip for Goderich
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Goderich - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Goderich - visit the main Goderich forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Goderich webguide section below! Thanks.
|
