Day Trips: Port Dover & Area

 

When they think of Port Dover, many people picture the scene on the postcard at left.* And it's true that "motorcycle enthusiasts" converge on the village every Friday the 13th. Why? Apparently a group of biker friends had a great time in the village in 1981 on a date that just happened to be Friday the 13th. The good time was so good that they decided they'd return every Friday the 13th. The word got out. Now as many as 100,000 bikers converge on the village on a Friday the 13th in summer. The next party will be September 13th in case you'd like to be there.

For those of you who wouldn't like to be there, bear in mind that the 13th of the month falls on a Friday at least once a year and sometimes as often as three times a year. But take heart. That leaves over 360 days a year that aren't Friday the 13th. And the rest of the year Port Dover is a fairly quiet Canadian resort. If you're there in winter, it's very quiet. But I recommend a lovely summer day that doesn't fall on a Friday the 13th for the optimal experience. 

Since this is a history blog, you should known that the community was founded by Loyalists in 1794 and named after the English port of Dover. Before the War of 1812, the area north of today's port was known as Dover Mills. During the war, the Americans raided and destroyed much of the pioneer settlement. But the settlers rebuilt, recognizing that, not only did the Lynn River provide water power for their mills, but the location where the river emptied into Lake Erie was a good natural harbour. 

Not surprisingly, Port Dover became a prosperous fishing port, the fish being shipped out by rail and boat. But by the 20th century, Port Dover had also become a tourist hub, with summer visitors arriving by train, boarding locally, and visiting the beach and other attractions. 

The postcard below features a village house that took in summer boarders. Dated October 5, 1909, it's addressed to Mrs. George Smoke, McCreedy, Ontario, and the text begins: "Dear Cousin: This is a photo of our house. We had quite a number of summer people this summer but have got rid of them all now." It's signed by May, who doesn't sound like she was sad to get rid of the "summer people." I suspect that families took in summer boarders to augment their incomes but were happy to have their homes to themselves again coming autumn.

Port Dover is still a tourist destination, of course, but nowadays it's usually automobile daytrippers such as myself needing to get out of the city on a Sunday, see something different, and have a perch lunch. 

The Fishing Industry

It seems that the driving force behind any industry is market demand. If there's enough demand, an industry attempts to meet it by increasing product volume. So it's not surprising that demand for Lake Erie fish like walleye, whitefish, perch and trout increased from the time of first European settlement until well into the 20th century and that local fisheries worked hard to fill the demand. But in recent decades, climate change and disease have taken their toll on fish populations. And humans have really messed things up with habitat degradation, water contamination, and over-fishing with nets and electronic fish finders.** Commercial fishing isn't what it used to be.

Still, there are fish caught and you can eat them in the village. For example, the dining room at the Erie Beach still serves locally-caught fish, including perch. 

An old postcard features the Erie Beach Hotel, sometime after its opening in 1946:

Local History and Architecture

Port Dover has its fair share of well-preserved history and buildings. Perhaps of most interest is the 1904-06 Port Dover Town Hall, now reincarnated as the Lighthouse Theatre.

There's also the Harbour Museum which appears small but is jam packed with displays about the War of 1812, the fishing industry, shipwrecks, and the heroes who saved the lives of sailors. As well as the wheelhouse of a 1912 freighter:

At the centre of town is Powell Park ... 

... which hasn't changed much over the years, still featuring a bandstand and cannon:

This attractive square almost has enough monuments to provide strollers with the town's history without visiting the museum: 

Then there's this waterfall on the Lynn River:

In case you're thinking this would be a nice spot for a picnic, guess again. I slid down a muddy path through insect-infested brush to get this picture. Seems a pity it's not easier to get at. However, upon arriving home, I googled the site and found several comments stating this is private property. If so, the owners need to mark this more clearly. I didn't see any "No Trespassing" signs and I guess the numerous other visitors didn't either.

But back to local history.

Tombstone Tourism 

Next to the falls at the top of a hill is the historic McQueen Cemetery. It's situated in the pioneer hamlet of Dover Mills, the area ransacked by the Americans during the War of 1812. Daniel McQueen, buried here, was born in the American colonies in 1764, arrived here as a Loyalist, and died here in 1854. It was Daniel who built the first mill at the "Mills" and can therefore be considered the founder of the community. Numerous other members of the McQueen family are buried here as well.

Monument to Alexander McQueen, Daniel's father, a veteran of the Seven Years' War who fought under Wolfe at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.

The graveyard is worth seeing - but be careful. Even for those of us who enjoy cemetery sightseeing, this spot is a bit of a challenge. Access to the site is via a steep walking path from Tisdale Road and, when it's damp after a rain, it's a good place to come a cropper:

Also, take your bug repellent, unless you're one of those lucky people the little biters don't like. Me, they love. My visit was short. 

Nearby Historic Places

Heading back to London, we travelled along the lakeshore for a while, eventually reaching Port Ryerse. For those of us hooked on history, the main feature is Memorial Anglican Church Cemetery, another Loyalist burial ground, complete with church.

The community was founded by Lieut.-Col. Samuel Ryerse, who fought for the British during the Revolutionary War and afterwards took refuge in New Brunswick. Later, upon receiving 3,000 acres in this area, he settled on Young's Creek and built a gristmill, which turned out to be another one the Americans burned. He died in 1812 and is the earliest known burial here. 

Incidentally, Samuel was the uncle of Egerton Ryerson. Ryerson seems to be the correct name for this family, Ryerse being a spelling mistake on Samuel's military records.*** Samuel's branch of the family continued this change of the family surname. 

Ryerse graves

This is another one of those places that's as good as a museum with lots to see, including black history in the form of this monument: 

Then there's this display, which includes a sign from the local school and an anchor retrieved from the harbour:

And this is cool. Too bad I won't be there to see it opened:

Still farther west on the lake is Normandale, an early 19th-century boom town turned sleepy hamlet. The Normandale ironworks was built by John Mason in 1816-17 and enlarged by Joseph Van Norman and his partners in 1821-22. There they made their Van Norman cooking stove along with other cast and wrought iron implements.  The industry lasted until the 1840s when local ore deposits were depleted. 

But, from my point of view, the area's restored buildings are the big draw:

* All postcards from the author's collection. 

**https://longpointbiosphere.com/download/long_point_environmental_folio_publication_series/Fisheries-of-Lake-Erie-and-the-Long-Point-Area-Past-and-Present-Compressed.pdf

*** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Ryerson