Owen Sound


Owen Sound is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The seat of government of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay.
The primary tourist attractions are the many waterfalls within a short drive of the town.

History

The area around the upper Great Lakes has been home to the Ojibwe people since prehistory. In 1815, William Fitzwilliam Owen surveyed the area and named the inlet after his older brother Admiral Edward Owen. The name of the area in Ojibwe language is Gchi-wiigwedong.
A settlement called "Sydenham" was established in 1840 or 1841 by Charles Rankin in an area that had been inhabited by First Nations people. John Telfer settled here at that time and others followed. By 1846, the population was 150 and a sawmill and gristmill were operating. The name Sydenham continued even as the community became the seat for Grey County in 1852.
An Ontario historical plaque explains that a First Nations Band, led by Chief Newash had a reserve in the area totalling about. In 1842, they established the village of Newash which initially contained fourteen log houses, a school and a barn; the population was served by Wesleyan Methodist missionaries. In 1857, the government took over the reserve area and moved most of the Chippewa inhabitants of Newash to the Cape Croker Hunting Ground 60B reserve north of Owen Sound.
Over the years, Owen Sound was a major port best known for its taverns and brothels. The community acquired names as the Chicago of the North, Corkscrew City, and Little Liverpool because of its rowdy reputation. Supporting this reputation was a tavern named "Bucket of Blood", located on the corner of an intersection known as "Damnation Corners", because of taverns on all four corners, but this location was also only a block away from an intersection with four churches called "Salvation Corners".
Sydenham was renamed Owen Sound in 1851; by then, it was served by a direct road to Toronto Township, the Toronto-Sydenham Road; which still exists as Highway 10 and the southern portion of Hurontario Street. The community became an incorporated town in 1857, with a population of nearly 2000. In 1873, the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway from Weston arrived and allowed for shipping goods to and from the community.
Louis' Steakhouse, a popular upscale restaurant just outside town, was opened by the Gavaris family in the 1980s in a historic building which changed hands several times before being demolished in 2016. It was originally a home, but became a brothel from 1907 to 1915, where the madam would stand in its castle-like tower and watch the port for a ship to come in, and she would ready her prostitutes to excite the sailors. This reputation for vice and villainy, and the problems that came with it, caused the city to ban all drinking establishments for several decades. The city was "dry" until 1972.
One of the city's most famous sons was World War I flying ace and Victoria Cross winner, William Avery "Billy" Bishop, born in Owen Sound, and Canada's leading pilot in the war. He flew with the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force. In 1917 and 1918, Bishop was credited with downing 72 enemy aircraft. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross. After the war, he was promoted to Air Marshall and worked as director of recruiting for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Bishop is also one of the few to have tangled with Manfred von Richthofen and survived, forcing the German pilot to retreat in a damaged aircraft. Bishop later recalled that it was a "close shave, but a wonderful, soul-stirring flight." Bishop's boyhood home, one of the National Historic Sites of Canada, is a museum with artifacts from his life.
The former Billy Bishop Regional Airport in the nearby Municipality of Meaford was named after him. His modest gravesite can be visited in the city's Greenwood Cemetery by those willing to take the time to locate the stone. His boyhood home is now a museum dedicated to his life and to Canada's aviation history. The town was also the home of National Hockey League Hall of Fame goaltender Harry Lumley and the artist Tom Thomson. Surgeon Norman Bethune, an avowed communist and pioneer of public medicine who gained notoriety in his innovative medical work with the Chinese army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, is an alumnus of the Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute. Legendary hockey broadcaster Bill Hewitt was once sports director of the local AM radio station, CFOS. Thomas William Holmes, another Victoria Cross winner, was also from Owen Sound, and the city's armoury bears his name.
In 2005, Owen Sound became the National Communities in Bloom champion in the cities of 20,001–50,000 category in Canada for its beauty, natural landscape, and strong sense of community. Owen Sound has been recently recognized as a good retirement community due to its cultural, sports and natural amenities.

Geography and climate

Owen Sound experiences a humid continental climate that is moderated by Lake Huron. Winters are cold and very snowy, while summers are warm and humid, but cooled by the lake waters more than most other areas of southwestern Ontario. Precipitation is moderately high, as Owen Sound is in the direct line of the Great Lakes snowbelt, with an annual average precipitation of. Summer thunderstorms are a common occurrence.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Owen Sound was on July 3, 1911. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on February 6, 1895.
The Sydenham River is a waterway that connects to Owen Sound Bay and was formed from a pre-glacial river cutting into the limestone of the Niagara Escarpment.

Culture and events

The City of Owen Sound was a 2004 Cultural Capital of Canada and is home to a number of cultural events and facilities. It is home to the Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival, held every August, and the Festival of Northern Lights, a large Christmas lights festival with many displays along the Sydenham River, downtown, and in Harrison Park, held from November until January every winter, as well as A Novel Marathon, a special event fund raiser for the Adult Literacy Program of the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library.
In 2007, Owen Sound celebrated its 150th year since incorporation, with special events throughout the year highlighted by the 10-day Homecoming 2007 celebrations July 27 to August 5.
Theatrically, the city's 400-seat Roxy Theatre, owned and operated by the Owen Sound Little Theatre, is used for the city's professional live theatre performances, as well as some concerts. The Youth Theatre Coalition is also prevalent in the area. It is a youth theatre company run entirely by youth and for youth. The organization presents musical, theatrical, and concert type performances throughout the year.
The city is also home to a good number of museums and cultural attractions, including:
  • Grey Roots Museum and Archives – showcasing the history of the city of Owen Sound and Grey County
  • The Roxy Theatre - the region's premier destination for live entertainment.
  • Owen Sound Artists' Co-op - established in 1994 and located in the historic McKay building downtown Owen Sound, features the work of 45 local artists, along with monthly guest artists and Legacy Gallery exhibitors.
  • Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery – featuring a large collection of memorabilia and works from Tom Thomson, one of Canada's most famous artists who grew up in the Owen Sound area.
  • Community Waterfront Heritage Centre – showcasing the city's rich history in rail and water transportation and its role in the growth of Ontario.
  • Billy Bishop Home and Museum – located in Bishop's former home, is dedicated to the life and times of Billy Bishop and Canada's history in aviation.
  • Black History Cairn – located in historic Harrison Park, celebrating Owen Sound's status as a northern terminus of the Underground Railroad.
  • Owen Sound Farmer's Market – occupying the same location since 1868, the Market is open every Saturday morning throughout the year and hosts a wide variety of growers and artisans.
  • Owen Sound's Beth Ezekiel Synagogue, a designated building under Ontario's Heritage Act as one of the few remaining examples of a small town Ontario synagogue. It is the last active small town synagogue in Canada.
  • Georgian Bay Symphony – is a regional community orchestra consisting of 55 volunteer musicians and five professional core string players. The Symphony performs 5 Main Concerts a year at the OSCVI as well as performing at various civic events.
  • The Owen Sound City Band founded in 1923 is a volunteer organization made up of amateur musicians of all ages and abilities. The Band performs for Canada Day held every year at Kelso Beach, for the opening of the Festival of Northern Lights and other official events. The Band plays regularly over the summer at Harrison Park and Kelso Beach.
  • The Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival is a three-day music and crafts event founded in 1976 and held annually on the third weekend in August at Kelso Beach Park.

    Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Owen Sound had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.

Education

Owen Sound is home to a campus of Georgian College. The campus currently offers 14 full-time programs, including its Great Lakes International Marine Training and Research Centre. The centre trains professionals already working in the marine industry and students enrolled in the Marine Navigation Technology program and the Marine Engineering Technology program.
Public school education is managed by the Bluewater District School Board, and Catholic schools are managed by the Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board. There are three high schools in town; St. Dominique Savio, St. Mary's, Owen Sound District Secondary School. The latter formed after the amalgamation of West Hill Secondary School and Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute.
Owen Sound also provides a variety of French education options in the form of French immersion programs in both the public and Catholic school systems, as well as the only all French school and preschool in Grey and Bruce counties. Opportunities offered to French students include exchange programs and French summer camps.