S.S. City of Erie Starts Week-end Sailing Between Port Stanley and Cleveland

 June 30, 1936

Londoners will have a week-end cruise available at their back door this season according to plans completed by the Cleveland and Buffalo Transit Company in conference with the Public Utilities Commission and the London Chamber of Commerce.  The S.S. City of Erie made her first trip into this port Friday afternoon.

This year's service is looked upon to be particularly attractive to Canadians.  Leaving Pt. Stanley at 2:30 pm on Friday afternoon, they will be able to spend a day and a night in Cleveland before returning on the Sunday boat. which arrives here at 1:30 pm.  

Should they desire a longer cruise, they will be able to catch the night boat from Cleveland to Buffalo and get back in time to make connections for the return Port Stanley trip on Sunday.   Cleveland is featuring the Gerat Lakes Expostion, starting June 27, and running for one hundred days.  

On the boat itself, there will be music and dancing int he social hall to the strains of Mickey Katz and his all American band.

**Interesting update - Mickey Katz was the father of Joel Grey (Cabaret) and grandfather of Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing).

From the Port Stanley Tweedsmuir Histories page 116 - 125.pdf (elgincounty.ca)

The Naming of Port Stanley in 1824

Early 19th century sketch from Brock visit

Early in the nineteenth century a fringe of settlement sprang up all along Lake Erie, east and west of Kettle Creek, and even in the later part of that century.  Merchants in this village considered these settlers or their descendants their very best customers. The weekly paper came on Thursday and so did the farmers.

Many of those coming in to the east of our present village, in Yarmouth, came from the USA.  Here, they cleared up the woods and made homes for their families.  These men came about 1819.

In 1818, there also came in from the USA  Messrs. Minor, Zavitz and Savage.  They also took up land on the Yarmouth side of the Kettle Creek.  This land was purchased from Col Baby through his land agent Mr. Jonathan Doan.  This portion of Yarmouth became known as the Settlement of the Quakers.  Mr. Zavitz planned and constructed many of the mills in this district.

In 1822, a road was laid out under order of the Court of Quarter Session.  This was, of course, the primary need to begin a new settlement.  In this same year, Col. Bostwick erected a small warehouse and dealt in ashes, black salts and grain, which were staple articles at this time.

Shortly after the Port Stanley Road was surveyed, a prominent visitor came to visit Col. Talbot, in the person of Lord Stanley. 

Col. Talbot brought Lord Stanley to view the harbour here and it was after this visit that the infant village was called Port Stanley.  

This was early recognized as a good harbour site and money was soon spent by the Government to improve it.  There is no doubt that Col. Talbot used his influence to further the project.  Up to this time, the vicinity was known as Kettle Creek.

In 1826, the Government Buildings at Vittoria burned and the new ones were built in London, on a site which General Simcoe had chosen as a suitable spot for the future Parliament Buildings.  After this time, more interest was taken ini the development of the harbour and village here.

From Port Stanley Tweedsmuir Histories page 016 - 025.pdf (elgincounty.ca)

The 'Morgan' and King George VI Lift Bridge

This picture shows the tug 'MORGAN' .  It was the first tug to have the bridge opened for passage upstream.  It is returning from pulling Oscar Smith's dry dock which went aground near the foot of Hetty St.  (October 10, 1939)

From Port Stanley Tweedsmuir Histories page 231 - 245.pdf (elgincounty.ca)