OWEN SOUND, ONTARIO

'Owen Sound' (2006 City population 21,753; UA Population 22,649; CA Population 32, 259), the county seat of Grey County, is a city in south-western Ontario, Canada. Owen Sound is located at the mouth of the Sydenham River on an inlet of Georgian Bay also named Owen Sound.
Owen Sound is one of many cities in Ontario that are well known for receiving large amounts of snowfall because of a phenomenon known as lake effect snow.
Located at the junctions of Ontario Highways 6, 10, 21, and 26, it serves as a gateway to the Bruce Peninsula.
The city's downtown is located in a deep valley in the Niagara Escarpment.
As home port of the Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited, the inner harbour is where the MS Chi-Cheemaun car ferry from Tobermory to South Baymouth is docked during the winter months.

Contents

History

Culture and Events

Recreation

Sports

Former teams

Media

Radio

Television

Print

Statistics

Notable Residents

Trivia

External links

History

This area of the upper Great Lakes was first formally surveyed in 1815 by William Fitzwilliam Owen and Lieutenant Henry W. Bayfield. The inlet was named "Owen's Sound" in honour of Admiral Sir Edward William Campbell Rich Owen, the explorer Owen's older brother.
Owen Sound is home of SummerFolk. A very popular folk festival that takes place annually in July.
The city of Owen Sound was originally known as Sydenham when it was first settled in 1841 by Charles Rankin. Prior to that the area had been inhabited by the Ojibway people. The city gained its current name in 1851 and was incorporated in 1857. For much of its history, Owen Sound was a major port city, known as the "Chicago of the North". Its location on Georgian Bay gave it access to the upper Great Lakes, and major rail lines moved cargo south from there. Port duties have declined dramatically since the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway allowed shipping directly to the lower lakes and dramatically lowered costs compared to transhipment via Owen Sound. Being both the gateway to cottage country, and in the heart of Ontario's beef, apple and corn region, farming and tourism are still integral parts of the local economy.
At one time, Owen Sound's roaring seaport made it a rowdy town that was known to sailors as "Little Liverpool". ''Louis' Steakhouse'', a popular upscale restaurant just outside of town, was opened by the Gavaris family in the 1880s and the historic building has changed hands several times since. It was originally a brothel where the madam would stand from 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.
One of the city's most famous sons was World War I flying ace and Victoria Cross winner William Avery "Billy" Bishop, Canada's leading pilot in the war and a veteran of Vimy Ridge. Bishop is also one of the few to have tangled with the Red Baron and survived, forcing the German pilot to retreat in a damaged aircraft. The ''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 NHL Hall-of-Fame goaltender Harry Lumley and the artist Tom Thomson (buried in the nearby village of Leith). Surgeon Dr. 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. Tommy 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.

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 famous 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.
In 2007 Owen Sound celebrates 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 is used for the city's professional live theatre performances, as well as some concerts. In the summer of 2007 the Roxy plays host for the first time to the long-running Georgian Theatre Festival.
The city is also home to a good number of museums and cultural attractions, including:


★ Grey Roots Museum - showcasing the history of the city of Owen Sound and Grey County

★ 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.

★ Owen Sound Marine and Rail Museum - showcasing the city's rich history in rail and water transportation and its role in the growth of Ontario.

★ Billy Bishop Heritage Museum - located in the former Billy Bishop home, 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.

★ Today Owen Sound's Beth Ezekiel Synagogue, a designated building under Ontario's Heritage Act, remains the last example of the early small town synagogue

Recreation

The city is one of two (the other being Barrie, Ontario) that are home to The Grey and Simcoe Foresters Reserve Infantry regiment, as well as various cadet corps.
Southwest of the city are two popular Ontario ski resorts, Talisman and Beaver Valley. The city and area also have numerous snowmobile trails.

Sports

Owen Sound is the smallest city in Ontario (and one of the smallest in Canada) to boast an OHL Major Junior Hockey Team, in the Owen Sound Attack who play at the Bayshore Community Centre arena.

★ Owen Sound Attack - Ontario Hockey League

★ Owen Sound Greys - Mid-Western Junior Hockey League

★ Owen Sound Woodsmen - OLA Senior B Lacrosse League

★ Owen Sound Rams - OLA Junior B Lacrosse League
Owen Sound is also known for producing many highly skilled soccer players.

Former teams

★ Owen Sound Mercurys - OHA Senior A Hockey League

★ Owen Sound Crescents - OHA Senior A Hockey League

★ Owen Sound Trappers - OHA Intermediate A Hockey League

★ Owen Sound Platers - Ontario Hockey League (became Attack)

★ Owen Sound North Stars - Major Series Lacrosse

★ Owen Sound Crescents - Major Series Lacrosse

Media

Radio

★ AM 560 - CFOS, Oldies

★ FM 90.1 - CJLF-1, Christian

★ FM 93.7 - CKYC Country 93, country

★ FM 97.1 - CBL-4, CBC Radio Two (Wiarton)

★ FM 98.7 - CBCB, CBC Radio One

★ FM 106.5 - CIXK Mix 106.5, adult contemporary

Television

★ Channel 2: CKCO-2 - CTV Television Network - (Transmitter at Wiarton, Ontario and a rebroadcaster of CKCO-TV from Kitchener, Ontario)

★ Channel 4: CIII-4, Global Television Network

★ Channel 12: CICA-12, TVOntario

★ Channel 20: CBLN-5, CBC Television (Wiarton, Ontario)

★ Channel 53 Rogers Television Grey-Bruce

Print

★ Owen Sound Sun Times - Newspaper (The Sun Times)

Statistics

Notable Residents

★ Billy Bishop

★ Agnes MacPhail

★ Tom Thompson

★ Norman Bethune

★ NHLer Hap Day

★ NHLer Harry Lumley

★ NHLer Alvin "Buck" Jones

★ Thomas William Holmes

★ Robert Pim Butchart

★ Nathan Perrott

★ Eddie Sargent

★ Heather Hiscox[1]

★ Cheryl Hickey (Entertainment Tonight Canada)

Trivia

★ Owen Sound was one of the filming locations for the filming of the Disney movie ''One Magic Christmas'' along with Meaford, most notably with its city hall serving as the town hall in the film.

★ The city was "dry" until 1972.

★ There is evidence (from his personal writings) that Samuel de Champlain travelled through the region and made camp on the eastern hills overlooking what would become the harbour.

★ Some of the largest rainbow trout in the world have been caught in the sound, and annual fishing derbies draw large participation from all over North America.

★ The sister city of Owen Sound is Miamisburg, Ohio.

★ On the October 18, 2006, episode of ''The Colbert Report'', host Stephen Colbert asked his viewers to send in suggestions for bad things to say about Owen Sound, being unable to think of any himself.

External links

★ The City of Owen Sound (Official Website)

★ Satellite view of Owen Sound

★ Map of Owen Sound and surrounding area
(both interactive)

★ Vacation Owen Sound website

★ Owen Sound Community Website

★ Owen Sound Black History website