Owen Sound, Ontario
Encyclopedia : O : OW : OWE : Owen Sound, Ontario
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Encyclopedia : O : OW : OWE : Owen Sound, Ontario
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Another city famous for large snowfall and a unique phenomenon known as Lake Effect Snow, Owen Sound is commonly called "Snowen Sound" in wintertime.
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 1980s 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. Owen Sound's Billy Bishop Regional Airport was named for 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 Institue. 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.
The city is one of two (the other being Barrie, ON) that are home to The Grey and Simcoe Foresters Reserve Infantry regiment, as well as various cadet corps.
According to the Canada 2001 Census:
| Population: | 21,431 (+0.2% from 1996) |
| Land area: | 23.51 km² |
| Population density: | 991.5 people/km² |
| Median age: | 40.9 (males: 38.9, females: 42.7) |
| Total private dwellings: | 9,532 |
| Mean household income: | $20,126 per person aged 15+ |
| North West: Wiarton | North: waters of Owen Sound | |
| West: Georgian Bluffs | Owen Sound | East: Meaford |
| South: Chatsworth |
Local notables include:
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