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BALL Series: A Deep Dive into the Great Lakes
The Bruce Peninsula: A Great Lakes History
Georgian Bay greatly influenced both the settlement of the region and the lives of the Indigenous peoples who lived on its western shores for centuries. The story I will tell will include how the region evolved through competition between various entities: Indigenous nations, who battled to control the region; Europeans questing for furs, forest products and settlement lands, making treaties; and the port communities vying for regional economic and political dominance. Topics in my presentation will include the role of staple commodities such as fur, fish, and lumber. Also included will be the impact of the British military, the emergence of shipbuilding, shipwrecks, tourism, the role of maritime travel for political events, including an averted shipwreck which could have changed the Canadian nation. I will include stories of valiant sailors and other citizens, including some of the early visitors to the region.
Lecturer – Paul White
Born in Owen Sound as the fifth generation of the Bruce Peninsula’s first settler family, Paul earned a BA (Trent) and MA (Western). His thesis was “The Impact of Forest Products and Tourism Industries on the Bruce Peninsula, 1850-2019.” A prolific writer, Paul co-authored “A Marine History of Fathom Five National Marine Park, 1850 to 1900” for Parks Canada, wrote a local history column from 1994-2003 in the Owen Sound Sun Times, and authored the books Owen Sound the Port City; Journey Through Owen Sound’s Hockey History; Journey the Bruce Peninsula: Past & Present; Shipwrecks, Parks, & Sawmills: Their Impact on the Bruce Peninsula, 1850-2019. Paul received a Heritage Ontario Award for promoting local history in 2000.
