South by southwest . . .

. . . of here lies one small corner of Southern Ontario. The agricultural land is not the best – a little bit too sandy compared to thick loam of Oxford County. It is not a crowded part of Ontario as a typical highway scene shows.

A generation ago it was tobacco country but now it is a varied harvest including fruit trees, corn, grain, and peanuts yielded from a climate moderated by the nearby lake.

Settlement into the interior of Southern Ontario lagged settlement along the coast of the great lakes by almost 100 years. When settlement did come it was mostly by groups from the US to the south. Quaker and Methodist pioneers were later followed by immigrants from England and Europe. Many of the early centers have faded away as youth moved to the larger settlements of St. Thomas and London next door. But some, like the originally quaker settlement of Sparta are still active.



A little known aspect of Ontario’s culture is the maritime atmosphere created by the ports along the shores of the Great Lakes.

Port Stanley, south of London, has been an important port for centuries . . . for fishing . . .

. . . . and shipment of coal and other commodities.