The Rural Voice, 2003-07, Page 14Come and see us in
Paisley
A good selection of
New & Used Cars & Trucks
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519-353-5651 1-800-461-0505
Bruce County
Heritage Association
Steam & Antique
Show
10t{.Annual
August 15 - 17
Heritage Farm
Cty. Rd. 3 South of Paisley
Featuring: Ford tractors & equipment
& Garden Tractor Club of America
Entertainment
Friday: Talent Night
featuring Jim Patterson
Saturday: The Westemaires
Sunday: The Beckett's
Tractor Pulls
Friday: feature tractor pull
followed by fun pull
Saturday: 12 noon stock antique
tractor pull weigh in 10 am
Sunday: 12:30 pm fun pull
members only
for the lads
Homemade Ice Cream (made
with a gas engine)
past Beef Barbecue
Saturday Night: 5:30-7:30 pm
Tickets: Adults: $10.00
Children under 10: $5.00
Featured Tractor
Ford
Come and Experience all the Events
www.bruceheritage.org
0 THE RURAL VOICE
Jeffrey Carter
Rivers are members of our communitb
Jeffrey
Carter is a
freelance
_journalist
based in
Dresden,
Ontario.
I launched our family's little
wooden rowboat for the first time two
years ago in the Sydenham River, a
little above Dawn Mills in Chatham -
Kent.
I knew little of rowboats. About
15 minutes into the voyage, I was
swept around a bend and lodged up
against a fallen tree in what passes
for rapids in the river.
I was lucky. As the waters swirled
by, I managed to extricate myself by
grabbing branches and pushing the
boat to a position where it could slip
under the tree.
Another 100 feet down, I landed
the boat in a quiet spot, drained it of
water, and rearranged the gear. I had
learned a valuable lesson: in a
rowboat, enter rapids stern -first so
you can control your downstream
progress by rowing against the
current.
Since that day, I've gained a
another kind of appreciation for the
river. That's been a bit of a voyage,
too.
The Sydenham's east branch is a
mere trickle at its headwaters near
Ilderton in Middlesex County. It runs
clear until it enters Lambton's clay
plain. The Ojibway called it the
Jonquamik — "milky river" — which
suggests the murky nature of its
lower reaches is a natural
phenomenon.
Naturalists with the St. Clair
Region Conservation Authority will
tell you the Sydenham is an
ecological gem. With 34 species, the
river has a wider range of mussels
than any other river in Canada. There
are 82 different species of fish, rare
dragonfly and damsel fly species, and
the threatened Easter Spiny Softshell
turtle.
On one of my boating excursions,
I saw a Bald Eagle, on a dead tree
just upstream from Dresden. The
great birds are making a comeback in
Southwestern Ontario and for me my
first sighting was something I'll long
remember.
The Sydenham is important from
a cultural perspective, in addition to
its ecological significance. It was a
highway for indigenous peoples,
early white settlers, lumbermen, and
for the inhabitants of the growing
hamlets, villages and towns along its
banks. From the 1860s to 1880s,
before a rail line reached the area,
Dresden and Wallaceburg boasted of
ship building industries. Sailing
schooners and steam ships of
considerable size regularly
traveled as far inland as Dresden,
carrying passengers and freight.
Today, the Sydenham continues to
be utilized. Along with natural
features, it's the source of drinking
water for the residents of Alvinston
in Lambton County. Small boats
continue to ply its waters. Local
anglers fish for pickerel, perch and
bass and children for anything that
will bite.
I live in Dresden. Until a few
years ago, the town drew its water
from the Sydenham. With a canning
factory in town, there were concerns
about volume but I have as much
confidence in the quality of
Sydenham water, if not more, as I do
for the Lake Erie water that's now
piped in. Still, if you think about it,
there's a tiny bit of Sydenham River
water coming back up that pipeline.
That's a good reason to care for the
river and there are others, just as
obvious. The same kind of arguments
can be made for any other river in the
province, or any river anywhere.
Rivers are members of the
community. Treat them well, and
they'll return the favour.0
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