HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-01-16, Page 13A
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Published every ipiritisic in The Listowel Banner, The Wingharn Advance -Times
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—Ovum' do—January 16, 1975—
Snow
highlights a crisp, cold stream
A gor
ge with new perspective
. . . . . .
.......
Reminders of bygone days
t's a snow fob
r a limestone tow
Big, soft snowflakes drop down and cover one Of
Ontario's best known tourist attractions. It. does no
harm. It makes it better.
The Elora Gorge, and the town built from its
limestone* walls, now sit in a soft pile of winter
white. The beauty of the area has attracted visitors
each summer but many are discovering what a.
beautiful spot it is in the winter as well. The, whale
country seems to be taking to cross-country skis,
snowshoes and .snowmobiles. Elora one of the
areas to which outdoor enthuilasts. are attracted.
• The name of the village is interesting in itielf.
Its founder, a Captain Smith, cam,e to this country
on a ship named The Elora. It is natural that the
village he would pilot through its early years should
carry the same name.
HISTORY IN STONE
One of the things that makes the Village of
Elora so interesting is its stone face. Limestone;
hewn from the banks of the Grand River, has been
used on almost all of the original buildings and new
residences in the area are carrying on the tradition:
The result is a unity and beauty that deserves to
protected and enioyed.
'PIECES OF- -THE PAST
Barnboards are also a part of the Ontario rural
scene. They are fast becoming an even greater part
of fhe Elora heritage as they are tastefully deco-
rated and used to front some craft shops located on
the main street of the village. ,
The liquor store must be one of the most unu-
sual in the province. It is located in an original lime-
stone building which could very well have been a
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Larte, secure famil homes
turn-of-the-centUry general store.
It's the river and its limestone banks that
started all this. Without the power of those waters,
and the availability of the building materials, it is
unlikely that Elora would be anything but a field to-
day. It is fitting that tiieriver and its beautiful
gorge are still the centre of attraction for visitors.
BUS? AREA
, The use of the gorge area is controlled by the.
Grand River Conservation Authority. A busy spot in
the summer with 176,000 campers and visitors this
year alone, the authority tries to get people to visit
the area' in the winter as well. Several winter
experience hikes are sponsored by the authoOty
and on weekends the area is patrolled to supervise
those hardy enough to want to try winter camping.
The Tooth of Ages, a natural limestone island
carved out of the river bed by countless millions of
gallons Of water which -have flowed past its base, is
as interesting in winter as in summer. All of the
gorge's natural beauty is enhanced by a change in
season.
ABANDONED BUILDINGS
As time takes its toll on the efforts of man,
buildings begin to crumble and fall. In the middle of
cities they are dirty ruins which plague the eye. In a
more natural sefting, such as the fields around the
Villages. of Elora and neighboring Salem, these
older hulks take on a character of their own, sur-
rounded by the sounds of nature. One ponders what
life was like when these slowly, dying cairns to a by-
gone time played an important part in the settle-
ment of the community.
Memorial to God set in stone
Even fences of sturd t•