Clinton News-Record, 1985-07-10, Page 131ROADS
The first road in the Township of
Goderich, disregarding any Indian trials,
would have to be the roads which was cut
through from Guelph to Goderich, the pre-
sent No. 8 Highway. The reason for the road
was unique, insofar as the road was made
before any settler. were on hared, while
every other road was built as the need
arose:" Whenever 'new 'settlers took up land,
the road would be expended another farm
lot, or another mile, in other parts of the
Province. Thus the roads were only built is
they became necessary..The Canada Com-
pany officials realiied that the Huron Tract
would have to be settled fast in order to br-
ing in enough revenue to meet their pay-
ment commitments, and that it would be im-
possible to develop the Tract by the
piecemeal method of selling lot by lot up the
trail if they were going to make a profit.
Hence the idea of a road first, and have
potential lots for sale from one end to the
other.
Records show that the survey party
started on May 14th, 1827 and arrived at the
junction of the Maitland River and Lake
Huron on May 27th. Most people who hear
this ask: How? Why? If the bush was so
�► t first •r was .bitilt
Others were built as need arose
dense - if no one had ever been in the area
before except Indians - how did the
surveyors under Mahlon Burwell, and the
party under Tiger•Dunlop, even know where
'they were going, except westerly? The truth
is that they knew exactly where they were
going - right to the.mouth of the Menes&tung
or Maitland River where it entered Lake
Huron. Many people forget that. the entire
Lake Huron had been surveyed, by boat, in
1788. This survey had been conducted for
defence reasons, under the instructions of
Lord Dorchester, and was done by Gother
Mann. Gother Mann reported on the lake,
coast, harbours, rivers, etc. front the St.
Clair River to as far as Sault Ste. Marie.
After the war of 1812, the British Govern-
ment decided to have Mann's survey com-
pleted in much greater detail, and this was
done by Lt. Bayfield (who later became a
Captain and even later an Admiral). These
were excellent charts and were used for
many years. In charting the Bayfield and
Maitland rivers on the map, Bayfield would
have the exact designation. We notvhave
ATREE
JOHN GIBSON
R.R. No. 2 SEAFORTH 482-3229
"The Tree Mover"
mendous
our surveyors setting out from Wilmot on a
trail blazing trip to the exact spot where the
river enters the lake. The original mouth of
the Maitland (not the present one) would be
Longitude 81 degrees 43' 35"W and Latitude
43 degrees 44' 42" N. Also read as:
Longitude 81 degrees 43 minutes 35 seconds
west of Greenwich, Latitude 43 degrees 44
minutes 42 seconds north of the equator. Ac-
cording to C.A. Katy, they missed the exact
point of the River's mouth by about 1,000
feet. The party started on the return trip to
Guelpbon June 27th, 1827.
This first trail, or road, was to be known
as the Bridle Road, and it is of interest to
Goderich Township that this road was not
where it is today, or where Van Eginond
built the road during the 1830's to 1832's.
This first Bridle Road followed more closely
the present day route of the railroad, and
one may read the daily notes and field pro-
gress accounts kept by Burwell of his trial
blazing in 1827. By- reversing the diary we
can trace his route backwards from the
Lake throught the Township of Goderich
where he comments on the land, trees,
streams, swamps, etc. which he encounteed
on"the trip. On this first trip especially, and
the following surveys, almost all of the
surveyors commented on 'the great swamp'
and took pains to steer clear of it. This had
to be the Mullett swamp, from the bearings
given, and it is almost ironic that today the
Province is agian reverting it to some of its
former fame - by developing the Mullett
Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Township was surveyed in 1828, or
rather by 1828, as a part of it had been
surveyed in 1827 during the month which the
original survey party spent in the Goderich
area. The Township survey was under the
control of David Gibson, and it was at this
time that the Huron Road took its present
day form of basically following the Maitland
River from Goderich to Clinton and thence
on to Seaforth. This secqnd road, built in
1828, was 12 feet in width and became known'
as the 'Sleigh Road'. The trees were cut for
the twelve feet, but the large stumps were
,left, and horses, wagons and sleighs had ,to.
maneuver around them or over them, and
a twelve foot cut on the ground did not make
for a twelve foot clearance overhead - thus
the road was almost always dark with shade
trees. Any soft or swampy spot was built of
'corduroy', i.e. entire logs. or trees laid
crossways, side by side, for the width of the
road. roceded to
In 1830 the Canada Company : p
improve the road, and spelled out exactly
what was to be done: the road was to be
widened to a full 66 feet, with all timber
removed for the entire width; all stumps up
to a foot to be level with the ground, and,
every stump, regardless of the size, which
was in the centre 20 feet to be cut level with
the ground; the corduroy to be 15 feet in
width and covered with six inches of earth.
Van Egmonds did the work in Goderich
Township - in fact for 45 1/2 miles east of
Goderich - and finished it by 1832. It was on-
ly a few years before the road required ex-
tensive improvements, due to the failure to
provide any drainage for the travelled por1111
-
tion. The entire road was 'turnpiked'.. This
operation raises the centre, or travelled por-
tion of the road, by taking the dirt from the
sides and ditches, and putting it on the road
Turn to page 21 •
Congratulations
Goderich Township
Sesquicentennial.
You've come a
19ng way...and
so have we!
TUCKERSMITH
MUNICIPAL TELEPHONE SYSTEM
R.R. 1 VARNA 482-9908
COMMISSIONERS:` Verne Alderdice
Elmer Hayter
Don Campbell
Esnerson Coleman
David Brock • '
STAFF: Mel Graham - Manager/Secretary Treasurer
Sharon Chuter - Secretary
Donna Stirling • Secretary
Murray McKenzie - Lineman
Ken Steckle - Lineman