Clinton News-Record, 1985-07-10, Page 132•
C 4
irst road was built d.es.pite.a settlers.-
0
etters
* from page 20
bed. This braised the road bed and at the
same time provided natural drainage along
the sides of the road. The expression 'turn-
piking' is still commonly used today, when
roads are raised above the level of the ad-
joining land to provide better drainage for
the travelled portion and to allow snow to
blow off the (higher) travelled portion.
Before we get onto Township Roads, men-
tion should be made of the other roads con-
structed by the Canada Company. In 1830
another road was built, the one from Clinton
to London. The only connection which this
road has to the Township is that in 1830 it
was the dividing road between this
Towwn�ship and TuckerSmith Township, as
therb was. not the slightest sign or thought
about a 'Corners', a Rattenbury's or a Clin-
ton in 1830. In 1836 the Canada Company
opened a road through the Township from
Hick's Hotel at Bridgewater to Lake Huron,
and by 1838 they were permitted to deduct
the following amount from their payments:
Opening 6 miles of road 11 pounts 10 shill-
ings per mile - 69 pounds.
Making 383 rods of crossway at 10 shillings -
191 pounds 10 shillings.
Also in 1836, for opening the road from
Bayfield to Goderich, a distance of 13 34
miles they were given approval of the
following:
For opening the road - 227 pounds 8 shillings
For making 873 'iz rods of crossway - 441
pounds 16 shillings 4 pence •
�or 2 bridges - 8 pounds 17 shillings.
As with the one.from Hick's, the Govern-
ment of Upper Canada allowed the Canada
Company to deduct these amounts, in 1838,
from the Huron Tract Improvement Fund.
When the Township was surveyed, all lots,
roads and concessions were outlined. It
must be re . -.mbered that while all roads
were staked,' ith the proof line being the
centre of the road, or side road, all the roads
were not `opened'. Further, this is the only
Township in the Huron Tract to be set out in
80 acre lots, and this makes the roads dif-
ferent than those 100 acre Townships. In
1827 the original survey party. had spent a
month at the westerly limit of the survey
trail, and during this time had surveyed
north into Horton or Colborne, Goderich
Township south to Bayfield and as far as the \
Aux Sables River. These surveys went
straight through without any consideration
of liver or lake banks. All Township roads
were surveyed 66 feet wide and were laid out
due north and south fon concession roads
and due east and west for side roads. The
notable exceptions to this were: •
(1) the Maitland road which started at 1
Goderich and followed the various windings
of the river Maitland until it ended at what is
now Huron County Road No. 8 between lots
59 and 60 in the Maitland Concession;
( 2) the Bayfield Line which started at the
lake at Baytield and followed the windings
of the Bayfield river to what is now the Town
of Clinton;
(3) the Huron road which started at the
Town of Clinton and ended at its junction
with the Maitland road between lots 12 and
13 of the Huron Road.
Concession roads are really the roads
between the concessions, because the .con-
cession is aLrow of lots, eg lots 1 to 41 in-
clusive form Concession 1 and lots 1 to 41 in-
clusive form Concession 2 and therfore the
road is legally the road between Concession
1 and 2. ( Despite being known as the First
• Concession.) Again, the Maitland Conces-
sion starts at lot 1 ( now in .the Town of
Goderich) and follows the river to the north
limits ( lot 591; then it turns around and
comes back the other side of the road, star -
CONGRATULATIONS
GODERICH
TOWNSHIP
ON YOUR
• 150th Birthday
r We have enjoyed being in business
15 years and are looking forward to
many more!
Sky Ranch
Drive-ln
Ilwy. 21 North of Goderich
o4
ting at lot 60 and ending at lot 108 (again in
the Town of Goderich). The road between
these rows of lots is still called the Maitland
Concession. Again, for example, the Sixth
Concession is the road between concession 5
and 6. Whether for reasons or superstition,
the roads (north and south) are still palled
the First, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth,
Eleventh, Fourteenth, Sixteenth and Base
Line.
Side roads were laid out every mile and a
quarter, running due east and west, between
every fifth farm, i.e. between lots 5 and 6
and 6-10 and 11-15 and 16-20 and 21725 and 26-
30 and 35 and 36-40 and 41. And just to con-
fuse vo�u,many more dead ending .at the
rivers. The side road between lots 25 and 26
has become a County Road - the one
between lots 35 and 36 is known , as the
Pagoalir
Telephone road, and is used as much as the
concession roads, and the one. between lots
40 and 41 is in part another County road
(that is the part from Concession 2 to Con-
cession
oncession 1). Due • to the winding of the
Bayfield River and the subsequent windings
of the Bayfield line, there was no Iliad cut
through between Concession 5 and 2 until
1955; when the County unproved the Clinton
to Hayfield road, bought land and cut a new
road straight through from lot 40 Concession
5 to where it meets No. 21 Highway between
40 and 41 in Concession 2. These east and
west side roads were surveyed right to high
water mark at Lake Huron, and while the
right of way is there, you will find some
places on the lake bank where only moun-
tain goats or teen aged boys would try to
travel.
HillANo Hill
FARMS
LIMITED
VARNA ONT.
All the Best to Goderich Township
in their Sesquicentennial Celebrations
and continued success in the future!
Congratulations to our many friends and customers
in Tuckersmith Township on their successful
Sesquicentennial Weekend-!
From Gordon, Ruby, Bev, Shirley and
the employees of Hill & Hill Farms Ltd.,
RECEIVING AGENTS FOR WINTER WHEAT
Hill and Hill Farms Limited
CLINFIELD ELEVATOR
CONCESSION 2 STANLEY TOWNSHIP
482-3191
VARNA 482-3218
HILL & HILL FARMS LTD.
R.R. 1 VARNA
482-3218