The Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-07-29, Page 20Tiger Dunlop walked to G
By the late W.E. ott
At the end of their 80 -mile walk through the bush from
Galt, the members of Dr. William Dunlop's party built a
log "cottage" on the flat.
It was close to a cornfield cultivated by the Indians, and
the several accounts of the historic occasion make no
mention of cutting down trees.
One writer states that the area was "destitute of trees or
stumps, and had evidently been cleared many years ago
by the Indians, who had cultivated it .with corn".
But "at the top of the hill DunloR had a clearing made"
and built a log house, which was 'also the Canada Com-
pany office, known locally as Dunlop's Castle.
Probably it was added to, from tune to time. It remain-
ed, or some part of it remained, in Harbor Park until the
1870s.
Mahlon Burwell, surveyor, kept a diary. He recorded
that on May 28, 1827 he "surveyed out half an acre in a
beautiful situation on the left bank lof the Menesetung, and
the men underbrushed it."
On May 30: "I laid the foundation of the house (22' x 22' )
and the kitchen (15' x 15') ".
John Galt, Canada Company commissioner, arrived by
water from Penetang in July, andi named the new town
Goderich. - He and Dunlop are counted co-founders.
Galt commissioned Samuel Strickland, an English set-
tler with some years' experience in what is now Eastern
Ontario, to oversee the work of cutting out a road through
the bush from the township of %%mot to Goderich, 66
miles.
I
Tiger "Dunlop Days...Page 5
der ch through bush
The significance of allusions to Wilmot is that settle-
ment in Waterloo county was already well advanced, and
the Dundas road well travelled.
The Wilmot township history, published in 1967, has a
sketch map of the township (the Baden -New Hamburg
area) showing four east -west roads, the Erb, Snider,
Bleam's and Huron roads, all connecting with the Dundas
road.
The road to Goderich was cut through by July, 1828, and
Strickland built a house about where the present
lighthouse stands.
He had come to the Huron Tract less than a year after
the Dunlop party, and spent three years in the Goderich
settlement. In a two-volurne work of 650 pages he required
only two pages for his description of Goderich,
presumably because there was then not much to describe.
How"Ti 9 got his name
One day, while in a boat on the Ganges River with fellow -
officers, Dr. William Dunlop noticed several tiger cubs
nearby.
A young officer secured two of the animals. Soon, the
mother tiger appeared and plunged toward the boat.
Immediately Dr. Dunlop took out his snuff box and
threw the contents in her face. Then, seizing his sword, he
struck the tigress a blow that detained the animal while
all in the boat escaped.
Owing to his reputed success in clearing several islands
of tigers, Dr. Dunlop in army clubs, became known as
Tiger Dunlop".
Happy160th Anniversary
to the
Town
of Goderich
from yur friends in
Clinton
• pn behalf of all the citizens of Clinton we are
pleased to extend to the citizens of the Town of Goderich
congratulations on your 160th Birthday.
0
MAYOR: John A. Balfour
REEVE: Bee Cooke
DEPUTY REEVE: John Cochrane
COUNCILLORS. Case Buffinga, Ross Carter,
Don Eastman, Gord Gerrits, Bonnie Jewitt,
Gord Yohn.
CLE`K-TREASURER: Marie Jefferson
DEPUTY CLERK-TREASURET` Ken Holmes
THE CORPORAT`'N OF
THE TOWN OF CUNTON