Sauble Beach, Ontario

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Sauble Beach
Unincorporated settlement
Sauble.JPG
Sauble Beach
Etymology: After the French word sable (sand)
Motto: 
Live life slow
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Sauble Beach
Location of Sauble Beach in Ontario
Coordinates: 44°38′10″N81°16′09″W / 44.63611°N 81.26917°W / 44.63611; -81.26917
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
RegionSouthwestern Ontario
County Bruce
Elevation
182 m (597 ft)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (Eastern Time Zone)
Postal Code FSA
N0H
Area code 519
Sign at the entrance to the beach Sauble Beach Sign (Ontario).jpg
Sign at the entrance to the beach

Sauble Beach (pop. 2000[ citation needed ]) is a beach community and unincorporated area in the town of South Bruce Peninsula, Bruce County, in the northern area of southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is on the Bruce Peninsula, along the eastern shore of Lake Huron, on the north edge of the Saugeen First Nation. The beach takes its name from that given by early French explorers to the sandy Sauble River, originally "La Rivière Au Sable" (sand river) also indicating that the river emptied into Lake Huron at a sandy beach. [1] The river was labelled with the French name on maps until 1881, when it became the Sauble River; in early years, a sawmill was built on the river, and later, a hydro electric plant. [2]

Contents

History

Long before any settlers arrived, the Anishinabek of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation looking for a shorter and safer route between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, would cross the peninsula near its base. They would enter near the site of the present-day location of the town of Wiarton and after portaging, would paddle their canoes across the lakes and rivers that almost connect both shores. The route became known as the Rankin Portage and it is suspected that early French explorers used this route to visit the various indigenous communities, which existed in the area and avoid the often-treacherous waters around the tip of the peninsula.

The last portage on the route was around a waterfall near the Lake Huron coast. The French explorers named the river, “La Riviere au Sable”, which translates to “the river to the sand”. This name continued until 1881 when a mapmaker, perhaps inadvertently, marked the river with the name “Sauble.” [3]

The first settler is reported to have been John Eldridge, who built a cottage nearby in 1877. Other settlers followed and the village continued to grow with a boarding house and then a store. In the 1900s a large sawmill below the falls on the Sauble River employed 40 people. Initially, development was to the south and later to the east of the river. By the early decades of the 1900s, Sauble Beach was attracting visitors because of its gorgeous beaches; this grew as an increasing number of families acquired automobiles. In 2020 as chronicled in the Netflix series Motel Makeover, The June Motel opened at the former Knights Inn. [1]

Beach and other activities

At over eleven kilometres (7 mi) long, Sauble Beach is said to be the second longest freshwater beach in Canada after Wasaga Beach. [4]

A phenomenon of sandbar deposits building out along the Lake Huron shoreline keeps the water at Sauble very shallow and warm. This is one of the very few beaches in Ontario where cars were, until recently, allowed to drive and park on the sand near the water, at least on the side (left of the entrance) that is part of the Saugeen First Nation native lands. In 2019, however, the First Nation also banned beach parking. [5] [6]

Recreational activities include swimming, windsurfing, water-skiing, fishing, golfing, lawn bowling, tennis, street dances, beach volleyball, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and birding. The town hosts an annual Winterfest. In summer, there are weekly Family Movie Nights, an annual sandcastle building contest, Cruise Nights on Tuesdays, a Sauble Beach Guitar Festival and an 8 km Walk/Run. The Festival of the Classical Guitar has been held since 2007. [7]

The Canadian National (Beach) Volleyball Championships have been held there, and the local Sauble Speedway (with a Hepworth, Ontario address) was on the CASCAR professional racing circuit. The Speedway was purchased by new owners in 2017 and they obtained NASCAR sanctioning in 2018. [8]

A 2023 publication stated that Sauble Beach receives approximately 400,000 tourists annually. [9]

Sauble Beach is the permanent year-round home to approximately 2,000 people. The cottage owners add thousands of seasonal community members, some who stay through the spring to fall time period and others who retreat to Sauble on weekends. In summer, the visitor count increases to over 30,000 on hot weekends and up to 60,000 on a long weekend. [10]

Land ownership

Cottage owners are split between those who own a property outright and those with cottages on Native lands. A lease relationship exists between the Saugeen First Nation, who also refer to themselves as the "Chippewas of Saugeen", [11] and those who had built seasonal homes on the Native land in the lakeside area between urban Southampton, Ontario and Sauble Beach. There are approximately 1,200 such cottages. [12] [13] Each cottager on Native land pays an annual fee to the First Nation. The current lease contract between the cottagers and two Saugeen First Nation Reserves, Chief's Point 28 and Saugeen 29, is in effect until 30 April 2021. [14]

Some years ago, the Saugeen First Nation successfully reclaimed the land that "runs south from the Sauble Beach sign toward Southampton, 18 kilometres away". [15] The beach area to the south of Main St. in the community is referred to by the band as Sauble Park or South Sauble Beach Park. [16] [17] [18] In addition to the south Sauble Beach area, the Saugeen First Nation claims the rights to another stretch of the public beach, approximately 2 km long, west of Lakeshore Boulevard extending to a point between 1st St. South and 6th St. North. This claim has been in litigation since 1990 when the federal government started an action on behalf of the Saugeen First Nation, stating that the area is part of the Saugeen 29 Reserve. The band also filed its own claim in 1995. [19] [20]

On 4 April 2023, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled that the waterfront area between 1st and 6th is part of the Saugeen reserve, owned by the Saugeen First Nation. The court also ruled that the Government of Canada had abrogated the 1854 Treaty by allowing the beach waterfront to be taken away from the Saugeen. [21] The Town of South Bruce Peninsula council subsequently voted unanimously to appeal the court decision. [9] Later in April 2023, the appeal was filed by the Town and some landowners, requesting that the Court of Appeal set aside the judgment declaring the relevant section of Sauble Beach as First Nation reserve land. [22]

Business and community services

Local businesses offer retail and services for hardware, appliance and grocery shopping, restaurants and hotels, fire and police services, daycare and a medical clinic. Fire Station 40 is located at 21 Sauble Falls Parkway. The town is policed by the Ontario Provincial Police whose office is in the same building as the fire station. [23]

The town is home to the June Motel, a boutique motel featured in the 2021 Netflix series Motel Makeover. [24]

Education

There is only one school in town under the Bluewater District School Board. Amabel-Sauble Community School was built in 1995 as an experiment in joint ownership between the board and the Township of Amabel (now part of South Bruce Peninsula); the school provides primary curriculum from Jr. Kindergarten to Grade 8. The closest secondary school is Peninsula Shores District School in Wiarton, Ontario. There are no Roman Catholic schools in town; the closest schools with the Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board are in Port Elgin, Ontario, and Owen Sound, Ontario. The closest post-secondary institution is Georgian College's Owen Sound, Ontario, campus.

Politics

Sauble Beach is represented by two councillors for Wards 1 and 3 on the Town Council for South Bruce Peninsula in Wiarton, Ontario. [25] There has been friction between the Town of South Bruce and the Saugeen First Nation because of continuing land claims in the Sauble Beach area. A settlement was mediated in 2014 but was subsequently rejected by South Bruce, leading to a lawsuit against the Town, to be heard in court no earlier than 2018. [26] There has also been conflict regarding environmental protection of sensitive dunes and protected species that are located on the beach. Local residents and members of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation protested plans to alter the dunes in December 2020. One resident asked for a judicial review of the work. [27]

Provincially and federally, the area is part of the riding of Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound.

Transportation

There is no public transit in Sauble Beach and residents are car-dependent.

A few roads serve the area:

Notable people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tobermory, Ontario</span> Community in Ontario, Canada

Tobermory is a small community located at the northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula, in the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. Until European colonization in the mid-19th century, the Bruce Peninsula was home to the Saugeen Ojibway nations, with their earliest ancestors reaching the area as early as 7,500 years ago. It is part of the municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula. It is 300 kilometres northwest of Toronto. The closest city to Tobermory is Owen Sound, 100 kilometres south of Tobermory and connected by Highway 6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Bruce Peninsula</span> Town in Ontario, Canada

South Bruce Peninsula is a town at the base of the Bruce Peninsula of Ontario, Canada, in Bruce County between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. It was formed on January 1, 1999, when the town of Wiarton, the village of Hepworth, and the townships of Albemarle and Amabel were amalgamated. The new municipality was created to provide necessary political representation, administrative support, and necessary municipal services on behalf of the residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce County</span> County in Ontario, Canada

Bruce County is a county in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It has eight lower-tier municipalities with a total 2016 population of 66,491. It is named for James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, the sixth Governor General of the Province of Canada. The Bruce name is also linked to the Bruce Trail and the Bruce Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Peninsula</span> Peninsula in Southern Ontario, Canada

The Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada, that divides Georgian Bay of Lake Huron from the lake's main basin. The peninsula extends roughly northwestwards from the rest of Southwestern Ontario, pointing towards Manitoulin Island, with which it forms the widest strait joining Georgian Bay to the rest of Lake Huron. The Bruce Peninsula contains part of the geological formation known as the Niagara Escarpment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fathom Five National Marine Park</span> National marine conservation area in Ontario, Canada

Fathom Five National Marine Park is a National Marine Conservation Area in the Georgian Bay part of Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada, that seeks to protect and display shipwrecks and lighthouses, and conserve freshwater ecosystems. Parks Canada has management plans for the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, with a multi-action plan for species that are at risk, including endemic species, the Monarch butterfly, the eastern ribbonsnake, and the eastern whip-poor-will. The aquatic ecosystems in the park are also of particular interest. Many fish, shellfish, amphibians, and eels are an attraction for naturalists in the park. Much of this wildlife is accessible to scuba divers and snorkellers in the park. The many shipwrecks make the park a popular scuba diving destination, and glass bottom boat tours leave Tobermory regularly, allowing tourists to see the shipwrecks without having to get wet. Additionally, there are three main popular hiking trails found within Fathom Five National Marine Park that provides visitors with views of old growth forests and the Georgian Bay. The Saugeen Ojibway Peoples have inhabited the Bruce Peninsula and the area that is now Fathom Five National Marine Park for thousands of years. This land provided for their communities and their people with the plethora of wildlife and plant life. They provide the local knowledge about Lake Huron and its ecological value to the reserve, park, and their overall livelihood. Parks Canada and Saugeen Ojibway People's collaboration is said to yield a benefit to both parties with regard to overall ecosystem knowledge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiarton</span> Community in Ontario, Canada

Wiarton is a community in the town of South Bruce Peninsula, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the western end of Colpoys Bay, an inlet off Georgian Bay, on the Bruce Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton, Ontario</span> Community in Ontario, Canada

Southampton is a community on the shores of Lake Huron in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. It is close to Port Elgin and is located at the mouth of the Saugeen River in the Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territory. The size of the town is 6.44 square kilometres. The permanent population in 2016 was 3,678, but the summer population is higher since cottagers and campers spend vacation time in the area.

Saugeen First Nation is an Ojibway First Nation band located along the Saugeen River and Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. The band states that their legal name is the "Chippewas of Saugeen". Organized in the mid-1970s, Saugeen First Nation is the primary "political successor apparent" to the Chippewas of Saugeen Ojibway Territory; the other First Nation that is a part of Chippewas of Saugeen Ojibway Territory is Cape Croker. The Ojibway are of the Algonquian languages family. The First Nation consist of four reserves: Chief's Point 28, Saugeen 29, Saugeen Hunting Grounds 60A, and Saugeen and Cape Croker Fishing Islands 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saugeen Shores</span> Town in Ontario, Canada

Saugeen Shores is a town in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada, formed in 1998. In addition to the two main population centres of Southampton and Port Elgin, the town includes a portion of the village of Burgoyne and the North Bruce area, straddling the municipal eastern and southern boundary respectively. In 2016, the permanent population of Saugeen Shores was 13,715, in a land area of 171.05 square kilometres (66.04 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Elgin, Ontario</span> Community in Ontario, Canada

Port Elgin is a community in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. Its location is in the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. Originally named Normanton the town was renamed Port Elgin when it was incorporated in 1874, after James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, a former Governor General of the Province of Canada.

The Robinson Treaties are two treaties signed between the Ojibwa chiefs and the Crown in 1850 in the Province of Canada. The first treaty involved Ojibwa chiefs along the north shore of Lake Superior, and is known as the Robinson Superior Treaty. The second treaty, signed two days later, included Ojibwa chiefs from along the eastern and northern shores of Lake Huron, and is known as the Robinson Huron Treaty. The Wiikwemkoong First Nation did not sign either treaty, and their land is considered "unceded".

The Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territory, also known as Saugeen Ojibway Nation, SON and the Chippewas of Saugeen Ojibway Territory, is the name applied to Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation and Saugeen First Nation as a collective, represented by a joint council. The collective First Nations are Ojibway (Anishinaabe) peoples located on the eastern shores of Lake Huron on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. Though predominantly Ojibway, due to large influx of refugees from the south and west after the War of 1812, the descendants of the Chippewas of Saugeen Ojibway Territory also have ancestry traced to Odawa and Potawatomi peoples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation</span> First nation band in Ontario, Canada

Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation is an Anishinaabek First Nation from the Bruce Peninsula region in Ontario, Canada. Along with the Saugeen First Nation, they form the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. The Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation had a registered membership of 2758 individuals, as of December 2020. Approximately 700 members live on the main reserve, Neyaashiinigmiing 27. The First Nation has 3 reserves, Neyaashiinigmiing 27, Cape Croker Hunting Ground 60B and Saugeen and Cape Croker Fishing Islands 1. The size of all reserves is 8083.70 hectares.

Charles Rankin, was an early Irish-born and Scottish-descended settler and land surveyor in Upper Canada. He is significant due to his role in the surveying and early settlement of large areas of Upper Canada, including much of the Bruce Peninsula and south shore of Lake Huron, and notably the city of Owen Sound. Born in 1797 at Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ireland, he died in either 1886 or 1888 in Owen Sound, a city whose founding he had been instrumental in.

Saugeen 29 is a First Nations reserve in Bruce County, Ontario. It is the main reserve of the Saugeen First Nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauble Falls Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Ontario, Canada

Sauble Falls Provincial Park is located in the town of South Bruce Peninsula, Bruce County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, 36 kilometres (22 mi) west of Owen Sound. It is in the lower drainage basin of the Sauble River, which flows into Lake Huron. The campground consists of two sections divided by County Road 13. The west section of the site is a quiet zone. Group camping is available in the east section. Many sites along the east portion of the park back up against the Sauble River. The park is also the downstream terminus of the Rankin River canoe route.

Saugeen may refer to the following in Ontario, Canada:

Chief's Point 28 is an Aboriginal reserve located between Sauble Beach and Wiarton, Ontario on Lake Huron. It is one of the reserves of the Saugeen First Nation.

Also within the Bruce census division are two First Nations reserves:

Saugeen and Cape Croker Fishing Islands 1 is a First Nations reserve consisting of 89 islands in Lake Huron off the western coast of the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario. They extend north of Chief's Point 28 for 11 miles (18 km) up to Pike Bay. These islands are shared between the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation and Saugeen First Nation.

References

  1. 1 2 "About Sauble Beach". About Sauble Beach. Sauble Beach Chamber of Commerce. 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  2. ↑ "Downtown Revitalization Strategic Plan" (PDF). Town of South Bruce Peninsula. p. section 3.5. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  3. ↑ White, Paul. "Sauble Beach: Canada's Daytona Beach". History-Articles.com.
  4. ↑ "Bruce County Assets" (PDF). Bruce County. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "Beach Rules". Sauble Beach Chamber of Commerce. 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  6. ↑ https://www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca/news_item.php?NewsID=110534%5B%5D
  7. ↑ "Sauble Events". Sauble Beach Events. Sauble Beach Chamber of Commerce. 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  8. ↑ "Sauble Speedway" . Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  9. 1 2 Miller, Scott (22 April 2023). "Will Sauble Beach be open to the public this summer?". CTV News London. CTV. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  10. ↑ Graham, David (1 September 2010). "Recapturing the past at Sauble Beach". The Star. Toronto Star. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  11. ↑ "Saugeen First Nation | Chippewas of Saugeen Ojibway Band | Southampton, ON". Saugeen First Nations.
  12. ↑ Grant, Kelly (16 August 2008). "Let us back into our cottages". The Globe and Mail– via www.theglobeandmail.com.
  13. ↑ "SCOI – Saugeen Cottagers' Organization Inc". scoi.ca.
  14. ↑ "About SCOI – SCOI". scoi.ca. Saugeen Cottagers' Organization Inc. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  15. ↑ Urquhart, Scot (23 July 2016). "Sauble Beach is changing but it is still a place for family". Hamilton Spectator.
  16. ↑ "Sauble Park". saugeenfirstnation.ca. Saugeen First Nation. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  17. ↑ "About". saugeenfirstnation.ca. Saugeen First Nation. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "Parking changes this summer at Sauble Beach". 9 May 2019.
  19. ↑ "Saugeen First Nation seeks court ruling on century-old boundary dispute in Sauble Beach". CBC News. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  20. ↑ "SFN Seeks Summary Judgement in Sauble Beach Claim". saugeenfirstnation.ca. Saugeen First Nation. 4 August 2019.
  21. ↑ "First Nation wins ownership of Sauble Beach waterfront". CTV News London. 4 April 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  22. ↑ "Town Asks Appeal Court To Vacate Trial Judge's Ruling In Sauble Beach Boundary Case". Bayshore Broadcasting. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  23. ↑ "Town of South Bruce Peninsula". Town of South Bruce Peninsula. 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  24. ↑ "Meet the women who turned a run-down Canadian motel into a Netflix hit". The Washington Post. 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  25. ↑ "Council Contact". Town of South Bruce Peninsula. 3 January 2023.
  26. ↑ Gowan, Rob (18 October 2016). "Gammie holds Sauble land claim meeting". Sun Times. Owen Sound. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  27. ↑ Miller, Scott (16 December 2020). "Sauble Beach dunes dispute heading to court". CTV News. Bell MEdia. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
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