Heritage Sarnia-Lambton Trivia
Where was the last Toll House in Ontario located?
The Plank Road, made of wood planks and built in 1860 to move oil from the Oil Heritage District to Sarnia, was the last road in Ontario still operating as a toll road in 1926. Beginning in 1998, Highway 407 north of Toronto reintroduced toll roads in Ontario.
[top]
What ship built in Sarnia was featured on the Canadian $4. bill of 1902?
S.S. United Empire built in 1882.
[top]
Name two communities in Lambton that are partly in another county.
Grand Bend and Whitebread.
[top]
Where, when, and by whom was the first commercial oil well in North America produced?
Oil Springs in 1858 by James Miller Williams.
[top]
Where was the western terminus of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada?
At Point Edward, where Canada’s only immigrant sheds were located.
[top]
Who was the first female doctor in Lambton County?
Mary Jane Hutton set up her practice in Forest in 1890. Her father, James, was the first doctor in Forest.
[top]
Where and what are the 'kettles' of Lambton County?
Rock formations known as 'kettles' appear at Kettle Point, and nowhere else in Canada. They are spherical concretions shaped over millions of years, mostly from calcium carbonate. Learn more about the Devonian sea floor and the rare fossils of Lambton County at Stones 'n Bones Museum.
[top]
What national historic site in Lambton burned down, a century after it was built in 1889?
Victoria Hall, designed by architect George Durand, was the crown jewel of Petrolia's public buildings. Now totally reconstructed, you can enjoy a play here, visit nearby Petrolia Discovery, and shop on the streetscape of a Victorian oil town.
[top]
What farm animal is more numerous than humans in Lambton County?
There are more pigs than humans in Lambton. Learn more about the agricultural history of Lambton County at the Lambton Heritage Museum.
[top]
What chemical has been extracted from the ground at three locations in Lambton County?
Salt was commercially produced by the evaporative brine process at Port Franks, Warwick Village and Sarnia as early as the 1860's. View a salt rake and medals won by the Elarton Salt Works at the Lambton Heritage Museum.
[top]
Where was Ontario's first bookmobile set up?
Sarnia Public Library converted a trailer and towed their bookmobile behind a volunteer's car, in 1935. Learn more about the transportation history of Sarnia at Discovery House Museum.
[top]
What was the major technical achievement of the St Clair Tunnel?
At the time of construction in 1891, it was the world's longest submarine tunnel, and is still considered one of the top ten engineering accomplishments in Canadian history. Learn more about the tunnel and Lambton's rail history in the 1895 railway station at the Oil Museum of Canada.
[top]
How many miles of waterfront are in Lambton County?
72 miles, stretching from Grand Bend to Wilkesport. To learn more about St Clair River and Lake Huron navigation, tour the Marine Gallery at the Moore Museum.
[top]
Where and what is the date for the world's first registered petroleum company?
Charles & Henry Tripp registered the International Mining & Manufacturing Company in 1854. You can learn more about the Tripp brothers and the difficult transportation challenges faced by their business, at the Oil Museum of Canada.
[top]
What is the date of earliest white settlement in Lambton County?
The Francis Baby family settled at Baby's Point on the St Clair River in Sombra Township, in 1826. Learn all about early riverfront settlement at the Sombra Museum.
[top]
Rock Glen is known internationally for its fossil beds of limestone. What geological era is represented there?
The Devonian Era 400 million years ago. Fossils of this ancient seabed are presented at the Arkona Lion's Museum, at Rock Glen.
[top]
