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The French explorer, Robert de La Salle, first sailed the area in 1679, and gave it the name then in use by the First Nations, “The Rapids.” Before dredging began in the 1850s, Sarnia was known for its shallow and turbulent water at the mouth of Lake Huron.
Early history. Sarnia from space, 2018. Ethnic French colonists, who came from Detroit, were the first European colonizers of what became Sarnia in about 1807–1810; their role is marked by a historic plaque installed by the Ontario Heritage Society. They were fur traders with the Huron and Three Fires Confederacy.
17 mar 2013 · History. Since the early 19th century, the Sarnia region has been populated by the Anishinaabe people, who inhabit the modern-day Aamjiwnaang Reserve at the southern end of the city. Prior to the Anishinaabe, the Tionontati (also known as the Petun) wrested the region from the Sauk in the early 17th century.
The Sarnia: We Built This City on Historypin encourages museum visitors to experience the history of the City of Sarnia online on their phones, tablets, or computers. Created in partnership, the Lambton Heritage Museum and Lambton County Archives have shared images and stories from their collections of historic Sarnia landmarks in this tour.
Called Sarnia after 1856, the village flourished, stimulated by regional lumbering activity, nearby oil discoveries and the arrival of the Great Western and Grand Trunk Railways in 1858 and 1859, respectively. Later, Sarnia became a significant trans-shipment port for western grain.
John Rochon has donated his digital collection to us to display here for you. To see more pictures from his collection, click here.
On January 1st, 1992, the name became “City of Sarnia.” The early growth of Sarnia was stimulated by the wealth of adjoining stands of timber, by the discovery of oil nearby and by the arrival of The Great Western Railway in 1858 and the Grand Trunk Railway in 1859.
