The Canada Company was set up in 1824 to aid the colonization of
Upper Canada. The government of Upper Canada sold the company one
million acres of land, here in the Huron Tract, at the rate of 3s
6d per acre (which comes to 175,000 pounds or about $700,000). The
company surveyed this area, built roads, mills, schools and
advertised it to buyers in Europe. The company then assisted in the
migration of new settlers, bringing them to the area by boat (which
of course the company also owned!)
The Ausable river once took a big detour from 5km Southeast of
here, up to Grand Bend and back down to Port Franks, through what
is now Pinery Provincial Park. Frequent flooding, as well as large
inland lakes and marshes made the land difficult to farm and caused
much hardship for the early settlers. In 1875 the Canada Company
dug a 6km cut (using horse drawn scoops) to divert the river, stop
flooding and drain the lakes and marshes. Although this worked and
increased the value of the land, it had a negative effect on Port
Franks at the mouth of the river. What had been a 70 foot deep
water harbour used for exporting lumber, overnight became filled
with silt and sand washed down the cut and the "Port" in Port
Franks effectively disappeared.
6000 years ago the Lake Huron shoreline was back in the parking
lot. The continual deposition of sand, coupled with lowering lake
levels has resulted in its migration to the present position
leaving in its wake the succession of sand dunes that you can see
as you walk along the cut to the cache.
It's a fairly small camoflaged container so only small trade
items will fit.
