Read about the history of this famous St. Joseph area visionary's life and his family. The story of the Narcisse Cantin family is featured in this French-language magazine, with more than 8000 readers in Ontario, Quebec and other Canadian provinces and the United States. The Narciss Cantin story is a very special part of the history and heritage of Huron County, Ontario's West Coast.
Pour plus d'informations dans le Français, visitez s'il vous plaît:
Société franco-ontarienne d'histoire et de généalogie
2445, boulevard St-Laurent, Pièce B151
Ottawa (Ontario) K1G 6C3
Téléphone: 613.729.5769
Télécopieur: 613.729.2209
Courriel: dg.sfohg@francogenealogie.com
Internet de Site: http://www.francogenealogie.com
St. Joseph Archives and Museum is housed at Hessenland Country Inn, R.R. #2, Zurich, Ontario. Learn about the great plans of Narcisse Cantin ( 1870 –1940), “Wizard of St. Joseph “ and “Father of the St. Lawrence Seaway”, to turn St. Joseph into a thriving international port.
View pictures, articles, maps and other original documents depicting the story of his great dream.
Meticulously researched, compiled and organized by Narcisse Cantin’s grandson, Napoleon E. Cantin.
The archive is located in one of the original farm structures at Hessenland Country Inn and is open to the public and group tours are welcomed. Please call ahead to arrange a viewing of the archives.
Visit http://www.hessenland.com and select 'Archives'.
I would like to start by familiarizing you with a relatively unknown part of Ontario. I refer to St. Joseph which is also known as The French Settlement. It is located on the eastern shore of Lake Huron mid way between the more widely known Bayfield to the north and Grand Bend to the south. As you know, Bayfield is for older folks whereas Grand Bend caters to the younger generation.
The well known Coureur de Bois came to this area in the 1830’s to work at clearing the land for some of the original settlers of the Huron Tract. When they returned home to Quebec, they recounted their experiences: there was abundant fertile land that was inexpensive, the climate was favourable for agriculture, and fish were plentiful in the lake. In effect, it was possible to subsist by your own devices.
In 1846, the migration of the Quebecois to The French Settlement began. They tore roots of 200 years in Quebec to become settlers again in an area of wilderness. They left Quebec because of hard times in the rural areas. There had been several successive crop failures, crop prices were depressed, and there was a general lack of jobs. They came primarily from the areas of Joliette, Berthierville, St. Felix de Valois, and St. Elisabeth. Among the original settlers were Claude Gelinas, Abraham Bedard, and Baptiste Durand. I am a descendant of the Durand family.
No more than 150 families resided in The French Settlement at any time. The community resembled old, rural Quebec. The farm houses were relatively close together along the lake. To a very large extent, they retained a French Canadian character even though they were surrounded by German, Scottish, and English people.
In 1849, the lake road was built and it became known as the Blue Water Highway. I can remember traveling from Seaforth with my family to visit my grandfather whose farm was on the lake shore. I always knew when we were “almost there” by the extreme blue colour of the horizon. This highway is now known as Highway 21. After being built, this road allowed the establishment of farms on the east side of it.
St. Pierre du Lac Huron church was built in 1862 to serve the predominantly Catholic community. It burned within the 1st year and for financial reasons wasn’t replaced until 1873. Even though it served a French speaking population, it became known as St. Peter and is still located on the original site.
The French Settlement became known as Johnson’s Mills in 1860. In 1874, its’ name was changed to Lakeview. Then in 1896, it was named St. Joseph by Narcisse Cantin because of his deep, religious devotion to this saint.
This brings me to the main theme of today’s presentation, “The father of the St. Lawrence Seaway”.
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DerekFazakas.ca. 
