Dyanne Rivers

Discover the history of potash production in Headwaters, and the rise and fall of entrepreneur Edward Porritt’s ashery in the late 1800s.

Prohibition laws of the late 1800s often led to hotels functioning as underground drinking holes that even local constables had trouble breaking up.

Cattle drives were once a familiar sight on Owen Sound Street in Shelburne – often to the dismay of local residents.

The true tale of a World War II four-legged soldier who found a forever home in Erin – and a posthumous honour.

Once a thriving centre of Christian revivalism, Peepabun was known for its annual camp meetings in the early 1900s.

Steam locomotives like the James McKay helped shape and build our communities in the early 1900s.

The historic Globe Hotel in Erin was the backdrop for many key moments in the town’s growth, until the landmark burned down in 1945.

Shelburne’s old ‘school on the hill’, built without fire escapes, added in two evacuation slides which students gladly used during fire drills.

Back when it took four hours to travel 30km from Erin to Guelph by stagecoach, a bumpy ride was a guarantee.

A Caledon farm was a touchstone for a Hollywood legend.

Almost 18 feet of snow fell in February 1904, bringing train travel to a halt and stranding hundreds of passengers north of Shelburne in the cold.

As World War II raged in 1943, dozens of Shelburne High School students traded in their textbooks for farmers’ tools to support the war efforts.

A snapshot from August 1938 captures the joy of cooling down in the Nottawasaga River on a hot summer’s day.

In our first installment of Back Story, we zoom in on the paving of Orangeville’s main street, Broadway, more than 100 years ago.