In August 1827, William Chisholm purchased 986 acres centred on the mouth of the Sixteen Mile Creek. That not very picturesque name came from the fact it was sixteen miles from the inlet along the lake to Hamilton Harbour. By 1828, a harbour had been constructed and the settlement was named Oakville, after the great oak forests that stretched northwards.
Over the years, Oakville Harbour has seen many things. Initially, it was a port from which timber, especially oak, was exported to the US and Great Britain. Oak was prized for making barrel staves, and pine for construction, and as masts for the mighty sailing ships of the Royal Navy.
M Painchaud
Oakville Club in Fall
When the trees were gone, the hinterland upriver was planted with grain, which was transported by wagon to the harbour for export to the growing US market and elsewhere. What is now the Oakville Club and the Granary, on the east bank, were two of the warehouses where grain was loaded onto ships.
Many of the ships that transported the timber, then the grain, were built in shipyards established on the harbour banks. A tannery thrived for a time on the west bank south of Lakeshore, a foundry on the north side, and further upstream on the east side near Lawson Street there was even an oil refinery!
Times changed. Industry faded away and sailing, boating and canoeing, always part of Oakville Harbour in summer, eventually took over completely as the now Town became a summer destination for visitors from Toronto and Hamilton.
Sailboats are moored along the banks south of the Rebecca bridge since most masts do not fit under it. The docks are maintained by the Oakville Club, Oakville Yacht Squadron and the Town. Powerboats are docked north of the bridge at the Oakville Power Boat Club, and canoes and the like, further upstream at the Burloak Canoe Club.
Oakville News
New docks and locking entry doors installed in Oakville Harbour
A 2011 study commissioned by the Town was the basis for a master plan that has guided the many improvements in Oakville Harbour ever since. The Tannery Park renovation was completed in 2019. This year the Town docks to the south of Oakville Yacht Squadron are being replaced. They have a warranted life of 30 to 35 years and are a handsome addition to the harbour, considerably sturdier than those they replace. Completion will be by April, well in advance of the annual boat launch that transforms our harbour from a winter waterbird sanctuary to the picturesque marina, so much a part of the fabric of our Town.
Another change to the harbour is that the major dredging operation, which used to occur every 10 years, will be no more. Changing environmental regulations mean dredging will be conducted once a year or as needed, and will be on a much smaller scale than in the past.
The sailboat slips owned by Oakville Yacht Squadron and those of the Oakville Club on the east side are not part of the project.
Oakville News welcomes contributions from Residents' Associations
