Storyline: Advantures in our back yard
Ontario is big. It is the second largest province in Canada and has almost 40% of the country’s population. There was a time when trains were everything. They connected people, goods and services. Ontario was criss-crossed by more than 20,000 km of railroads.
These days many of them are abandoned, some used as trails, others completely forgotten. Pity about the environment and the climate but the car is king on this continent. As train enthusiasts we try not to miss a railway or train museum during our road-trips. Our next stop after Elora is the rebuilt train station and the Palmerston Railway Heritage Museum.
Although a small town today, Palmerston has an interesting history. It was developed around the then proposed train station. As soon as the location of the train station was established people began buying properties around and a town was born.
In 1870, one of the active supporters of the railroad named the station after Lord Palmerston, prime minister of Great Britain in 1855-1865. Palmerston was a key point in Southern Ontario for the Grand Trunk and later the Canadian National Railway.
In 1855 the Ontario Vaccine Farm for smallpox vaccine was built in the area by local physician Dr. Alexander Stewart (Rural Routes – Palmerston). It was the first institution in Ontario to produce the vaccine. The conjunction of railways at the time allowed for vaccines to be quickly and safely transported within hours in the days when refrigeration wasn’t reliable. The operation was transferred to the University of Toronto in 1916.
It is a short drive from Elora to Palmerston. We parked in front of the Foodland grocery store which is by the park and the railway museum. And after lunch we strolled through a beautifully designed and built park with lush greenery and playgrounds. If you like trains, you’d love this nicely assembled and curated local heritage. The station is restored to its bygone glory as a hub of freight and passenger services.
The Palmerston Railway Pedestrian Bridge is the sole railroad pedestrian bridge remaining in Ontario. Since the town was built around the train station as opposed to a train station built in a town it was quite tricky to cross 15 tracks in the yard that accommodated up to 40 trains a day.
To minimize the danger for pedestrians and especially school children the Grand Trunk built the bridge. Finished in 1912, it was the longest bridge of its kind in Ontario.
Nowadays it is beautifully integrated into the Lions Club Heritage Park, swimming pool, multiple playgrounds and the “Old 81”:
the “Old 81 steam engine is a memorial to the day when Iron Horses were stabled within the Town” Palmerston Railway Heritage Museum | Celebrating and Preserving Palmerston’s Railway Heritage (palmerstonrailwaymuseum.ca)
The museum itself was closed. It is only open during summer months and by request. But there was enough to see and read on its grounds. The signage thoughtfully placed around gave us a lot of insights into the forgotten past.
One of the plaques was in the memory of two enginemen who lost their lives during Hurricane Hazel that caused a train derailment in October 1954.
I also found the railway hub 1880-1960 map interesting.
After all was seen and done, it was a short drive to Auburn, where we intended to spend a few nights at their Riverside Retreat RV Park. We selected our site and booked it for 2 nights. The day, although busy, was progressing as planned. I had in mind an early dinner at the Blyth Cowbell Brewing restaurant.
Blyth is some 8 km away from the campground. We had time to walk through the village before heading for the pub. This small village has a significant past and current national presence.
Its world-renowned theatre and craft brewery attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. It also has a large municipal campground. The initial idea was to stay there. However, they were setting the stage for the upcoming antique steam-powered engine show organized by the Huron Pioneer Thresher & Hobby Association.
It was 1851 when the first Europeans in what would later become Blyth. Initially it was named after William Drummond who surveyed the village in 1853 and who built the first hotel in 1854. The hotel perched on the main street is still in use, now named the Blyth Inn. As with most of the towns and villages from past times, the post office had its say in the final naming of the place. When the post office was opened in 1853, the place was called Blyth, after the James Blyth Estate in England, which owned most of the townsite. In the years that followed, business boomed with a grist and flour mill, steam sawmill, stores and factories, trades shops, hotels, school, railway and more.
We strolled through parts of the village and popped our heads into the chocolate specialty store where I bought some chocolate covered coffee beans.
We then headed to the brewery. Although it was only 4pm on Tuesday Sept 6 (a work day after Labour Day weekend usually with low volume attendance in pubs and restaurants) there was a wait time to enter the restaurant. We spent the short time in their nicely designed and thoughtfully stocked store, identifying beer and memorabilia we could buy later, and taking photos of this impressive timber-clad building.
The restaurant has a spacious inside room with long, arched timber bar, game room and restaurant tables.
We opted for the outside beer garden. The waiter was friendly and attentive. He even brought us a fly-deterrent device. We decided on a tasting flight of some of their products. I liked a few of the beers, but fell in love with the Radler, so much so that we ended up buying some after dinner, together with some beers that Alex liked.
Following the waiter’s recommendation, I ordered the seared salmon paired with grapefruit Radler. Alex opted for the Cowbell classic burger, paired with his taster of preference, the Absent Landlord Kolsch beer.
After dinner we shopped for some beer and I also bought a Cowbell beer glass to add to my collection. There is a 10% discount if you’ve dined (or lunched) in the restaurant. So, make sure you do your shopping after your dining and keep the bill from the restaurant as a proof.
After Covid is completely gone (or at least under control) we will probably revisit this lovely village with so many fairs, festivals and shows, little stores, craft shops, cheese factory and of course the Cowbell Brewery and restaurant. “Today, Blyth is a rural Canadian success story. The village has been recognized as a model for Canadian rural communities who incorporate arts and culture to diversify community economy to move beyond solely an agriculture-based model.” Blyth, Ontario – Wikipedia
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