Collingwood Ontario in Photos: Saving Our History One Photo at a Time (Cruising Ontario) (Volume 28)

Collingwood, situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay, offers old time charm and history as well as opportunities for skiing on Blue Mountain, and golfing. Collingwood was incorporated as a town in 1858, named after Admiral Lord Cuthbert Collingwood, Lord Nelson?s second in command at the Battle of Trafalgar, who assumed command of the British fleet after Nelson's death. European settlers and freed black slaves arrived in the area in the 1840s, bringing with them their religion and culture. In 1855, the Ontario, Simcoe & Huron Railway came into Collingwood, and the harbour became the place for shipment of goods destined for upper Great Lakes ports. Ship building was one of the principal industries in the town. On September 12, 1901, the Huronic was launched in Collingwood, the first steel-hulled ship launched in Canada. The shipyards produced Lakers and during World War II contributed to the production of Corvettes for the Royal Canadian Navy.