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William Ennis
Down the Hill to Westport, ON
Westport church
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William Ennis
Down the Hill to Westport, ON
Westport brick home
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William Ennis
Down the Hill to Westport, ON
Westport brick church
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William Ennis
Down the Hill to Westport, ON
Westport church
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William Ennis
Down the Hill to Westport, ON
Westport marina
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William Ennis
Down the Hill to Westport, ON
Westport Spring
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William Ennis
Down the Hill to Westport, ON
Westport airport
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William Ennis
Down the Hill to Westport, ON
Story & photos by William Ennis
There is a reason that hundreds, perhaps thousands of tourists visit the small Village of Westport. Actually, there are actually several reasons, and they date back over 200 years.
Settlers looking for a home and some farmland established themselves the area in 1810. The location along the shores of Upper Rideau Lake was attractive to those who saw the advantage and enjoyment of being able to catch fish.
Around 1830 two men built sawmills to take advantage of the exceptional flow of water running down from Sand Lake. A grist mill soon followed, providing a great boon to the farming community who wanted their grain ground up for the farm animals. The residents could make use of freshly ground wheat flour in those days when they couldn't make a quick run to a market to buy it. The tantalizing odour of freshly baked bread and pastry filled many a kitchen.
In 1832, construction of the Rideau Canal was completed, and Westport found itself in the perfect location to ship its produce north to Ottawa, and south to Kingston, which provided an incentive to develop even more. In 1888 a railway was built between Brockville on the St. Lawrence River, and Westport and this also increased trade to the community.
When settlers arrived, they had to clear the land of its large trees and rocks, burn the brush, dig out stumps and try to turn the rich earth into a farm. They used medium-sized trees to build crude cabins, which served to protect them from the storms of Ontario's winters. As time passed, people squared the timbers for their log homes with an adze, and some overlapped the ends to make the walls more secure.
The quality of the homes improved over the years as brick became popular. Cut sandstone became the choice for several of the churches and houses. The walking tour of Westport points out many of these beautiful homes and churches. For a small village, the number and beauty of the churches is a remarkable achievement.
The people of Westport are proud of their town, which you can see by the degree of upkeep. To attract visitors from the Rideau Canal system they have built a beautiful harbour and offer day docking and overnight docking with water and power, and pump out facilities. It's only a few steps from the harbour to the shopping area, and visitors can find washrooms and showers in the Visitor Centre.
Near the harbour is a building covering a spring. Some communities might have run a pipe from the spring to the lake, covered it over and forgotten about it, but not here. This spring marks the camping spot of early people going back into history and it still runs well today. You will be surprised by the flow of water from the spring into the lake.
The majority of the visitors to Westport come in the warmer months. They come to spend a day, or more, in a leisurely discovery of the small village. The pace is slow, as it should be. You can't absorb the atmosphere of a neat, little shop if you are on the run. A stop at the Rock Shop will reveal several stunning polished rocks and minerals that would look good on anyone's shelf. If you are hot, or hungry, visit the Vanilla Bean's Café and Creamery for an ice cream cone hailing from the freezers of Bobcaygeon. Accompany your treat with a delicious Saint Cinnamon Bun baked right there, and you'll know why people stop in. The Village Green is a shop that covers all your needs from sportswear, footwear to home décor. A main feature is the renowned Canada Goose line. Westport has all your needs - you can shop or browse, enjoy yummy treats or just relax. If you fly a small plane, there is a small airstrip to the south of the village along the Perth Road.
Westport lies at the foot of a high bump in the Canadian Shield, and there is a stiff climb for any heavy vehicle that wants to head north on the Perth Road. On top of the hill is the Foley Mountain Conservation Area, which has a perfect spot for viewing the village from above. There is a fee to enter the area, but well worth it to enjoy the system of trails that allows for a pleasant few hours of pleasant walking. For longer hikes you can enter the Rideau Trail, which passes through here, connecting Kingston to Ottawa.
The Frontenac Axis, a rocky, hummocky region of lakes and swamps connect this southerly edge of the Canadian Shield southeast to the Adirondack Mountains. To the south, on either side of the Frontenac Axis is the vast limestone plain. The Canadian Shield is all that remains of ancient high mountains that have been ground off by passing glaciers. There are pockets of farmland where soil accumulated by the passing of the glaciers. North of Westport, farms are rocky, while just to the southwest, there is a sizeable area of good land where the early settlers made their homes.
If it weren't for the efforts of the citizens, Westport would have been just another little village fading into history. But the efforts of a welcoming community have created a place where visitors can come to enjoy the quiet, the relaxation, and the shopping.
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