Goderich, named after the British prime minister in 1828, is probably my favourite town of the ones I visited in the area. I really liked the well-marked heritage trail with plenty of signs telling the town’s commercial, ecological, and cultural histories. Menesetung Bridge crossing the Maitland River was my favourite point along the trail.
The first community sprouted around the flats near where the bridge is today. Commerce consisted mainly of the docks, taverns and hotels for sailors, and aquaculture. Harbour Street was the first proper road in town. Bits of the hill was removed to make it less steep so goods could be hauled to the upper part of town with horse-drawn carts.
The town was founded by the Canada Company, which helped the British colonize parts of Upper Canada, as the main settlement in the Huron Tract. The octagonal marketplace is now a giant eight-way roundabout with a courthouse in the middle called Courthouse Park, the town’s main businesses are located there.
The Huron County Museum, including the Huron Historic Goal, have over 30,000 artefacts, most of which was donated by the community. When it opened 70 years ago, it hardly had 1,000 things to display!
