Perth was named after the Scottish city of the same name. There’s also a more well-known Perth in Australia, but that too was named after the same Scottish city.
The last fatal duel in all of Canada happened in Perth in 1933 on the bank of the river. Robert Lyon insulted the fiancée of John Wilson, who then challenged Lyon to a duel for his fiancée’s honour. While both men missed in the first round, Wilson managed to shoot Lyon in the chest in the second round. Lyon later died of his injuries.
Wilson was charged with murder after he turned himself in, but was acquitted based on his defence of being in a duel. He was studying law at the time and represented himself. He later married his fiancée and became a judge in the Superior Court and a member of the Legislative assembly in the Province. The location where the duel took place is now Last Duel Park.
To lighten up the mood, you’ll be pleased to know that Perth is also home to Mammoth Cheese, a piece of cheese so large that it broke the floor in an exposition in Chicago in 1893. It weighted just shy of 10,000 kilograms. A replica of this behemoth is on display next to the Crystal Palace on a railcar, just like how it was transported back then.
Other local sites in town include the Perth Water Tower, the McMartin House, the Matheson House that is now home to the Perth Museum, the St. James the Apostle Church, and the Ontario Criminal Court next to the church. This courthouse was built in 1872 and would not have been the same building where Wilson argued his way out of a murder charge.
The nearby Perth Wildlife Reserve has an easy three-kilometre long trail that loops around Tay March, a wildlife conservation reserve area. In summer, the butterfly garden will actually have butterflies in it. There are two lookout points along the trail; one at the entrance next to the butterfly garden and one midway through the park.
