Corunna, Ontario

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Corunna is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada, located on the St. Clair River, across from the U.S. state of Michigan approximately nine kilometers south of the city of Sarnia. Corunna is located in St. Clair Township, which up until 2000 was part of a smaller township known as Moore Township. Moore amalgamated with Sombra Township, which is south of Moore. As of 2001, the population of St. Clair Township was 14,659.

Corunna is perhaps most notably known for the presence of Chemical Valley, which borders the north end of Corunna and the south end of Sarnia. The majority of the town's residents are employed in the Valley or for companies that supply the area's chemical plants.

Corunna has two annual events every summer: The Fireman's Field Day in June and Captain Kidd Days in August.

[edit] History

In 1823, Sir Charles Beresford founded the town site of Corunna, naming it after La Coruña in Spain. He chose to name the site after the town in Spain because he had spent considerable time there during the Napoleonic Wars. The town's name also owes itself to one of Beresford's commanders, Sir John Moore, who died at the hands of French forces in the Battle of Corunna. Beresford had been sent on a mission to find a suitable capital for a future union between the colonies of Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec).

Corunna was not chosen, as it was seen as being too close to the American border. In the 1820s-1830s, the prospect of an Irish Fenian invasion from the U.S. was considered a serious threat to the British colonies. Today, a small stone cairn stands along Baird Street, near the CSX north-south train track that divides the town. The cairn marks the spot where survey crews planned to build St. George's Square, the area that was to house the Parliament Buildings.

Today, most of Corunna's streets in the downtown bear the name of British military officials that served with Lord Beresford. The streets (Beckwith, Baird, Fane, Paget, Lyndoch, Cameron, Bentick, Colborne, Hill, Murray etc.) follow some of the original specifications that Beresford's survey crew set out as part of its plans to create a capital.

The Corunna area was originally settled by French farmers, who rented land near the river from the Chippewa First Nation. As the French presence faded, Corunna was settled by a wave of British settlers. The town saw an influx of gristmills, saw mills and taverns.

There were attempts to build a canal through Corunna early in its history, but the canal was abandoned soon after it was dug, since it could not maintain consistent water levels. The early history of the town is spotty, but some accounts suggest a brewery was briefly in business in the town.

Many of Corunna's historic relics have been torn down over the years, but a few structures remain, providing clues to the area's history. The town's Catholic church, St. Joseph's, was built in 1862 and still stands. Its wooden structure is bolstered by enormous trunks of the area's original trees, which were simply squared off and put in place to build the church. Several 1800s vintage homes remain in the town as well.

Corunna was a small village for decades after it was first settled, despite its proximity to Sarnia. It began to grow as Sarnia's Chemical Valley grew in the 1940s and 1950s.

[edit] St. Clair Parkway

The presence of the St. Clair Parkway has given St. Clair Township a reputation for its beautiful parks along the riverfront. The head office had been located in Corunna since 1968. As of February 2006, the St. Clair Parkway has been disbanded and the parks have been handed over to the municipalities where they are located.