Sauble Beach, Ontario

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Sauble Beach, Ontario, Canada (pop. 2000) is a resort area on the eastern shores of Lake Huron, located along the south-west border of the municipality of South Bruce Peninsula, on the north edge of the Saugeen Nation.

The beach takes its name from that given by early French explorers to the sandy Sauble River, originally Riviere aux Saubles, that empties into the lake near Sauble Falls. The first settler is reported to have been John Eldridge, who built a cottage nearby in 1877, although most of the resort development of the modern beach area dates from about 1948, including still-surviving attractions like the Driftwood Cafe, Sauble Lodge Motel and the Crowd Inn hot-dog stand. The main street has remained relatively untouched in the past 50 years and still reflects a more relaxed and bygone days of the forties or fifties. People can be found swimming, watching the sunset, ice cream in hand, on the bench facing the water.

At over seven miles long (11km), Sauble Beach is said to be the second longest freshwater beach in the world after Wasaga Beach. A unique phenomenon of sandbar deposits building out along the Huron shore keep the beach at Sauble very shallow and warm, making this a popular destination for families with young children. With the beach facing west across Lake Huron, Sauble Beach is also the site of impressive sunset views that attract photographers and cinematographers.

Recreational activities include swimming, windsurfing, water-skiing, fishing, golfing, lawn bowling, tennis, street dances, beach volleyball, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, birding, an annual Winterfest and an annual sandcastle contest. The Canadian National (Beach) Volleyball Championships have been held there, and the local Steelback Sauble Speedway is on the CASCAR professional racing circuit. The Sauble area is a popular destination among young people for their annual May 2-4 campsite revelries.

While a hot summer long-weekend can see the resident count soar to over 100,000, Sauble Beach is the permanent year-round home to approximately 2000 people. The cottage owners add thousands of seasonal community members, some who stay through the spring to fall time period and others who retreat to Sauble on weekends.Cottage owners are uniquely split between owners who own property outright and cottages that are located on the Native lands. A lease relationship between the Saugeen Nation and these cottagers have allowed for almost 3000 seasonal homes to be built and used at a fair market price. With the Sauble focus on families, this makes cottage ownership easier to achieve. The Saugeen Nation benefits from this land lease rental and cost sharing for services and is administered through the Band and Indian Affairs in Ottawa.

Local businesses offer retail and services for hardware, appliance and grocery shopping, restaurants and hotels, fire and police services, daycare and a medical clinic. These business provide year round support for the community but thrive for their summer business. High speed internet is available for free at a number of the eateries including Macbeths, Two Chicks and Greenhorns. Even with the lure of the beach, you can stay connected and find time to get away and enjoy the white sand beach.

Serving a dwindling number of students, Amabel-Sauble Community School was built in 1995 as an experiment in joint ownership between the Bluewater District School Board and the Township of Amabel (now part of South Bruce Peninsula); the school provides primary curriculum from Jr. Kindergarten to Grade 8.