Penetanguishene

Penetanguishene, town (1991 pop. 6,643), S Ont., Canada, on Penetanguishene Bay, an inlet of Georgian Bay. The name is a Native American word for "white rolling sands." The town is a tourist center with such manufactures as auto parts, extruded aluminum products, and other metal and plastic products. A British naval base was established there (1817-34), and a military garrison and French-Canadians and Métis moved there from Drummond Island c.1828, giving the town a bilingual heritage that continues to the present. A maritime museum (with replicas of a warship and transport ship), a historical museum, and historic churches are in the city.

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Penetanguishene, Ontario

Penetanguishene (), sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual (French and English) community has since grown to 9,354 (2006 Statistics Canada), an increase of 12.5% from 2001 (8,316).

The name Penetanguishene comes from the Ojibwa language meaning "place of the white rolling sands".

History

As early as AD 800, the Huron settled in semi-permanent villages in the area. Étienne Brûlé was the first European to set foot in the Penetanguishene area, some time between 1610 and 1614.

In 1793, John Graves Simcoe visited the area and saw Penetanguishene's potential as a naval base to maintain warships to protect the newly-developed northwesterly trade and exploration route. In 1817, naval units from Michilimackinac and Schooner Town (near modern-day Wasaga Beach) were consolidated at Penetaguishene. However, because of treaty limitations with the U.S. that limited both countries' naval power on the Great Lakes, two British armed topsail schooners, HMS Tecumseth and HMS Newash were laid up in ordinary and eventually reported to have sunk at their moorings in the harbour in 1828. Some other small craft, however, were headquartered in Penetanguishene for the exploration and mapping of the Great Lakes' coastline. In 1828, the main British military establishment on the Upper Lakes moved from Drummond Island to Penentanguishene. Families of Metis fur traders who had moved with the British from Michilimackinac to Drummond Island after the War of 1812 moved to Penetanguishene and settled in the town and the surrounding area. Although the naval base was closed in 1834, the military base remained until 1856.

In the 1840s, families from Quebec (mainly the area immediately east of Montreal), attracted by promises of cheap and fertile land, joined the French-speaking Drummond Island settlers already in the area. Later, as the logging industry began to develop, more settlers arrived and Penetanguishene became the local market and meeting place for these individuals. Many of Penetanguishene's families today are descended from these Québécois settlers that arrived in the 1800s, giving the town a marked bilingual culture.

Today

The historic naval and military base (Discovery Harbour) near Penetanguishene is open to visitors, and at one time offered trips in the two reconstructed sailing ships from the 1812 period, HMS Bee and HMS Tecumseth. While this is no longer permitted, the sailing ships still remain in the harbour.

Penetanguishene, along with Parry Sound, is now one of the departure points for Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands boat tours, which leave daily from the town's main dock.

Education

The town is also home to the province's last remaining Protestant Separate school board.

Sports

The Junior C hockey Penetang Kings are based in the town.

Transportation

Penetang-Midland Coach Lines (PMCL) operates from Penetanguishene.

Demographics

The town has a significant concentration of Franco-Ontarians, and is one of only three communities in Southern Ontario where the population of francophones exceeds the provincial average of five percent, the other two being Welland and Lakeshore. The town is home to a francophone community radio station, CFRH-FM.