Port Stanley, Ontario

The site of Port Stanley was part of an important early route from Lake Erie to other inland waterways for a succession of explorers and travellers of the 17th and 18th centuries. It was an important landing point and camping spot. Adrien Jolliet, brother of Louis Jolliet, landed at this location in 1669 during the first exploration of the Great Lakes by Europeans. Other notable visitors included François Dollier de Casson and René de Bréhant de Galinée (1670), Jean-Baptiste Céloron de Blainville (1749) and Sir William Johnson (1761).{{CRHP|15722|Port Stanley}} In commemoration of this role, a site bounded by Bridge, Main and Colbourne Streets was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1923, and was marked with a cairn.[http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/lhn-nhs/det_E.asp?oqSID=0502&oqeName=Port+Stanley&oqfName=Port+Stanley Port Stanley], Directory of Designations of National Historic Significance of Canada

Lieutenant-Colonel John Bostwick received the first land grant, and settled in what is now Port Stanley in 1804. Around 1824, it was renamed Port Stanley after Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, who had visited nearby Port Talbot. Lord Stanley later became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the father of Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, Governor General of Canada, ice hockey enthusiast and donor of the first Stanley Cup in 1893.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

Port Stanley has a large sheltered harbour that was operated by Transport Canada, but has been divested to the Municipality of Central Elgin. Historically, these facilities supported trade in coal and wood between Southwestern Ontario and the United States. Today, most of these facilities are dormant, but a commercial freshwater fishery operates from the harbour.

Attractions include a large sandy beach, King George VI Lift Bridge (a lifting bridge across Kettle Creek opened in May 1939), marinas, restaurants, hotels, shops, the Port Stanley Festival Theatre in the former town hall building on Bridge Street, and the Port Stanley Terminal Rail, which operates a tourist train between St. Thomas, Ontario and Port Stanley using a portion of the former L&PS rail line, the London and Port Stanley Railway.

In 1926, the L&PS Pavilion opened. It was later renamed the Stork Club (not to be confused with the famous New York establishment), and had a {{convert|13000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} dance floor, the largest dance floor in the London-Port Stanley area; the club was famous for swing dance and big band and attracted several big names to play there. It was closed by health authorities in 1973 because it could not earn the revenue to keep the building up. H.J. McManus, a London businessman, bought it and his son, Joe Jr., led the renovations, reopening in 1974 with the Harry James Orchestra performing before a sellout crowd. The last event was a performance by Day Break on New Year's Eve of 1978/79; a fire in a dumpster 12 days later damaged the building too heavily to save it.

In the first decade of the 21st century, there were numerous proposals to operate a ferry between Port Stanley and Cleveland, Ohio.{{cite web|last=Martin|first=Chip|url=https://lfpress.com/news/london/2011/08/18/18571836.html|work=The London Free Press|title=Proposals in hand for Lake Erie car ferry|access-date=9 September 2011}}

The Port Stanley News was formerly a locally operated news and current events Website/blog that served the Port Stanley area however it is no longer active.

The Lake Erie Beacon was a tabloid community newspaper published bi-weekly, with a distribution of 7000 printed copies and 800 electronic copies however it has ceased publication.[http://www.lebeacon.ca/ Lake Erie Beacon]

Port Stanley has a humid continental climate modified somewhat by the waters of Lake Erie.

{{Weather box

|metric first= yes

|single line= yes

|location = Port Stanley (1981−2010)

|Jan record high C = 14.4

|Feb record high C = 13.0

|Mar record high C = 21.0

|Apr record high C = 27.2

|May record high C = 31.7

|Jun record high C = 34.4

|Jul record high C = 34.4

|Aug record high C = 33.9

|Sep record high C = 31.7

|Oct record high C = 25.6

|Nov record high C = 20.0

|Dec record high C = 15.5

|year record high C = 34.4

|Jan high C = -1.1

|Feb high C = -0.2

|Mar high C = 4.3

|Apr high C = 11.0

|May high C = 17.8

|Jun high C = 22.3

|Jul high C = 25.5

|Aug high C = 24.7

|Sep high C = 20.7

|Oct high C = 14.3

|Nov high C = 7.8

|Dec high C = 1.6

|year high C = 12.4

|Jan mean C = -4.9

|Feb mean C = -4.3

|Mar mean C = 0.1

|Apr mean C = 6.5

|May mean C = 12.7

|Jun mean C = 17.3

|Jul mean C = 20.3

|Aug mean C = 19.5

|Sep mean C = 15.7

|Oct mean C = 9.5

|Nov mean C = 4.1

|Dec mean C = -1.8

|year mean C = 7.9

|Jan low C = -8.6

|Feb low C = -8.3

|Mar low C = -4.1

|Apr low C = 2.0

|May low C = 7.6

|Jun low C = 12.2

|Jul low C = 15.0

|Aug low C = 14.2

|Sep low C = 10.6

|Oct low C = 4.7

|Nov low C = 0.4

|Dec low C = -5.3

|year low C = 3.4

|Jan record low C = -32.8

|Feb record low C = -32.0

|Mar record low C = -27.2

|Apr record low C = -16.7

|May record low C = -5.0

|Jun record low C = -0.6

|Jul record low C = 3.3

|Aug record low C = 0.0

|Sep record low C = -2.2

|Oct record low C = -8.3

|Nov record low C = -18.9

|Dec record low C = -31.7

|year record low C = -32.8

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 60.1

|Feb precipitation mm = 62.5

|Mar precipitation mm = 74.5

|Apr precipitation mm = 85.2

|May precipitation mm = 80.3

|Jun precipitation mm = 93.3

|Jul precipitation mm = 95.9

|Aug precipitation mm = 118.5

|Sep precipitation mm = 104.9

|Oct precipitation mm = 87.0

|Nov precipitation mm = 116.2

|Dec precipitation mm = 102.4

|year precipitation mm = 1080.7

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 33.1

|Feb rain mm = 39.0

|Mar rain mm = 60.2

|Apr rain mm = 82.5

|May rain mm = 80.3

|Jun rain mm = 93.3

|Jul rain mm = 95.9

|Aug rain mm = 118.5

|Sep rain mm = 104.9

|Oct rain mm = 86.1

|Nov rain mm = 111.5

|Dec rain mm = 82.2

|year rain mm = 987.5

|snow colour = green

|Jan snow cm = 27.0

|Feb snow cm = 23.5

|Mar snow cm = 14.3

|Apr snow cm = 2.7

|May snow cm = 0.0

|Jun snow cm = 0.0

|Jul snow cm = 0.0

|Aug snow cm = 0.0

|Sep snow cm = 0.0

|Oct snow cm = 0.92

|Nov snow cm = 4.8

|Dec snow cm = 20.2

|year snow cm = 93.2

|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 12.9

|Feb precipitation days = 10.8

|Mar precipitation days = 12.9

|Apr precipitation days = 14.4

|May precipitation days = 13.2

|Jun precipitation days = 11.1

|Jul precipitation days = 11.9

|Aug precipitation days = 12.0

|Sep precipitation days = 13.4

|Oct precipitation days = 13.8

|Nov precipitation days = 15.6

|Dec precipitation days = 14.3

|year precipitation days = 156.3

|unit rain days = 0.2 mm

|Jan rain days = 5.1

|Feb rain days = 5.2

|Mar rain days = 9.4

|Apr rain days = 13.5

|May rain days = 13.2

|Jun rain days = 11.1

|Jul rain days = 11.9

|Aug rain days = 12.0

|Sep rain days = 13.4

|Oct rain days = 13.7

|Nov rain days = 14.8

|Dec rain days = 8.9

|year rain days = 132.2

|unit snow days = 0.2 cm

|Jan snow days = 8.6

|Feb snow days = 6.9

|Mar snow days = 4.3

|Apr snow days = 1.0

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.25

|Nov snow days = 1.1

|Dec snow days = 6.6

|year snow days = 28.7

|source = Environment Canada{{cite web

| publisher = Environment Canada

| url = ftp://ftp.tor.ec.gc.ca/Pub/Normals/English/ONT/ONT_OWEN-WARR_ENG.csv

| title = Port Stanley, Ontario

| work = Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010

| access-date = February 16, 2015}}

|date=January 2012}}

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite news

| url = https://www.sourcewater.ca/en/source-protection-areas/resources/Documents/Kettle/Kettle_Reports_Characterization.pdf

| title = Kettle Creek Watershed Characterization Report: Draft

| work = Lake Erie Source Protection Region Technical Team

| date = January 2008

| access-date = 2018-12-14

| quote = Port Stanley was originally founded by Colonel Thomas Talbot. Colonel Bostwick was a friend to Colonel Talbot and as such was the first resident to be granted land. In 1804, Bostwick moved his family to Port Stanley. The village’s name was adopted in 1823 in honour of Lord Stanley following his visit to the area (Mika, 1983).

}}

}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://www.portstanley.net Official Port Stanley Website]

{{NHSC}}

{{coord|42.6638|N|81.2129|W|type:city_region:CA-ON|display=title}}

{{authority control}}

Category:1804 establishments in Canada

Category:Populated places established in 1804

Category:Former villages in Ontario

Category:Populated places on Lake Erie in Canada

Category:Communities in Elgin County

Category:National Historic Sites in Ontario

Category:Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby