Bruce County Historical Society

03/18/2026

In advance of Archives Awareness Week coming up April 7-11, we’ve put together some fantastic stories from the Archives on Bruce County’s marine history – our theme for this year’s celebrations. We’re kicking things off today with the story of the steam tug Prince Alfred:

In 1880, the steam tug Prince Alfred found itself frozen into the ice on Georgian Bay—not once, but twice. Trapped in fierce winds and drifting floes for nine days, the crew rationed fuel, worried the hull might crush, and even watched one passenger walk off the ship and trek to shore.

Captain Andrew Port kept calm through every peril. When the ice finally broke, he jury‑rigged a rudder, cut the vessel free, and guided the Prince Alfred safely into Wiarton—earning praise for his “indomitable pluck.”

Stories like this live on thanks to the Bruce County Archives, preserving our incredible marine history.

Read on for the full article by Patrick Folkes: bit.ly/4bt99uL

03/13/2026

We remember Bernice Pew of Wiarton who passed on March 5, 2026. Thanks to Bonnie Sitter and Colin Field, her work as a “Farmerette” during WWII was recently highlighted in their documentary. Bernice attended a screening of the film at the BCM&CC in August 2025 accompanied by family members.

03/12/2026

02/03/2026

Downtown Wiarton, Ontario, in 1954 looks straight out of the film ! This photo was taken almost 30 years before Canadian groundhog Wiarton Willie became a spring-prediction icon.

📸 4814919

01/03/2026

On this day in 1893, Barney Stanley was born in Paisley, Ontario.
In his hockey career he won a Stanley Cup and recorded 143 goals and 216 points in 217 PCHA/WCHL games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1963 and died in 1971.

01/01/2026

On January 1, 1918, the men of the 160th produced their final issue of the battalion newspaper, Bruce in Khaki. In this edition, was an article reporting on the success of the 160th's Victory Loan Campaign:
"The 160th Bruce Battalion have made another record which is greatly to their credit. When called upon to boost the Victory Loan it was felt that the boys would make a good showing, but not that they would beat every Battalion in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. This they have done and have a lead that is
far ahead of the second best. To have this record to your credit shows patriotism of the very highest order and the boys have every reason to be proud of their great achievement. The sum subscribed was 30,200 dollars, of this 6,500 dollars was subscribed by the Officers. The number of subscribers was 261 and the sum of 16.400 was paid full.
Officers, N.C.O.'s, and Men of the 160th are to be congratulated
on this record and we know the people of Bruce County will read with pride of the doings of their representative Battalion."
Victory Loans were Canadian government appeals for money to finance the war effort and the 160th definintely did their bit!

Happy New Year everyone!

12/29/2025