Owen Sound

Owen Sound (Canada 2011 Census population 21,688; CA population 32,092), the county seat of Grey County, is a city in Southern (Southwestern) Ontario, Canada. Owen Sound is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay.

History
The area around the upper Great Lakes has been home to the Ojibwe people since prehistory. In 1815, William Fitzwilliam Owen surveyed the area and named the inlet after his older brother Admiral Edward Owen. A settlement called Sydenham was established in 1841 by Charles Rankin. The settlement was renamed in 1851 and became an incorporated town in 1857.

At one time, Owen Sound's roaring seaport made it a rowdy town variously known as "Corkscrew City", "Chicago of the North" and "Little Liverpool". Supporting this reputation was a tavern named "Bucket of Blood", located on the corner of an intersection known as "Damnation Corners", due to the taverns on all four corners. Ironically, its location was one block away from an intersection known as "Salvation Corners", populated by four churches.

Louis' Steakhouse, a popular upscale restaurant just outside of town, was opened by the Gavaris family in the 1980s in an historic building which has changed hands several times since. It was originally a home (built in 1881), but became a brothel from 1907-1915, where the madam would stand from its castle-like tower and watch the port for a ship to come in, and she would ready her prostitutes to excite the sailors. This reputation for vice and villainy, and the problems that came with it, caused the city to ban all drinking establishments for several decades. The city was "dry" until 1972.

One of the city's most famous sons was World War I flying ace and Victoria Cross winner William Avery "Billy" Bishop, Canada's leading pilot in the war. Bishop is also one of the few to have tangled with the Red Baron and survived, forcing the German pilot to retreat in a damaged aircraft. The Billy Bishop Regional Airport in the nearby Municipality of Meaford was named after him. His modest gravesite can be visited in the city's Greenwood Cemetery by those willing to take the time to locate the stone. His boyhood home is now a museum dedicated to his life and to Canada's aviation history. The town was also the home of NHL Hall-of-Fame goaltender Harry Lumley and the artist Tom Thomson (buried in the nearby village of Leith). Surgeon Dr. Norman Bethune, an avowed communist and pioneer of public medicine who gained notoriety in his innovative medical work with the Chinese army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, is an alumnus of the Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute. Legendary hockey broadcaster Bill Hewitt was once sports director of the local AM radio station, CFOS. Tommy Holmes, another Victoria Cross winner, was also from Owen Sound, and the city's armoury bears his name.

In 2005 Owen Sound became the National Communities in Bloom champion in the cities of 20,001–50,000 category in Canada for its beauty, natural landscape, and strong sense of community. Owen Sound has been recently recognized as a great place to retire due to its cultural, sports and natural amenities.

Geography & climate
Owen Sound experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) that is moderated by Lake Huron. Winters are cold and very snowy, while summers are warm and humid, but cooled by the lake waters (Georgian Bay and Lake Huron on either side) more than most other areas of southwestern Ontario. Precipitation is moderately high as Owen Sound is in the direct line of the Great Lakes snowbelt, with an annual average of 1100 mm. Summer thunderstorms are a common occurrence.

The city's downtown is located in a deep valley in the Niagara Escarpment.

Culture and events
The City of Owen Sound was a 2004 Cultural Capital of Canada and is home to a number of cultural events and facilities. It is home to the Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival, held every August, and the Festival of Northern Lights, a large Christmas lights festival with many displays along the Sydenham River, downtown, and in Harrison Park, held from November until January every Winter, as well as A Novel Marathon, a special event fund raiser for the Adult Literacy Program of the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library.

In 2007 Owen Sound celebrated its 150th year since incorporation, with special events throughout the year highlighted by the 10-day Homecoming 2007 celebrations July 27 to August 5.

Theatrically, the city's 400-seat Roxy Theatre, owned and operated by the Owen Sound Little Theatre, is used for the city's professional live theatre performances, as well as some concerts. The Youth Theatre Coalition is also prevalent in the area. It is a youth theatre company run entirely by youth and for youth. The organization presents musical, theatrical, and concert type performances throughout the year.

The city is also home to a good number of museums and cultural attractions, including:


 * Grey Roots Museum and Archives – showcasing the history of the city of Owen Sound and Grey County
 * The Roxy Theatre - the region's premier destination for live entertainment.
 * Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery – featuring a large collection of memorabilia and works from Tom Thomson, one of Canada's most famous artists who grew up in the Owen Sound area.
 * Community Waterfront Heritage Centre – showcasing the city's rich history in rail and water transportation and its role in the growth of Ontario.
 * Billy Bishop Home and Museum – located in Bishop's former home, is dedicated to the life and times of Billy Bishop and Canada's history in aviation.
 * Black History Cairn – located in historic Harrison Park, celebrating Owen Sound's status as a northern terminus of the Underground Railroad.
 * Owen Sound Farmer's Market – occupying the same location since 1868, the Market is open every Saturday morning throughout the year and hosts a wide variety of growers and artisans.
 * Owen Sound's Beth Ezekiel Synagogue, a designated building under Ontario's Heritage Act as one of the few remaining examples of a small town Ontario synagogue. It is the last active small town synagogue in Canada.
 * Georgian Bay Symphony – is a regional community orchestra consisting of 55 volunteer musicians and five professional core string players. The Symphony performs 5 Main Concerts a year at the OSCVI as well as performing at various civic events.
 * Lupercalia is a winter multi-arts festival held in the downtown.
 * Mudtown Music & Arts Festival is held in August. This festival has put Owen Sound on the musical map in Ontario.
 * The Owen Sound City Band founded in 1923 is a volunteer organization made up of amateur musicians of all ages and abilities. The Band performs for Canada Day held every year at Kelso Beach, for the opening of the Festival of Northern Lights and other official events. The Band plays regularly over the summer at Harrison Park and Kelso Beach.

Education
Owen Sound is home to a campus of Georgian College. The campus currently offers 14 full-time programs, including its Great Lakes International Marine Training and Research Centre. The centre trains professionals already working in the marine industry and students enrolled in the Marine Navigation Technology program and the Marine Engineering Technology program.

Owen Sound is home to three high schools including the Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute, one of Canada's oldest schools, founded in 1856.

Owen Sound also provides a variety of French education options in the form of French immersion programs in both the public and Catholic school systems, as well as the only all French school and preschool in Grey and Bruce counties. Opportunities offered to French students include exchange programs and French summer camps.

Transportation
Located at the junctions of Ontario Highways 6, 10, 21 and 26, the city serves as a gateway to the Bruce Peninsula.

Owen Sound Transit provides local bus service and specialized transportation for those unable to use the regular transit buses.

As home port of the Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited, the inner harbour is where the MS Chi-Cheemaun car ferry from Tobermory to South Baymouth is docked during the winter months.

The Canadian Pacific Railway Owen Sound subdivision connected Orangeville and Owen Sound. Service was discontinued and the line was formally abandoned in 1995. The Canadian National Railway subdivision connected Guelph and Owen Sound via Palmerston, this line was discontinued in the 1990s.

Aircraft flying to Owen Sound may land at the Owen Sound Billy Bishop Regional Airport (CYOS).

Industry
The Parrish & Heimbecker Grain Terminal (Great Lakes Elevator Co Ltd) is located in the inner harbour. The original CPR grain elevators were destroyed by fire in 1911.

Health care
Owen Sound is the seat of Grey Bruce Health Services and has the largest hospital (Owen Sound Hospital) in the Grey County and Bruce County region.

Recreation
The city is one of two (the other being Barrie) that are home to The Grey and Simcoe Foresters Primary Reserve Infantry regiment, as well as various cadet corps.

Some of the largest rainbow trout in the world have been caught in Owen Sound, and annual fishing derbies draw large participation from all over North America.

Southeast of the city are several popular Ontario ski resorts, including Blue Mountain and Beaver Valley. The city and area also have numerous snowmobile trails.

Sports
Owen Sound is the smallest city in Ontario (and one of the smallest in Canada) to host an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Major Junior Hockey team, in the Owen Sound Attack who play at the Bayshore Community Centre arena.

The Attack won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL Champions in 2011.


 * Owen Sound Attack – Ontario Hockey League
 * Owen Sound North Stars – OLA Senior B Lacrosse League
 * Owen Sound North Stars – OLA Junior B Lacrosse League
 * Owen Sound United – Mid Western Soccer League
 * Owen Sound Colts – Gridiron Elite League

Former teams

 * Owen Sound Mercurys – OHA Senior A Hockey League
 * Owen Sound Crescents – OHA Senior A Hockey League
 * Owen Sound Canadians – Northern Senior B Hockey League
 * Owen Sound Trappers – OHA Intermediate A Hockey League
 * Owen Sound Platers – Ontario Hockey League (became Attack)
 * Owen Sound North Stars – Major Series Lacrosse
 * Owen Sound Crescents – Major Series Lacrosse
 * Owen Sound Greys – Mid-Western Junior Hockey League

Jail
The County of Grey opened a complex in 1854, including a courthouse and police services, a land registry office and a county jail. In 1960, the County of Grey moved the courthouse and land registry to another location at the edge of present-day Owen Sound, Ontario. At that time, March 11, 1960, the County of Grey and the City of Owen Sound signed a two-part agreement that was subsequently passed into bylaw. The first part required that the City of Owen Sound immediately purchase the courthouse portion of the complex. Part two of the agreement requires the City of Owen Sound to purchase the jail portion when the County of Grey no longer needs it for its own use. This occurred in 1978, when the province of Ontario transferred the county jails to provincial entities. The County of Grey and the City of Owen Sound escaped the latter part of the 1960 agreement and have profited greatly ever since. The County of Grey receives a monthly payment (approximately $12,000 as of 2011) for which they have no obligation to maintain the property; the City of Owen Sound kept the police services in the old courthouse until 1987/88 and then leased it to an arts council. In doing so, the jail lost all of their former entrances and moved all activities to the side of the jail, immediately beside the adjacent residence.

Notable residents

 * Dean Armstrong - actor and performance coach
 * Shelagh Armstrong – artist
 * Norman Bethune – physician, medical innovator
 * Billy Bishop – Canadian First World War Fighter Ace and winner of the Victoria Cross
 * Barry Brown, Canadian country music singer-songwriter, former member of Family Brown and Prescott-Brown
 * Robert Pim Butchart – horticulturist
 * Hap Day – NHL player and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
 * Janis Mackey Frayer – journalist
 * Cheryl Hickey – television personality
 * Heather Hiscox – CBC news anchor
 * Thomas William Holmes – Canadian soldier and Victoria Cross recipient
 * Alvin "Buck" Jones – professional hockey player
 * Elizabeth Laird – physicist
 * Harry Lumley – NHL goaltender and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
 * Agnes Macphail – Canadian politician and writer
 * Jock McKeen – physician, author and lecturer
 * Chris Minard – NHL and AHL player and former Owen Sound Plater
 * Mike Minard – former NHL and AHL goaltender
 * Curtis Sanford – NHL player and former Owen Sound Plater
 * Eddie Sargent – Canadian politician
 * Tom Thomson – artist
 * Lloyd Wootton – five-time Mann Cup winning lacrosse goaltender

Popular culture



 * Owen Sound was one of the filming locations for the Disney movie One Magic Christmas along with Meaford, most notably with its city hall serving as the town hall in the film.


 * On the October 18, 2006, episode of The Colbert Report, host Stephen Colbert asked his viewers to send in suggestions for bad things to say about Owen Sound

Sister cities
The sister city of Owen Sound is Miamisburg, Ohio.