The History of Wasaga Beach

Wasaga Beach has a rich history that stretches out over many centuries of human settlement.

Wasaga Beach Fire

In late fall of 2007 a number of businesses fell prey to a fire that ripped through Wasaga Beach's mall at Beach 1. While fire fighters did a tremendous job at protecting lives and more surrounding buildings from being destroyed, most of the structures in the mall could not be rescued. Luckily, attractions such as the "The Dard", "Banana's Beach Club and other beach front restaurants and retail businesses have not been affected by the fire. Far more damage than by the fire was done by the reporting of some of the national media that caught attention with big headlines such as "The Night Wasaga Beach Died". Not only could statements like these be further from the truth but also did they cause confusion among visitors from all over the World whether Wasaga Beach would be open for business in 2008. Mayor Cal Patterson, Town Council and the local business community responded quickly and swiftly with a progressive marketing campaign, letting people know: "Wasaga Beach is going stronger than ever. It will be better than ever. And yes: Wasaga Beach is open for business." This website is part of the marketing campaign, and Wasaga Beach is asking its citizens to participate in a grass roots campaign by letting all of their friends know that Wasaga Beach is indeed open for business.

New Millennium: Wasaga Beach going stronger than ever

The 80s, 90s as well as the new century have been delivering constant growth and prosperity in Wasaga Beach. With nearby Toronto being a metropolis of world-wide importance, the pressure on real estate prices and other costs of living has caused people to look for more affordable quarters well beyond the city limits. Wasaga Beach comes in handy for those who sell their property to get out of the City. As Toronto's population has been on the rise for several consecutive decades, Wasaga Beach has not only retained its position as a preferred summer travel destination but has turned into a year-round playground for residents and visitors alike. With residential and commercial development going strong and stronger in Wasaga Beach, local residents welcomed recent new businesses such as the Canadian Superstore and Walmart. And there is a lot more to come in the future.

70s: Parts of the Beach goes Provincial Park

In the late 60s, a plan by the Departments of Lands and Forests called for the acquisition of a 7 mile by 400 foot strip of beachfront that affected roughly 1,000 cottages. This spawned a big controversy among residents and local politicians. There were many opposing opinions. The acquisition of these lands had left the beach property owners under a cloud of uncertainty. More than 40 years later Wasaga Beach Provincial Park is now managed by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and by preserving the natural shore line, Nancy Island, and the dune system on Blueberry Trails, the Provincial Park has become one of the great treasures of Wasaga Beach, enjoyed by visitors and residents alike.

Wasaga Beach, a popular resort town

For some years after it was common to see small planes take advantage of the long, natural runway offered by Wasaga's beach. In the 40's with the changing times and the use of the automobile, different kinds of people came to the beach looking for cheaper kinds of accommodation. Until then, most vacationers had to be relatively wealthy to afford a holiday in a locale such as Wasaga Beach. The thousands of soldiers stationed at Camp Borden during World War II also chose to spend their leave at Wasaga Beach. Many cabins and cottages sprang up to accommodate them replacing the grand old summer hotels. During the Second World War as many as 100,000 people would come to Wasaga Beach during the sunny summer weekends. With the end of the war the crowds continued to grow.

Wasaga Beach makes aviation history

1934, an event of national significance took place at Wasaga Beach. The first successful overseas flight from Canada took off from Wasaga's long, straight beach which served as the perfect, natural runway. James Ayling and Leonard Reid in their plane "Trail of the Caribou" arrived over England with 200 gallons of fuel on board and decided to land at Heston Airport, 30 hours 55 minutes after taking off from Wasaga Beach.

The arrival of the British

Wasaga Beach became a settlement for the British that discovered the strategic value of the Nottawasaga River mound to control access to Georgian Bay and secure their supply lines. The struggle with the Americans for dominance lead to the war of 1812 in which Wasaga Beach played a historic role. In 1814, American war ships sank the British Schooner Nancy that was hidden 2 miles up on Nottawasaga River at a place that is now known as Nancy Island. An unknown British soldier lost his life in that battle. The British crew managed to find their way back to Fort Mackinac on Lake Huron in a number of small boats. Soon after the war with the Americans ended.

Early settlement

Before the arrival of the Europeans, Wasaga Beach was used by the native people for seasonal settlement with easy access to the Nottawasaga River and the waters of Georgian Bay. The main food resource was fish that could be caught in abundance.