Meaford Harbour was a work in progress from the mid-1850s well into the mid-1900s, with many dredging challenges and expansions along the way. This photo shows the industrialized harbour in 1908 looking east along Bayfield Street, showing one of the dredging systems that were used to deepen the harbour to accommodate larger vessels. A tug boat is seen to the left of the dredger, while two men perch on the stern of a pleasure craft at lower left.
The Grand Trunk Railway line had come to Meaford in 1872 and the tracks extended to the waterfront by the turn of the century, encouraging industrial growth and leading to the construction of a grain elevator at the harbour. Other nearby businesses included warehouses, sawmills, a hardwood flooring factory, carriage factories, foundries, tanneries, woollen mills and flour mills, all of which relied on boats and trains to transport materials and goods to and from the burgeoning town.
The grain elevator was destroyed by fire in 1913 and Meaford lost its importance as a grain shipping port, but work on the harbour continued. Today Meaford Harbour has shed its industrial roots in favour of picturesque enjoyment and waterfront recreation, featuring a marina, boat works, parkland and a community pavilion. ❧
Source: Meaford Museum
