Port Rowan in Norfolk County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Long Point
Last Port of Call
| | Norfolk County | |
Photographed by Tim Boyd, October 2, 2023
1. Long Point Marker
During the 19th century, literally thousands of wooden schooners and steam-powered vessels plied the waters of Lake Erie. Dozens of these vessels were built within Long Point Bay and many were sailed by crews drawn from local ports. In the days of sail, Lake Erie could challenge even the most seasoned skipper. The shallow waters were quick to anger in stormy weather, and the ever-present lee shore was a constant threat to vessels driven by the winds. The waters around Long Point became a graveyard, claiming over 300 vessels in storms and other mishaps. Most were wooden schooners, but the toll also includes freighters like the James B. Colgate (1916), the palatial side-wheeler Atlantic (1852), and local fishing tugs like the Wilma (1936). Even today, storms sometimes raise the ghostly ribs and planks of these wrecks to the surface-only to take them back during the next blow.
Shipwrecks-marine archaeological resources - are protected from human disturbance under the Ontario Heritage Act.
Norfolk Heritage Committee 2013
Erected 2013 by Norfolk Heritage Committee.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 2013.
Location. 42° 37.346′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Southwest Ontario Area and in Southwestern Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Ruperts Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Long Point Biosphere (here, next to this marker); Long Point Bay (here, next to this marker); Bird Studies Canada (within shouting distance of this marker); Port Rowan History (within shouting distance of this marker); Our Oldest Heritage (within shouting distance of this marker); Port Rowan Cenotaph (about 150 meters away, measured in a direct line); The Heroine of Long Point (about 150 meters away); The Long Point Settlement (approx. 3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Rowan.
Also see . . . Long Point Biosphere Reserve. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on December 4, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Tim Boyd, October 2, 2023
2. Long Point Marker
Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 31, 2021
3. Long Point Bay, 2021
4. The Ghost Fleet of Long Point
Source: the Port Dover Harbour Museum
Credits. This page was last revised on December 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 10, 2023, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 477 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 10, 2023, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
