The Harbour

The Harbour. . , In 1834 the Credit Harbour Company was formed to improve the harbour for shipping and navigation purposes. The river channel also had to be deepened as silting up was an ongoing challenge. A commercial fishery began out of Port Credit in the 1830s, and lasted for more than 160 years. The fishery, combined with the stonehooking industry from c1840 to 1929, connected the people of Port Credit to the ebbs and flows of life tied to the waters of the Credit River and Lake Ontario., The village survey for Port Credit (on the west side of the river) was completed by surveyor Robert Lynn in 1835, followed by the town extension on the east side in 1846. By 1840 Port Credit had become a regular port of call for steamers on their journeys to and from Hamilton, York and Montreal. By 1845 there were three shipyards operating in Port Credit. Much of the harbour's early activities were focused on the west side of the river., On March 31, 1855 a fire broke out in Neeson's tavern and quickly spread to Robert Cotton's general store and to a large warehouse on the west bank of the harbour. The fire grew quickly, consuming stores along Lakeshore Road. Flaming shingles carried by the wind across the harbour threatened buildings on the east side and the boats moored in the harbour. Volunteer bucket brigades worked to block the path of the fire, while sailors rallied to save the boats in the harbour by poling them out into open water. Miraculously all the boats were saved. By the next morning the storehouses, piers and wharves on the west bank and the stores along Lakeshore Road west of the river were in ruins. Ever industrious, the community began the slow task of rebuilding. More than 30 years later, another fire swept the port. Ever resilient, once again the community rebuilt., As a commercial and industrial port, Port Credit saw its peak of activities between c 1870 and 1900, when the stonehooking and fishing industries were in full swing. Over time, the port evolved into a recreational harbour with the founding of the Port Credit Yacht Club in 1936, which was based out of the harbour until 1990, when it relocated nearby to Lakefront Promenade Park. The old harbour is now home to the Credit Village Marina.