Goderich in Huron County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Days of the Canada Company

Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 22, 2025

1. Days of the Canada Company Marker

Inscription.
Robert Graham Dunlop
1790-1841
Robert was the second son of Alexander Dunlop of Keppoch and Janet Graham, born on Oct. 1, 1790. He was familiarly known as Robin. Robert went to sea at 13 years of age as a cabin-boy and served in the Royal Navy in the Napoleonic Wars - 92 engagements - rising to the rank of Lieutenant. Later he made mercantile voyages to India, and then returned to the Navy, being promoted to Captain; he retired in 1823 to Scotland.

He was invited by his younger brother William to accompany him home on return to Canada in 1833, and they established their estate "Gairbraid" in Colborne Township. He married Louisa McColl in 1836. There were no children of the marriage.

In 1835, Robert was elected the first Member for Huron in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, and served until 1840. His areas of interest were: improvements to the Goderich Harbour, increased immigration, better jails, better treatment of the insane, the establishment of mechanics' institutes (the forerunners of public libraries), and the anti-slavery campaign.

After 1838, his health declined, and he kept mainly to a quiet

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life at Gairbraid. He died there on Feb. 28, 1841.

Louisa McColl Dunlop
1793 - 1871
Very little is known of Louisa's early life. She was said to have been living on the Graham/Dunlop estate of Gairbraid in Dumbartonshire, and was requested to go to Canada to manage the household of the bachelor brothers Robert and William.

She arrived in 1833 or '34. She took over the running of the house, managing the daily purse, and operating the farm. The Dunlops were often absent on legislative attendance and other adventures.

To quell social hints and gossip, it was decided one of the brothers should marry Louisa. William was fond of telling that Robert "won" her in a coin toss decision: William had provided an infamous two-headed coin to ensure his brother's win. Louisa and Robert Dunlop were married on July 4, 1836.

After Robert's death in 1841, Louisa continued to manage Gairbraid with brother-in-law William, and members of her family came for extended visits; some lived out their lives here and were buried within the walls of the enclosed tomb area.

When William died in 1848, she was left possession Gairbraid, where she

Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 22, 2025

2. Days of the Canada Company Marker

The right most of the three, centre of photo

carried on farming and entertaining. Her life took a bad turn in the 1860s with an accident on the Colborne bridge. The approach at the Goderich end of the bridge had a sharp turn at the bottom of the hill. On the way home from town, the horses took fright and crowded the conveyance against the parapet wall. She was pitched out and fell 20 feet, landing on her head in the gravel. Her mind and speech were never the same. She lived on for some years in a semi-invalid condition, mostly sitting in a chair with an attendant to change her position and assist with her care. It was a sad end for a sociable woman who had been the embodiment of activity in her life. She had done much to make Gairbraid a place of legend. With her death in 1871, the estate was dispersed.

Books about Dunlop and the times
In the Days of the Canada Company by Robina and Kathleen Lizars, 1896 [Coles Canadiana reprint, 1972]

The Tiger of Canada West by W.H. Graham, 1962

The Canada Company by Thelma Coleman, 1978

Dunlop's own writing:
William "Tiger" Dunlop, Blackwoodian Backwoodsman - Essays by and about Dunlop by Carl F. Klinck, 1958; contains material

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from the various phases and locations in his life.

His main Canadian works were:
Recollections of the American War 1812-1814* published in the LITERARY GARLAND magazine in Montreal in 1847; as a book in 1905.

Statistical Sketches of Upper Canada for the Use of Emigrants, by a Backwoodsman* published in London, England in 1832

* These titles were brought together in a single volume Tiger Dunlop's Upper Canada - New Canadian Library edition 1967.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is July 4, 1836.

Location. 43° 45.551′ N, 81° 42.096′ W. Marker is in Goderich, Ontario, in Huron County. It can be reached from River Ridge Crescent. The marker is accessible by foot on from the Goderich to Auburn Rail Trail, approx. 350 east from the parking area at the end of River Ridge Crescent. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 33981A River Ridge Crescent, Goderich ON N7A 3Y2, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Huron-Perth-Waterloo-Wellington Area

and in Southwestern Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Gairbraid: the Dream & the Memory (here, next to this marker); Life and Times (here, next to this marker); “Tiger” Dunlop 1792-1848 (a few steps from this marker); The Tomb on Dunlop’s Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); A Resting Place (within shouting distance of this marker); Sky Harbour (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); Huron County Gaol (approx. 1.2 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Goderich.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 25, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 86 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 25, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.