Goderich in Huron County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Life and Times
Doctor William Tiger Dunlop
Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 22, 2025
1. Life and Times Marker
The frontiersmen are soon overrun by the generations for whom they pave the way, but they never entirely vanish. Something of them remains in stories, and in the habits and feelings of those who follow, and sometimes the bones, if not the flesh itself, can be pieced together to throw a shadow of the remembered dream.
- The Tiger of Canada West, W.H. Graham
William Dunlop was a commanding presence in any situation. His physical stature matched his impressive personality. He stood six foot three, and was two feet eight inches across the shoulders, with red hair and whiskers. He was born Nov. 19, 1792 at Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland, the third son of Alexander Dunlop and Janet Graham.
His first experience of Canada was in the War of 1812-14, arriving at Lachine, QC, as an army surgeon in November 1813.
His enduring fame here comes mainly from his second arrival in 1826 to take up his appointment as Warden of the Forests for the Canada Company, in association with John Galt. On April 23, 1827 they founded the town of Guelph with a ceremonial first-tree felling and toasts. Dunlop proceeded through the Canada
this page online
Dunlop and his contemporaries belong to the heroic age of the Huron Tract, the Huron District, and Huron County. The story of that age is too much to tell here. The best record is found in a book originally published in 1896 called In the Days of the Canada Company: The Story of the Settlement of the Huron Tract and a View of the Social Life of the Period 1825-1850. It was the work of Robina and Kathleen Lizars, granddaughters of pioneer Daniel Lizars. They were able to interview members of that pioneering generation, so the accounts are lively and authentic.
Dunlop lived for adventure, and lively fun. His fame and legend have been preserved in many anecdotes. Typical was the 18 mile walk on the Huron Road to celebrate the cutting of the first sheaf of the first wheat crop grown in the Tract, on Anthony Van Egmond's farm.
His enthusiasm for popular
Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 22, 2025
2. Life and Times Marker (left most of the markers, centre of photo)
Dunlop resigned from the Canada Company in 1838. In 1841 he became the second person to serve as MPP for Huron; his brother Robert had been the first.
"Doctor Dunlop" was known for his witty speeches in parliament. His career as a representative was short - 1841-45. He resigned the seat to take an appointment as superintendent of the Lachine Canal. He fell ill there, and died June 29, 1848. It was the 21st anniversary of the founding of Goderich.
On His Passing
Death of Doctor Dunlop
The political career of Dr. Dunlop, in this province, is well known, and he closed a varied and eventful life by accepting the office of Superintendent of the Lachine Canal, in the possession of which he died. Dr. Dunlop was a man of high spirit of loyalty and personal independence; of much learning as well as social brilliancy; and with a spirit of vigorous sarcasm, used so discreetly that we do not believe he had an enemy in
3. Plan of the Town of Goderich, 1829, founded by Tiger Dunlop
Source: Wikipedia (Toronto Public Library) public domain
The Lizars sisters closed the preface to their 1896 book with these words:
"In corners of farm lots, in grass-grown churchyards, a silence as heavy as that of the forest they pierced lies above the dust of the sleeping pioneers, and the story of their struggles is about to be forgotten".
Not yet forgotten. We sustain the memory here.
William Dunlop, Esq., M.R.C.S.
1792 - 1848 "The Tiger"
Assistant Surgeon 89th Regiment
Lower Canada, Niagara Frontier, 1813-14; India, 1815-20
Lecturer in Medical Jurisprudence, University of Edinburgh
Warden of the Forests, Canada Company Lieutenant-Colonel 1st Huron Regiment, 1837
Commissioner of the Peace, London District, 1838
MPP For Huron, Parliament of Canada, 1841-45
Litterateur, Colonizer, Patriot.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Settlements & Settlers • War of 1812. A significant historical date for this entry is April 23, 1827.
Location. 43° 45.552′ 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 from the Goderich to Auburn Rail Trail, approx. 350 metres east of 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 Ruperts 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); Days of the Canada Company (here, next to this marker); The Tomb on Dunlops Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); Tiger Dunlop 1792-1848 (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 91 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 25, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
