Re: Thames River

From: Mike W
Location: London
Email:
Remote Name: 209.239.5.161
Date: 07/29/04
Time: 08:15:27 PM

Comments

The Thames was an important trade route until around 1950. Use dwindled as ships became larger, and pretty well vanished when the sugar beet refinery at Chatham closed and was dismantled. Until the mid 60's, sugar beets were a major crop in the Chatham area. Even before that ere, Chatham was very much on the Great Lakes list of ports... some ships, -- wooden, I think, were built in Chatham prior to 1900. The river is still navigable to shallow draught vessels, and Chatham hosts many recreational boating visitors. I think it is still possible to list Chatham as "home port" to full-sized vessels... I've seen it as p-o-r on Pelee Island ferries.