“The Flats”, found on the south bank of Bear Creek and 18th side road, were low and flooded every spring and mid summer. Each July, Gypsies came with their caravan and parked at the flats.
They stayed until the grass for their horses had disappeared. They made their money by horse dealing. They sold small items like pails and kitchen utensils.
They also sold linens which they said came from Scotland. When the county was picking names for the area, people remembered the gypsies and the part that they played in the oil boom, so they named the area Gypsies Flats. No gypsies have been
in the area since World War 2.
The St. Clair Tunnel links Sarnia Ontario to
Port Huron Michigan. It was the first underwater rail tunnel in North America, opening in 1891. The tunnel was designed by Joseph Hobson. The Beach tunneling shield was used to assist workmen in removing material from the route of the tunnel.
The Beach tunneling shield is a technique that people use in tunnels to avoid the soft ground above them collapsing on the workers. It is a continuous iron tube
nearly 7,000 feet (2,100 m) long.
In 1892, when the tunnel was done, freight trains used the tunnel for the first passenger trains. The tunnel was 6,025 feet (1,836 m) from station to station and the tube had a diameter of 19 feet 10 inches (6.05 m) and had a single standard track.
It was built at a cost of $2.7 million.
However a second tunnel was built too.
In the 1920’s a man lived in Sombra, Canada who had a successful business. His name was Samuel Whiteley.
He owned a ferry boat called The Silent. Using his ferry he would transport people from America, over the border, into Sombra and back again.
He would sail a short distance, pick up some Americans, sail them across the border, let them do their thing and have
fun, then take them back, repeat. He was charging 10 cents round trip.