The three (3) sections following this summary are grouped as follows:
The Sarnia and Florence Plank Road was built by most accounts, in 1858-59. It cost $40,000.00 to build and was financed by the City of Sarnia and a private group including Malcolm Cameron, George Durand, and a few other minor shareholders. The shares appear to have changed hands now and again, and according to one record, the City gained more control over time. The road and the toll stations were owned and operated by the Sarnia and Florence Plank Road Company (SFPRC).
Prior to the road being built, oil was discovered floating in Bear Creek around the Village of Oil Springs, Ontario, which is approximately 19 miles south-east of Sarnia. Soon, wells were established and the oil boom was on.
The oil was originally teamed (horse-drawn) by jumper and scow, to the Village of Wyoming, due north of Oil Springs. From there, it was re-shipped by train to Sarnia and eventually, the Black Star Refinery, which was located at Christina and Exmouth Streets. The most recent industry there being Holmes Foundry, which was closed several years ago.
The SFPRC hired James Cox, who came from Montreal in 1852, to build the Court House, to be the foreman of the Road construction.
The diagonal route was surveyed, through the farm and swampland mostly owned by United Empire Loyalists. It consisted of thick woods and the trees were felled and left for a portable saw mill which sawed planks from the trees ten feet long and six inches thick. They were placed on heavy stringers for road bedding.
At least three Toll Gates were established in and around 1862, one on the crossing of Russell Street (which is now in the middle of the old part of the City), one at the Townline of Moore Township and Sarnia, the third at the 8th line of Enniskillen. Depending on where the information comes from, it appears that between 5 cents and 15 cents was charged, depending on your destination, type of vehicle, etc.
During 1866, when the road was described as "the busiest road on the continent", there was a total of $5,874.00 collected. We estimate that at over 40,000 "vehicles" annually. The repairs that year totalled $1,226.54.
There were four hotels along the road. The first from Sarnia was owned and operated by George Lucas, the second by Samuel Miller, the next by a Mr. Fawcett, and the fourth by William Braund, at the 8th line of Enniskillen. Traffic was heavy and stages also went through up to four times daily. Everything going into Oil Springs was teamed from Sarnia, with oil hauled on the return trip. At any hotel, from 18 to 20 teams were put up overnight.
The road, when first put down, was smooth as a sidewalk, but by 1870, it was in a state of disrepair even with a regular maintenance program. About this time, oil was discovered in the Petrolia area and refined there. The Black Star Refinery in Sarnia blew up, and traffic was greatly relieved on the road. The planks were torn up and the road gravelled in about 1875.
The Plank Road survived as a Toll Road for over sixty years, until February 1926, when it was turned over to the County. In the late thirties and early forties, the road was paved by the County Engineer J.C. Monteith, D.L.S., P.Eng. The war effort delayed funding the entire project at once. It was paved from the City to the 10th line of Moore (County Road 4), which was the main route to Petrolia. Some portions south-east of the 8th line of Enniskillen were closed because of Bear and Black Creeks and the bridge washouts they caused.
Today, the Plank Road is a well-maintained paved highway, with an average annual daily traffic count of 6,000. Some portions are closer to 10,000.
It continues to represent the best route of travel for anyone travelling to Sarnia from the heart of the County and beyond.
Just the very name "The Plank Road" will arouse questions from many a visitor. As these stories are related, the Plank Road's importance to our local and Ontario's Heritage will be continuously appreciated. The fact that the City of Sarnia is a world leader in the Petro-Chemical Industry, is a testament to the Plank Road and its importance in developing this area.
Although this summary provides some historical milestones of the Plank Road the following information fills in a lot of gaps, as well provides some interesting tales.