Barbara Raue

St. Marys Ontario Book 3 in Colour Photos Barbara Raue

St. Marys, known as Stonetown, is set in a beautiful valley beside the majestic Thames River. It is a town in southwestern Ontario located southwest of Stratford. St. Marys' early economic success depended on the mills powered by the water in this river. From stunning architecture to picturesque views, St. Marys has a special character all of its own. In 1858, the Grand Trunk Railway reached the small village of St. Marys from Toronto. The line went west to Sarnia and then, on the other side of the border, from Port Huron to Chicago. When the railway builders arrived in St. Marys in the mid-1850s, the major challenge for both structural engineers and contractors was the erection of two high railway bridges. One was needed to cross the Thames River. The other took a spur line to London across Trout Creek. Both required a row of massive stone pillars to support the girders and tracks. These became landmarks in St. Marys and are still known as the Sarnia Bridge and the London Bridge. Today, VIA Rail continues to operate the line to London while the line to Sarnia was abandoned in 1989. In 1995, the Town of St. Marys purchased the Sarnia Bridge from the Canadian National Railway. The old railway line was transformed into a walking trail for everyone to enjoy.