Highgate Ontario
Highgate is a village of approximately 300-400 residents. Located in the province of Ontario (Southwestern Region) Canada, on the eastern edge of the municipality of Chatham-Kent. South of the 401 and approximately halfway between the centers of Windsor and London. Highgate offers a post office, library, legion, variety store & restaurant, bank, water depot, abattoir, fire department as well as numerous home based businesses. There is also a few sculptures around town (Iron Horse and Violin). Highgate also includes a park and ball diamond which seems to attract a crowd during summer evenings. Highgate also offers a Fall Fair (The longest running agricultural fair in Ontario) - the last Saturday in September. Carvapalooza is an annual spring event featuring chainsaw carvers from around the world. Boothill Jamboree features country music artists. The Mary Webb Centre, as pictured, is a centre for arts, great music, and other local events.
Lake Erie is about 10 minutes drive to the south and Clearville offers a beach, camping and boat launch, as well as fireworks over the lake on Canada Day. The Thames River is about 15 minutes drive to the North. There are also numerous nature areas within a few minutes drive like Thames Valley conservation areas, Nature Conservancy of Canada Properties ( Clear Creek, Turin Woods & Skunk's Misery Area), Provincial Parks ( Rondeau), and other properties we like to hike around in. By car 10mins to Ridgetown, 25mins to Chatham, or 45mins to London or Windsor.
Highgate offers numerous heritage churches and other buildings and can usually be viewed when " doors open Chatham Kent" is taking place or were sure on Sundays. The legion offers weekend entertainment, family nights, firemans breakfasts, and all the other good stuff legions have to offer.
Lake Erie is about 10 minutes drive to the south and Clearville offers a beach, camping and boat launch, as well as fireworks over the lake on Canada Day. The Thames River is about 15 minutes drive to the North. There are also numerous nature areas within a few minutes drive like Thames Valley conservation areas, Nature Conservancy of Canada Properties ( Clear Creek, Turin Woods & Skunk's Misery Area), Provincial Parks ( Rondeau), and other properties we like to hike around in. By car 10mins to Ridgetown, 25mins to Chatham, or 45mins to London or Windsor.
Highgate offers numerous heritage churches and other buildings and can usually be viewed when " doors open Chatham Kent" is taking place or were sure on Sundays. The legion offers weekend entertainment, family nights, firemans breakfasts, and all the other good stuff legions have to offer.
Highgate Mastodon
Highgate's claim to fame occurred with the discovery of one of the most complete skeletal remains of a Mastodon in 1890. As the account goes William Reycraft was digging a ditch and uncovered the first bones. 4 years later a complete excavation was completed recovering one of the most complete remains of a Mastodon (157 bones in total). Only one of the tusks were found, but its measurement was almost 3 meters ( Almost 10ft). The Mastodon was dug up and toured around the country on display for a few years. The remains had been lost for some time but around 1995 the skeleton was found in storage at the University of North Dakota (who purchased the bones in 1898) where it is now assembled and on exhibit. The Mastodon became extinct around 13 000 years ago.
Also, according to an 1891 account by University of Guelph scientist J. Panton, the dig also uncovered the skull of a giant beaver (Castroroides ohioensis). The now extinct creature would have been approximately the size of a black bear ( 8' long with tail and 130-220lbs) with teeth the length of steak knives (6"). Unfortunately there is no further records on the whereabouts of this skull.