Rev Josiah Henson of Dresden Ontario was the inspiration for Uncle Tom, in Uncle Tom's Cabin
Dresden, Ontario - This ‘hot spot’ is the site of the 'real ' Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Just outside of the village of Dresden in southwestern Ontario is a 200-acre piece of land that was purchased as a refuge for fugitives from the United States in 1841. Now a Historic Site, you can still see the cabin of Reverend Josiah Henson, a slave for forty-one years who escaped with his family using the Underground Railroad (Historica video) in 1830. He helped to establish the community, the Dawn Insitute Settlement, and the British American Institute, a school for the advancement of fugitive slaves. He was the inspiration for the Uncle Tom character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's famous 1852 anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Photo by Lucy Izon 
Where: Dresen is located on the Sydenham River in the 23-community municipality of Chatham-Kent. Visitors can also enjoy harness racing at Dresden Raceway, bird and butterfly watchers should consider also stopping at Point Pelee National Park, and car enthusiasts can plan to visit the region in late May when hundreds of classic car owners showcase their vehicle downtown Chatham. Quick tip: visit the Dresden.ca website for instructions for the Dawn Settlement Walking/Driving tour.
In The News: August 1st is Emancipation Day in Ontario, commemorating the abolition of slavery in Upper Canada. On August 2nd, 2011 a team of archaeologists from the University of Western Ontariobegan to explore the graveyard with a machine resembling a oversized mower. Read the story on the Toronto Star website...
Lucy Izon
Canada Cool is produced by award-winning Canadian travel writer & speaker Lucy Izon. Her travel stories & reports have appeared in numerous leading North American publications including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul. Bio page
Canada’s Coolest:
Welcome to a new feature on Canada Cool. I'll be presenting different 'Coolest' lists with my favorites and I encourage you to nominate suggestions from your own experiences. You can Twitter @CanadaCool or email [email protected]. Let me know what makes your suggestion exceptionally cool. Remember, by contributing your comments you are giving Canada Cool permission to quote you. Only a selection of submissions will be included, but all comments and submissions are greatly appreciated!
The first feature is: Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives
Here are some of my favorites...
The Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta - This 229 km (142 mi) Rocky Mountain route from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper passes 100 frozen rivers and nudges the base of the Athabasca Glacier - the most accessible glacier in the world. You can stop and explore it. It spills down from the Columbia Icefield, an area of ice so massive that you could fit the entire population of North America on it with each person getting at least a square metre of space.
The Corridor, Algonquin Park, Ontario – this 56-km stretch of Hwy 60 cuts through the southwest section of Algonquin Park. Less than three hours north of Toronto the park is a nature-lover's paradise with 7,725 km of lakes, rivers, forest, trails, camping, comfortable lodges and 2000 km of canoe routes. Offers hiking trails to stop and enjoy, but what makes it really cool is that it’s one of the best places in North America to spot moose (especially in May and June). And, on Thursday nights in August up to 600 cars will gather to listen to wolves howl.
The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Driving this 303 km (187 mile) route is like riding a roller-coaster: the road snakes around hairpin turns, rises to heights over 365 metres (1200 ft), weaves around headlands revealing spectacular coastal scenery, and plunges down to sea level taking you into the heart of small fishing communities. The most dramatic scenery is between the Cape Breton Highlands National Park entrance near Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, so go slow. And, plan some flexibility into your schedule, so you can drive it on a clear day.
And here are some of your nominations for 'Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives'...
More from Canada’s Coolest
'Canada's Coolest' topics we'll be publishing in the future:
- Golf Course Features
- Haunted Hotels
- Hotel Special Services
Send your suggestions to [email protected]
Recent 'Canada's Coolest' topics:
