Early Settlement, Clear Lake Rd., Clear Lake, Ontario

In the Chaffey’s Lock and Area Heritage Society 2017 Newsletter, local historian and author, Sue Warren, writes about the region in 1867. She mentions Clear Lake Road. This was where James Stanton, the first of our ancestors from England, settled when he arrived from England. Warren writes:

“Along the Clear Lake Road were many handsome stone, frame and brick homes. The Clear Lake Road area was settled much earlier than the area around the lock station. Shortly after the War of 1814, the British government made land grants available to loyal British subjects in the Rideau area. Much of Clear Lake Road was divided in this way among Ulster Irish and English families including the Stedmans, Stantons, Rowswells, Leggetts, Wrights, Harrisons and Johnsons.”

Thanks to Google Maps Street View, you can see one of those fine stone homes at this link.  This is the original stone home built by James Stanton. It had a few additions over time, but the basic stone structure remains.

Traveling to the west of James Stanton’s home, just before Clear Lake Road takes a turn to the South, click this link to see Clear Lake (Stanton Kerr) Cemetery. This was started by James Stanton on the Southwest corner of his property. At the back of the cemetery the land slopes down towards Clear Lake.

Warren also mentions that there was a small school on the Clear Lake Road, north of the present Cataraqui Trail. Here is a link to Google Maps. The dotted line is the Cataraqui Trail. The school apparently was somewhere to the north of that point on Clear Lake Road.

That early school burned down around 1877 and was replaced by Pine Grove School which was closer to the Chaffey’s Lock Road. Pine Grove School continued to operate until the early 1960’s.

Chaffey’s Lock Road did not extend to the present Highway 15 at that time, but joined up with Clear Lake Road. This would take you to Crosby and Newboro. Newboro was where George Stanton’s family lived.

In the other direction, Clear Lake Road led to Cross Road and Davis Lock Road on the way to the town of Elgin.