The City of Sarnia Is a Municipality of Approximately 73,000 People Situated on the South

SARNIA

The City of Sarnia is a municipality of approximately 73,000 people situated on the south shore of Lake Huron at the headwaters of the St. Clair River. The city is noted for its sky blue waters and waterfront parks. There are over one hundred square miles of land within its boundaries containing over one hundred parks.

Sarnia is one of Ontario’s principal gateways to the United States and is located across the St. Clair River from the state of Michigan. The modern rail tunnel and the twin Blue Water Bridges form an important transportation system for one of the busiest commercial border crossings in the world.

The first settlers arrived in the area in the 1830’s and the settlement was originally called The Rapids. The town was renamed Port Sarnia in 1836 after the Isle of Guernsey, the Roman name for which was Sarnia. The first commercial oil well in North America was established nearby in 1858. The establishment of the Polymer Corporation in 1942 to manufacture synthetic rubber during World War II was the first step in transforming Sarnia into a major petrochemical centre.

The earliest record of curling in Sarnia dates back to 1866 when a few enthusiasts would clear the snow off of Sarnia Bay. In 1870 an outdoor rink was built and in 1874 the first indoor rink with two sheets of ice was constructed. A few replacement rinks were constructed until finally a six sheet rink was erected downtown.

In 1960 the Sarnia Curling Club and the Sarnia Golf Club amalgamated. This resulted in the building of a new eight sheet rink at the present club which is located partially within the City of Sarnia and partially within the Village of Point Edward. The Sarnia Golf & Curling Club has over 300 full time adult curlers as well as a number of part-time curlers, juniors and Little Rockers.