Sauble Beach, Ontario

History

The first settler is reported to have been John Eldridge, who built a cottage nearby in 1877. Other settlers followed and the village continued to grow with a boarding house and then a store. In the 1900’s a large sawmill below the falls on the Sauble River employed 40 people. Initially, development was to the south and later to the east of the river. By the early decades of the 1900s, Sauble Beach was attracting visitors because of its gorgeous beaches; this grew as an increasing number of families acquired automobiles.

Beach and other activities

At over seven miles long (11 km), Sauble Beach is said to be the second longest freshwater beach in the world after Wasaga Beach. Since the town faces west, the sunsets are visible and are sometimes beautiful. While Cottage Life magazine does not specifically mention Sauble Beach, it rates other nearby communities highly in its article 10 spectacular places to watch a sunset in Ontario. "With clear skies, a dry atmosphere, and an unobstructed view of the skyline, many of the west-facing towns along the shores of Lake Huron have the perfect conditions for a breathtaking sunset."

A phenomenon of sandbar deposits building out along the Lake Huron shoreline keeps the water at Sauble very shallow and warm. This is one of the very few beaches in Ontario where cars are allowed to drive and park on the sand near the water, at least on the side (left of the entrance) that is part of the Saugeen First Nation native lands; a $15 to $20 charge applies for vehicle access to that area (Sauble Park). Otherwise, vehicles must park off the sand in designated areas.

Recreational activities include swimming, windsurfing, water-skiing, fishing, golfing, lawn bowling, tennis, street dances, beach volleyball, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and birding. The town hosts an annual Winterfest. In summer, there are weekly Family Movie Nights, an annual sandcastle building contest, Cruise Nights on Tuesdays, a Sauble Beach Guitar Festival and an 8km Walk/Run. The Festival of the Classical Guitar has been held since 2007.

The Canadian National (Beach) Volleyball Championships have been held there, and the local Sauble Speedway is on the CASCAR professional racing circuit. The area is a popular destination among young people especially for their annual May 2–4 campsite revelries.

Users of the TripAdvisor web site rate the following as the top attractions: the beach, Sauble Falls Provincial Park, Pinewoods Golf and Outer Visions Adventure Schools.Since the town is only 21km from Southampton, Ontario, many visitors also take advantage of the facilities and shopping available in that community, at least occasionally. Based on user ratings, the top restaurants are Luscious Bakery Deli Cafe Inc., Casero, Amicis Coffee Bar and Two Chicks Cafe and Smoothie Bar.

Sauble Beach is the permanent year-round home to approximately 2,000 people. The cottage owners add thousands of seasonal community members, some who stay through the spring to fall time period and others who retreat to Sauble on weekends. In summer, the visitor count soar to over 30,000 on hot weekends and up to 60,000 on a long weekend. Cottage owners are uniquely split between those who own property outright and those with cottages on Native lands. A lease relationship between the Saugeen Nation and these cottagers have allowed for almost 3,000 seasonal homes to be built. The Saugeen Nation benefits from this land lease rental and cost sharing for services and is administered through the Band and Indian Affairs in Ottawa.

Business and community services

Local businesses offer retail and services for hardware, appliance and grocery shopping, restaurants and hotels, fire and police services, daycare and a medical clinic. Fire Station 40 is located at 21 Sauble Falls Parkway. The town is policed by the Ontario Provincial Police whose office is in the same building as the fire station.

Education

There is only one school in town under the Bluewater District School Board. Amabel-Sauble Community School was built in 1995 as an experiment in joint ownership between the board and the Township of Amabel (now part of South Bruce Peninsula); the school provides primary curriculum from Jr. Kindergarten to Grade 8. The closest secondary school is Peninsula Shores District School in Wiarton, Ontario. There are no Roman Catholic schools in town, the closest schools with the Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board are in Port Elgin, Ontario and Owen Sound, Ontario. The closest post-secondary institution is Georgian College's Owen Sound, Ontario campus.

Politics

Sauble Beach is represented by two councillors for Wards 1 and 3 on the Town Council for South Bruce Peninsula in Wiarton, Ontario. There has been some friction between the Town of South Bruce and the Saugeen First Nation because of continuing land claims in the Sauble Beach area. A settlement was mediated in 2014 but was subsequently rejected by South Bruce, leading to a law suit against the Town, to be heard in court no earlier than 2018.

Provincially and federally, the area is part of the riding of Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound.

Transportation

There is no public transit in Sauble Beach and residents are car-dependent.

A few roads serve the area:

Notable people