Oakville Harbour

In 1827 Oakville was founded by Colonel William Chisholm, after he purchased 1,000 acres of Crown land at the mouth of Sixteen Mile Creek. Chisholm's great dream of building a privately owned harbour for Upper Canada was quickly realized in 1834, when Oakville was declared a Port of Entry into Canada. Main exports included pine timbers and oak staves. As business prospered, so did other industries including wheat dealers and storage granaries. In the mid-1800s, Oakville was hit by a recession, affecting the price of wheat and Oakville's foundry and harbour business. To offset the depression, fruit growing became a considerable business, and in particular Oakville was actively trading strawberries, spurring a basket manufacturing plant After a recession and the building of the railroad, the harbour business weakened and Oakville became a holiday destination for many. It became fashionable to summer in Oakville. Oakville also became a destination for the Royal Canadian Yacht Club Races from Toronto. The Oakville Yacht Club was built in 1907.