A memorial has been unveiled exactly 100 years after the worst marine disaster in Great Lakes history sank or grounded nearly 40 ships and killed 250 men and women.
It is a lasting tribute to the sailors killed during the so-called white hurricane, a storm that destroyed 19 ships, stranded 19 more across the Great Lakes 100 years ago.
The shores of Goderich were the epicentre of the storm, but event co-organizer Keith Homan says "Living in Goderich all my life and each year there’d be a memorial for the Great Storm and I never really thought much about it."
The storm itself lasted four whole days and when all was said and done 250 men and women were killed, among them was David MacAdam's cousin.
"He was hitching a ride from Thunder Bay and going to get off here in Goderich. Kind of an unlucky trip," MacAdam says.
Sailing the great lakes is a lot safer than it was 100 years ago, and a trade show and job fair is a big part of the weekend’s festivities.
Peter Buell of Georgian College says “It’s a very safe position, all of the companies take it very seriously. Safety is their top priority and their results speak for themselves. The number of injuries is going down in remarkable numbers.”
Any future mariners will surely be briefed on the Great Storm, with the memorial to the white hurricane now overlooking the waters that claimed so many lives.
Marine historian Paul Carroll says “Hopefully it will help us get this story back on track because it’s really been lost in the records and we need to get it out and get it up front and tell it proudly and boldly and make certain that it’s carried forward over the next hundred years."
