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Blenheim, Ontario Canada is a community in excess of 4,800 located in south-central Chatham-Kent. Located close to the shores of Lake Erie and only minutes from Rondeau Provincial Park, Blenheim is a great place to live, work, or play.

Beautiful natural scenery of Rondeau Provincial Park combined with great fresh water fishing and a friendly community atmosphere makes Blenheim a great place to visit.

The best of both worlds. Rich, open countryside and busy, fun city life - that's what visitors to Chatham-Kent enjoy..

Chatham-Kent has it all ... from clean beaches, beautiful campgrounds and productive farmland to outdoor concerts and a variety of shopping.

Explore our heritage! Stories of the early settlers, the war of 1812, the Underground Railroad, the bravery of our soldiers during the two World Wars ... they abound through this area of Southwestern Ontario.

The name Blenheim derives from a decisive battle that took place on the 13th August 1704 on the north bank of the river Danube, near a small village called Blindheim or Blenheim, where the French leader, Marshall Tallard, had fixed his lines.

Here, John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, won a great allied victory over the forces of Louis XIV, thus saving Europe from French domination.

Erieau, Ontario Canada is a community with a population of approximately 500 people located in south-central Chatham-Kent.

Located on the shores of Lake Erie, Erieau is a perfect location for cottagers, boating, or just to visit. Erieau's marina is located on the north shore of Lake Erie, nestled between the vastness of of the lake and the peaceful waters of Rondeau Bay.

The name Erieau is a combination of Erie and Rondeau.

Dock your boat and stay for awhile! With over 300 boat wells this marina is ideal for summer dockage or weekend visits. You may want to go scuba diving at some of the nearby wrecks.

Early History

The park peninsula formed relatively late in geological time. When the meltwater from the last ice age drained into Lake Erie, levels rose and water eroded the cliffs to the east and west of the park. Water currents deposited their loads of sand in long sandbars near the shore, which eventually formed the sand beach along the eastern side of the peninsula.

Over several thousand years, the rising and ebbing of the lake have created a series of parallel yet diverging ridges and sloughs. This process of erosion and renewal will almost certainly continue to alter the beach, harbour and marshland communities. Walk amid this fragile and ever changing landscape, recognized as one of the world's most outstanding examples of a cuspate sandpit.

Before the white man ventured this far west, the area was largely covered by an unknown expanse of forest. The Neutral Indians lived on the northern shore of Lake Erie and nature provided a bounty of wildlife that left them wanting nothing. Fish, game and plant resources were in plentiful supply, and the Indians frequently filled their larder with nature's wealth.

Early French explorers who paddled by "Point Aux Pins" were impressed with the majestic pines which towered along the eastern shore of the peninsula. In 1670, the French missionaries Casson and Galinee camped under the pines and submitted a report to the King describing the beauty of the point and the "Ronde Eau" or "round water" harbour.

The harbour had been identified as having great military potential as a navel base, so in 1790 the British acquired this area as well as much of the present counties of Kent, Essex, Elgin and Middlesex from the Indians for 1,200 British pounds sterling worth of trade goods. In 1795 Lord Simcoe declared the peninsula to be "Ordnance Land" under Crown Control, and therefore out of bounds for all settlement and unauthorized commercial activity. This restricted the settlers who were brought into the territory by Colonel Thomas Talbot a few years later to clear the heavily forested lots north of the peninsula. However, the harbour had become established as a naval repair yard and many ships, including some of Sir Issac Brock's during the War of 1812, stopped by to have a damaged mast replaced by a massive pine, or a deck refitted with white oak.

To learn more about Rondeau Provincial Park, go to

http://www.city.chatham-kent.on.ca/ridgetown/rond2.htm.

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