Stonehooking was a method of gathering stone slabs from the shallow lake shore in
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a Region, primary region of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada, with approximately 13.5 million people, approximately 36% o ...
destined primarily for building construction. It flourished as an industry from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century until the use of
concrete block supplanted it as a building material, after it was introduced in 1915.
Stonehooking was unique to the north shores of
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
, from
Coburg
Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...
to
Burlington.
Stonehooking fleets were found at ports in
Frenchman's Bay,
Port Credit
Port Credit is a neighbourhood in the south-central part of the City of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, located at the mouth of the Credit River on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Its main intersection is Hurontario Street and Lakeshore Road, a ...
,
Oakville, and Bronte.
During the heyday of the stonehooking industry, in the late 1800's, as many as thirty schooners operated out of Port Credit. In
Toronto Harbour
Toronto Harbour or Toronto Bay is a natural bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Today, the harbour is used primarily for recreational boating, including personal vessels and pleasure boats providing scenic or p ...
, an estimated was removed by the industry.
Specialized
schooner
A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...
s known as stonehookers would anchor close to shore. A small skiff, yawl boat or scow would be sent out to gather the stone. This was accomplished using long rakes with hooks at the end to pry up slabs of stone which would be piled on the smaller vessel. The stone would then be loaded on the schooner's deck until full, before crews set sail for a market destination to unload.
Toronto was the largest market for stonehookers, with most stone loads destined for Toronto Harbour and the Queen's City Wharf.
References
External links
Image of stonehooking off Bronte
History of Ontario
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