Lost Amigos Cabins, Port Stanley, ON

On September 19, 1804 John Bostwick was granted 400 acres of land on the east side of Kettle Creek. He settled in the area in the early 1820s and ran an important warehouse and mill. Although Bostwick is sometimes referred to as the founder of Port Stanley, other early settlers had names like Zavitz, Minor, Smith, Stephens, Price, Begg and Mason. These names reflect the wide diversity of settlers who poured into southwestern Ontario between 1820 and 1875. Port Stanley was an important portal of entry. In one year, 1844, its busy harbour recorded the arrival of 148 boats. As early as 1822 a road had been opened linking the port to St. Thomas and London, and in 1856 the London and Port Stanley railway started operation, connecting Port Stanley to the vast rail network which was spreading across North America.