Belle River, Ontario

Belle River, French Belle-Rivière, is a community in Essex County, Ontario, on the south shore of Lake St. Clair within the town of Lakeshore. The population of Belle River, according to the 2001 census, is 4,887, an increase of 7.9% from 1996. The former town limits encompassed an area of 3.56 km², for a density of 1 372.8 people per km².

In January of 1999 the municipalities of Maidstone, Belle River, Rochester, Tilbury North and Tilbury West amalgamated into Lakeshore, the largest municipality (by land mass) within the County of Essex.

The ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson considers the area among the world's best locales for bird watching. Although born in Windsor, Ontario, NHL hockey player Tie Domi grew up in Belle River, played hockey for the Belle River Canadians Jr. C club and has now become a public figure in the town.

Belle River is home of the "Big Musky", and is also the musky capital of Canada.

History

The settlement of this area began after a survey in 1793. As a regional shipping point in the 1850s, Belle River enjoyed a certain amount of prosperity. Throughout most of the 19th century, milling was the major industry in this small community founded by French settlers from the Detroit River area. Today, Belle River is a very popular jet skiing and boating destination. Many of the waterfront homes on Lake St. Clair are American-owned vacation homes.

Millionaire Essex County resident James Cooper opened Cooper Court motel and Bar in 1920. This kind hearted entrepreneur was known to have been extremely generous, contributing greatly to the local area with the building of Belle River's first high school. [ [http://www.walkervilletimes.com/33/james-cooper.html The Times - James Scott Cooper ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.belleriver.com Belle River Watercraft Racing Team]
* [http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&searchtype=address&country=CA&addtohistory=&address=&city=Belle+River&state=ON&zipcode= Map of Belle River, ON] from MapQuest
* [http://www.belleriveryachtclub.com Belle river Yacht Club]