Cobourg

United Empire Loyalists fleeing persecution in the United States settled here in 1798. The town began as a group of smaller villages such as Amherst and Hardscrabble, which were later named Hamilton. It was renamed Cobourg in 1818, in recognition of the marriage of Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, who would later become King of Belgium.

By the 1830s Cobourg had become a regional centre because of its harbour on Lake Ontario. The timber and other resources of Cobourg's large hinterland were identified as the key to its prosperity. Peterborough to the north had become the principal source area, and in the 1830s it was still the waterways that were the prime method of bulk transport. Rice Lake and the Otonabee River were brought into use when a steamer ran across the lake and up the Otonabee to Peterborough. But goods and passengers had to cover the last 13 km (8 mi) of valuable timber and mine products. By 1835, a plank road was built to Harwood using 300,000 feet of 3-inch wooden planks, allowing horse-drawn vehicles to haul heavy goods. By 1850 the plank road was breaking up, and was impassible in wet conditions.

By 1852 there was considerable enthusiasm for replacing the plank road with a railway, so plans were made for a 4-km (2.5 mi) long bridge across Rice Lake, to take the railway to Peterborough. By 1854 the rails reached the shore of the lake, and it transported passengers and nearly 2 million feet of lumber from the Rice Lake down to Cobourg that summer. However, all the revenue had to ploughed into building an ill-fated bridge, using hundreds of wooden trestles, 31 Burr Truss spans, and a centre-pivot swing bridge to allow boats to pass. Costs escalated, bond-holders lost their money, and the town council with a debt that was only repaid in the 1930s. The bridge was constructed over the summer of 1854 and was opened on 29 December that year. Three days later it collapsed when ice movements shifted the trestles out of line, splintering the Burr Truss sections. The bridge was stabilized on the southern side, but not on the northern side, and winter ice and shifting lake mud meant that it was frequently unusable.

In 1865 the railway was bought by a consortium of Pittsburgh steel manufacturers, who set up an iron-ore supply route in barges up the Trent River and across Rice Lake to the railway at Harwood. From there it was brought along the railway to Cobourg Harbour, for shipment across Lake Ontario to the steel mills of America. This provided a steady income for the railway and the town until the ore ran out in 1878.

The connections and trade links which developed through the iron shipments brought many American industrialists to Cobourg, which became a popular summer destination. High class hotels were established, followed in the late 19th century and early 20th century by enormous summer homes for wealthy Americans, a few of which still stand. A major ferry service connected Cobourg and Rochester, New York from 1907 to 1952, transporting passengers and cargo across Lake Ontario.

Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, the town invested heavily in purchasing property along the waterfront and beautifying the area. A boardwalk was developed to connect the harbour and large sandy beach while further pathways were created to encompass Victoria Park and the historic downtown. Because of this renewal and revitalization, many community activities now revolve in and around these spaces.

Cobourg is just south of Highway 401 at exits 472 (Burnham St.) or 474 (Baltimore Rd./Division St.).

See also: Rail travel in Canada

• 🌍 Cobourg station, 563 Division St, toll-free: +1-888-842-7245. (updated Jun 2022) Train operators:
  • VIA Rail Canada, toll-free: +1-888-842-7245. Operates many intercity trains across Canada. (updated Apr 2022) Operates the following routes daily to Cobourg:
    • Between Montreal and Toronto including stops in Dorval, Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston, Belleville, Cobourg, and Oshawa. Operates multiple times daily.
    • Between Ottawa and Toronto including stops in Smiths Falls, Brockville, Gananoque, Kingston, Napanee, Bellevile, Trenton, Cobourg, Port Hope, and Oshawa. Operates daily.

The nearest major airport is in Mississauga.

There is one marina on Lake Ontario:

• Cobourg Marina, 103 Third St., ☏ +1 905-372-2397, fax: +1 905-372-7421. 7AM-10PM, summer. Marina with fuel, showers, docking, boat launch ramp, fishing charter boats. 

• The Human Bean, 80 King St W, ☏ +1 289-252-0707. Café, desserts, lunch. 

• Arthur’s Restaurant & Bar, 930 Burnham St, ☏ +1 905-372-2105. 
• Casey’s Bar & Grill, 1 Strathy Rd, ☏ +1 905-372-9784. Sports bar, restaurant. 
• The Cat & the Fiddle, 38 Covert St, ☏ +1 905-377-9029. Pub and speakeasy. 
• Mill Restaurant & Pub, 990 Ontario St., ☏ +1 905-377-8177, fax: +1 905-377-8325. 11AM-10PM. On a nine-hole Cobourg Creek Golf Course (+1 905-373-4444, $25-40/player for one day) in historic 1800s gristmill. 
• Oasis Bar & Grill, 31 King St E, ☏ +1 905-372-6634. 
• Spice of Life, 34 Covert St, ☏ +1 905-372-4982. Bistro and bar. 

• Essex House B&B, 351 George St, ☏ +1 905-377-3922. 
• King George Inn, 77 Albert St, ☏ +1 905-269-7971. Part of the Cobourg Jail museum site. MacAllisters Restaurant is located in former provincial jail governor's mansion. Spa, meeting facilities. $79–129. 
• MacKechnie House B&B, 173 Tremaine St, ☏ +1 905-372-6242. 
• Willowmere B&B, 197 Water St, ☏ +1 905-372-9456. 

• Grafton Village Inn, 10830 Cty. Rd. 2, Grafton (Old Highway 2), ☏ +1 905-349-3024. Restaurant and B&B. 

• Big Apple Restaurant, 262 Orchard Drive, Colborne K0K 1S0, ☏ +1 905-355-2574. An oversized red apple stands a few stories tall as novelty architecture alongside Highway 401 to promote expensive (about $3/slice or $10/pie) but reasonably good-quality apple pies.