In 1854, Benjamin Shantz acquired a sawmill on Mill Creek from George Butchart, built a gristmill nearby and a community people developed around these mills. Stores, hotels and tanneries were built and a village plot for Port Elgin was laid out in 1857. The original economic development of Port Elgin during the 19th century was based on its harbour facilities on Lake Huron making the village a distribution centre for the surrounding agricultural region. The book includes pictures taken in Hepworth which is located at the base of the Bruce Peninsula on Highway 6 east of Sauble Beach. Sauble Beach is a resort community on the eastern shore of Lake Huron with a beach that is seven miles long; a few pictures taken here are shown. Pictures taken in Shallow Lake, another town located on Highway 6 south and east of Hepworth, have been added. Architectural styles and terms are described in the appendix.