Some people thought I was nuts when I first wrote a story about whale bones being found outside Smiths Falls in 2015.
If you didn’t know– Lanark County used to be part of the Champlain Sea. There are not a lot of fossils in Lanark County, but it has been reported that whale bones were found in a few places. “The remainder of a Humpback Whale was found near an empty pit at Welsh’s Station three miles north of Smiths Falls in 1883. The bones were found 30 feet below the surface”.
Doing research today I came across this article written in the Almonte Gazette in 1882 on page 1.
June 30 1882-Almonte Gazette
At the sand pit near Smith’s Falls, thirty six feet below the surface, the gravel train men found part of what appears to be an extinct animal of the vertebrate kingdom—probably the remains of some *antediluvian race. The structure is bony, honey-combed, and crumbly, with two legs projecting as far as the joints, which latter are distinctly marked. As yet nobody has been able to give it an origin or a name.
The Ottawa Journal, 19 Nov 1955, Sat, Page 29
Photo-Rideau Canal–
Whale Sightings in Pakenham and Smiths Falls – Holy SeaWorld!
*antediluvian–adjective
1.
2.
very old, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated; primitive:
3.
4.
Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read.
Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in Hometown News and now in The Townships Sun
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