Clear Creek, Ontario

Clear Creek is a hamlet in southwestern Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada.

Clear Creek's earliest known inhabitants, from around the year 1000 until approximately 300–350 years later, were the Algonquin nation. They were noted flint-workers and evidence of their skill in crafting arrowheads is still to be found in open worked field areas surrounding the village. The next wave of inhabitants were the Attawandaron nation, the Neutrals, who occupied the region from about 1350 until their absorption by the Iroquois in the year 1651. The last significant native nation to occupy the area was the Mississaugas.

Summary

In 2001, Haldimand-Norfolk was dissolved into two separate single-tier counties. Clear Creek became part of the newly formed County of Norfolk. Until November 2008, Clear Creek was an undisturbed rural community with little interference from the Government of Ontario.

There are no sidewalks for safe pedestrian walking and wind turbines are seen very frequently within the vicinity of Clear Creek; being installed in November 2008.[1] Wind turbine construction activity was at its highest around the year 2008, after which it tapered off.

Approximately 70 people live in this town among the 140 houses, some of which have been abandoned due to safety issues from the wind turbines.[2] People have lived in this community as far back as 1901 with some Canadian soldiers from the First World War having been raised in this community.[3]

Norfolk County has banned the placement of new wind turbines after becoming a "willing host" for them back in 2003. One of the council members were worried about Norfolk County becoming "industrialized" and "unnatural." Many leaders in Norfolk County envision the county as being an agricultural hub for Southern Ontario even by the middle of the 22nd century.[4]

At least 105 species of bird have been discovered here from 1986 to 2019; including the Upland Sandpiper, the Scarlet Tanager, and the Yellow Warbler.[5]

The nearest high school is Valley Heights Secondary School which is to the northeast. Students from here grab the same high school bus as the students from Houghton.

Cemetery

There are at least 247 individuals, or families, who have their remains buried at Clear Creek Cemetery. The cemetery is a United Empire Loyalist cemetery that includes veterans from the War of 1812, among others. Common last names found in the cemetery include Allen, Bates, Bauer, Becker, Brown, Crawford, and Fish. The most recent person at Clear Creek Cemetery died in 2019 while people were started to be buried at this cemetery during the 1830s.[6]

The oldest female person to be buried at this cemetery is Harriet Brown (who died in 1832 in her 31st year) while the oldest male person to be buried at this cemetery is Thomas Dawson (who died in 1834 in his 58th year).[7]

There is only one member of the Millennials generation (born between 1980 and 2005) that is buried at Clear Creek Cemetery.[8]

Climate

Between the years 1897 and 1977, only the winter of 1975 was considered to be a mild winter for Southern Ontario communities along Lake Erie including Clear Creek.[9]

From the late 1990s onwards, winters have become more mild due to changes in climate brought on by global warming. Clear Creek traditionally belongs to the humid continental climate zone, even with the recent mild winters and warmer dry summers. As in all communities, towns and cities throughout the world, global warming due to human industrial activity has drastically altered the climate of Clear Creek over the decades.

Should the sea levels rise by 60 metres or 200 feet, Clear Creek would not be affected by flooding.[10] However, it may be affected by droughts as a by-product of the dislocation of available fresh water and may be forced to rely on desalinated salt water piped in from the Eastern United States. Constructing the proper infrastructure to carry the water hundreds of miles away would take considerable manpower along with significant economic costs and an unprecedented level of cooperation from multiple federal, state/provincial, and municipal governments.

References
  1. Clear Creek Wind Farm at Canadian Wind Energy Association
  2. "Clear Creek Death Trip: Wind Turbine Syndrome Devastates a Community (Ontario)". Wind Turbine Syndrome.com. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  3. Community information at ePodunk
  4. "Norfolk Seeks End to Turbine Development". Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  5. "Bird Counts in Clear Creek, Ontario". eBird. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  6. Clear Creek Cemetery at Find a Grave
  7. Additional Clear Creek Cemetery information at Find a Grave
  8. [https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2190811/memorial-search?orderby=b-&page=1#sr-101476047 Millennials in Clear Creek Cemetery
  9. Assel, Raymond A. (1980). "Maximum Freezing Degree-Days as a Winter Severity Index for the Great Lakes, 1897–1977". Monthly Weather Review. American Meteorological Society. 108 (9): 1440. Bibcode:1980MWRv..108.1440A. doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1980)108<1440:MFDDAA>2.0.CO;2. ISSN 1520-0493.
  10. "Impact of global warming on Clear Creek, Ontario". Firetree. Retrieved 2012-07-02.

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