Chatham

History

Long predating the arrival of Europeans, the lands now encompassing Chatham are and have been part of the traditional territories of various Indigenous peoples, including the Odawa, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Attawandaron, and by the time of the written treaties, the Lunaapeew. Prior to European settlement, the site where Chatham is presently located is known to have been a popular gathering spot for local Indigenous communities. Several Indigenous villages are known to have been located in close proximity to modern Chatham, with at least two along McGregor's Creek. Following the Seven Years' War, the Treaty of Paris (1763) transferred France's North American territories to Britain. The American Revolution, which followed several years later, subsequently helped catalyze the first significant permanent European settlements in what would become Kent County as United Empire Loyalists fled to settle Upper Canada. During this voyage, McNiff found that some 28 families had already established themselves in the region, suggesting the date of the first permanent European settlement occurred some time between 1775 and 1780. Upon arrival at the fork of the Thames River and McGregor's Creek, McNiff identified the site as a desirable location for a village due to its strategic location and favourable topography. Over the next few years, he conducted the work of laying out the lots fronting on the Thames River in the Townships of Dover East, Chatham, Raleigh, Harwich, and parts of Howard and Camden. In 1813, following the British retreat from Sandwich and Amherstburg, Shawnee leader Tecumseh advocated that the forks at Chatham (now the site of Tecumseh Park) be the location where his and General Procter's forces would make their stand against the American invasion. Having received…

Geography

The population centre of Chatham covers an area of 31.21 square kilometres (12.05 sq mi). It is centrally located within the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, lying at a roughly equal distance from both Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. The city is divided into two roughly equal halves by the Thames River, which flows southwesterly through the city. Downtown Chatham is located along the southern bank of the river, near the fork with McGregor's Creek. Whereas historically much of the land in and around Chatham consisted of forests and wetlands (upwards of 53.7% of Chatham was once wetland), following European colonization the vast majority of Kent County was drained, clear-cut, and cultivated for agriculture. As a result, the urban area of Chatham now lies surrounded by a vast expanse of farmland and fields, a characteristic that has come to shape the community's rural cultural self-perception.

Most-observed species

• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,324
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,987
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,937
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  4,809
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,312
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,218
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,022
• Common Grackle

  Quiscalus quiscula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,002

Most recent

• M 3 — 2026-04-26
  7 km SSE of Amherstburg, Canada
• M 2.5 — 2022-05-23
  2 km NNW of Corunna, Canada
• M 2.8 — 2022-01-04
  3 km NW of Timberlake, Ohio
• M 3.4 — 2018-04-20
  Michigan
• M 2.6 — 2017-05-14
  18 km ENE of Leamington, Canada
• M 2.7 — 2013-03-08
  5 km NNW of Timberlake, Ohio