Plympton-Wyoming
Farmland, oil-boom history, and a stretch of Lake Huron shoreline, all in one town centred on Wyoming. A mix of small rural communities that keeps growing as young families move in.
What makes it unique
This is oil country before it was Petrolia's turn: when oil was struck at nearby Oil Springs in 1858, Wyoming became the nearest rail shipping depot and boomed almost overnight, with four refineries running at once. The boom didn't last past 1863, but pumpjacks still dot the farmland today, a quiet reminder of where Ontario's oil industry actually started.
A little history
Wyoming's townsite was laid out in 1856 and named, oddly enough, after a county in Pennsylvania by officials of the Great Western Railway. On May 2, 1983, the town was struck by an F4 tornado that tracked 30 km with winds estimated at 400 km/h, injuring 12 people and levelling homes — one of the most powerful tornadoes ever recorded in Canada.
Places in Plympton-Wyoming
Wyoming is the largest, but the town is really a patchwork of small communities.
Six Things You Don't Want to Miss
Alton Farms Estate Winery
A working farm winery on the edge of town, with tastings and a patio looking out over the vines.
McEwen Park Beach
A 200-metre sandy beach on Lake Huron that most visitors never find — quieter than Grand Bend or Bright's Grove, with a picnic area and reforested shoreline behind it.
Plympton-Wyoming Museum
Run by the local historical society out of the Camlachie Cultural Library, with exhibits on the town's oil-boom and farming past.
Wyoming to Reece's Corners Trail
A winding multi-use trail connecting two of the town's communities — good for a family bike ride between them.
Plympton-Wyoming Farmers' Market
Local produce and handmade goods from the surrounding farms, right in the heart of downtown.
Highland Glen Park
Eleven hectares of forested ravine leading down to a 600-metre Lake Huron beach — a former conservation area turned town park, with more shade and quiet than the open lakeshore stretches.