Port Franks, Ontario, is a quaint community nestled in the municipality of Lambton Shores, Lambton County, in southwestern Ontario, Canada. This small Southern Ontario community is situated along Kings Highway 21, near Pinery Provincial Park, and approximately 8 kilometres north of Thedford, Ontario.
Archaeological evidence suggests that Port Franks, Ontario, has been a site of human habitation for thousands of years. The area was known for its 'flint chipping beds,' where locally obtained flint was manufactured long before European contact with First Nations peoples in the Great Lakes Basin.
The "Port Franks" reserve, named after company official Charles Franks, was initially laid out by the Canada Company north of the present-day village of Grand Bend. However, by 1851, its location was moved south to near the mouth of the Ausable River. The village's establishment was marked by public battles between Canada Company officials, Frederick Widder in Toronto, and Thomas Mercer Jones in Goderich.
In 1851, Robert McBride of Haldimand County travelled to Port Franks, Ontario, and attempted to obtain land. After a series of disputes and legal wrangling, a small settlement grew around a couple of taverns. In 1854, Robert McBride was named the first postmaster. The community's growth was stunted due to these disputes, leading to McBride's departure in 1856.
The small permanent population of Port Franks, Ontario, lived an isolated existence behind rows of sand dunes, subsisting on fishing, lumbering, and the making of wooden shingles. Attempts to attract railways and develop a harbour of refuge were unsuccessful. However, the discovery of salt and the construction of a 'Salt Block' brought a modicum of prosperity to the community in the 1890s.
The isolated situation of Port Franks, Ontario, with its proximity to the sandy beaches of Lake Huron, the river, and isolated inland ponds, surrounded by mixed forests, began to attract sportsmen and others seeking a natural retreat. Gradually, Port Franks became a summer resort community, with private individuals constructing summer cottages from the 1890s onward.
By the end of the twentieth century, Port Franks, Ontario, boasted a permanent population of over 700 and a summertime population of close to 2,000. The increase in development led to many attempts to preserve the community's unique natural heritage, resulting in the creation and preservation of various pockets of threatened natural vegetation and wildlife. In 2015, a marker was erected by the Municipality of Lambton Shores designating the cemetery in Port Franks. Today, Port Franks is home to the Karner Blue Sanctuary.
