Breadcrumb Trail Links
Published Jul 23, 2025 • 2 minute read
Ron Realesmith speaks about historically significant locations in Sarnia during a Pedal Through the Past tour July 12, 2025. Other tour dates via the Sarnia Historical Society and nuSarnia Foundation are Aug. 21 and Sept. 11. (via Facebook) jpg, SO, apsmcArticle content
Sarnia’s history is deep but often overlooked, a member of the city’s historical society says.
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For Ron Realesmith, a Pedal Through the Past tour of Sarnia historical sites is a way to showcase what he said people sometimes forget.
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“Something we always say in our tours is that Sarnia is a great city. It’s citizens have forgotten,” he said.
Realesmith is helping tell those tales in cycling tours this summer.
Stories on the 12-stop, six-kilometre tour, organized by the community advocacy group nuSarnia Foundation and funded by a $5,000 Lambton Creative County grant include:
• the 1936 firefight in which infamous Norman “Red” Ryan and Sarnia Police Const. John “Jack” Louis were both killed;
• Elizabeth Workman’s hanging in 1873 at the former Lambton County jail, after being convicted of the murder of her husband, James Workman, though the jury recommended mercy;
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• Sarnia Bay’s historical significance to local commerce;
• a 1937 riot at the former Holmes Foundry site;
• Grey Cup wins and the history of Norm Perry Park;
• and local war efforts memorialized in Veterans Park, Realesmith said.
About 20 people took part in the first tour, earlier this month, he said.
All 30 spots are full for the second, Aug. 21, and some spots remain for the third and final tour Sept. 11, said nuSarnia’s Kerry Gabriel.
The mix of feel-good and “sordid” stories on the tour is a draw, she said, adding nuSarnia came up with the idea as a way to celebrate the city in an active way.
“To be able to do a cool mix of both really lends itself to a very entertaining tour,” she said.
Ron Realesmith speaks about historically significant locations in Sarnia during a Pedal Through the Past tour July 12, 2025. Other tour dates via the Sarnia Historical Society and nuSarnia Foundation are Aug. 21 and Sept. 11. (via Facebook) jpg, SO, apsmc
The foundation also advocates for improved cycling infrastructure in Sarnia.
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Group members cycle in front of and behind tour-goers, who can bring their own bicycles or make use of nuSarnia bikes, she said.
“They do a whole bike safety talk in the beginning, and they’re obviously making sure all the safety checks are in place as it’s ongoing,” Realesmith said.
The tours call to mind historical walking tours held in Sarnia that drew hundreds before the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
Cycling though, means groups can cover a longer distance, he said, noting this type of tour is also meant for a smaller crowd.
“The walking tour, we essentially kept it from city hall down to Veterans Park and we kind of zigzagged through the streets,” he said.
The cycling tour goes from Exmouth Street and Centennial Park to Wellington Street.
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The tour’s cycling component is about 40 minutes, and the overall tour in July took about two and a half hours, Realesmith said.
“You’re not going to be entirely spent by doing it,” he said.
Hopes are to continue with cycling tours in the future, Gabriel said, noting the historical society’s Phil Egan wrote histories for all the stops on the tour, and others.
“Because of all the information we got from Phil, we couldn’t fit it all in one,” she said, adding she and others with the foundation are working on another tour incorporating some of those other stops.
“We would absolutely love to see this happen again.”
Signs at the stops feature QR codes linking to more information via Egan about their historical significance, she said.
More information is available at nusarnia.org.
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