Of Iron and Ozone

In the decades following the U.S. Civil War, Cobourg, Ontario, a community nestled on Lake Ontario's northern shore, emerged as a foremost North American resort. Cobourg's historical importance rests not only in the number of summer vacationers it attracted from throughout the United States during the late 1800s and early 1900s, but also their unique character. Counted among Cobourg's seasonal residents were, among others: a) the wives of Ulysses S. Grant and Jefferson Davis; b) countless veterans of the Union and Confederate Armies; c) high-ranking federal, state, and local government officials; d) wealthy U.S. and Canadian businesspeople; e) actors and musicians; as well as f) working-class families. Of Iron and Ozone traces the development of Cobourg as a resort community, with an emphasis upon the multifaceted socioeconomic relationships that evolved among the varied individuals and families who summered there.