Welcome to St. Thomas & Elgin County. When we started to define just what was available to tourists it dawned on us what a truly great treasure we have here. Some of the most enthusiastic tourists in Elgin County are people who live right here. For nature, history heritage, leisure, sports or just simple peace and quiet, St. Thomas really has a lot to offer.

St. Thomas promises you everything from serene country vistas to exciting events and attractions to delightful ports, harbours, and the Elgin County Signs at the Aylmer and Rodney exits on the 401 Highway #3. Elgin County is a Place to love.

Trains have played a big part in St. Thomas’ development. It is known as The Railway Capital of Canada. This claim is obvious as you pass through the city. Railway memorabilia beautiful hand-painted murals, and parkettes add to the beauty of the downtown area.  

Also, look for the St. Thomas Art Gallery and the Pioneer Museum, the Railway Museum and the Elgin Military Museum. And don’t forget to drop by the Tourist Information Centre next to the giant, 38 ton statue of Jumbo, the famous elephant located at the entrance to St. Thomas. On his second visit to St. Thomas, on September 15, 1885, Jumbo had a fatal collision with a Grand Trunk locomotive.

To commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of this fatal event, the St. Thomas Jumbo Foundation unveiled a monument on June 29, 1985. The statue was designed and constructed by Winston Bronnum in Sussex, New Brunswick. It is made of concrete with steel reinforcing rods throughout. The body is hollow and the walls are about seven inches thick. The legs are solid concrete and steel. The skin texture was achieved by trowelling on three-quarters of an inch of coloured cement and sand plaster. The statue with its six inch base weighs thirty-eight tons. The base pedestal was constructed on the site and weighs over one hundred tons.

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