It’s that time of year when empty baskets begin making their way to Niagara-on-the-Lake’s orchards, returning filled with the season’s tender fruit. While today’s harvest still relies on baskets, few people realize they were once made right here in town. With the large quantity of fruit grown locally, basket making was an important industry, providing farmers with the containers needed to harvest and transport their crops. Niagara-on-the-Lake was once home to a basket factory in the dock area near the slip, alongside dozens of others throughout the Niagara region. The building was destroyed by fire in the 1960s.