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275 plaques found that match your criteria
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Ball's Grist-Mill
By 1809, John and George Ball had constructed a four-storey grist-mill here on Twenty Mile Creek. Equipped with two run of stones, the mill provided flour for British troops during the War of 1812. It was expanded during the 1840s and by the end of the decade was part of a complex which included sawmills and woollen factories. About that time, George Peter Mann Ball laid out a village plot named Glen Elgin. His plans... -
Barberton
At a bend in the Credit River, just east of here, a mill site was developed in 1826. William and Robert Barber purchased the property in 1844 and constructed the Toronto Woollen Mills, one of the largest textile mills in Canada West (Ontario). Known as Barberton, the complex grew to some forty buildings, including a dye house, a general store, sawmill and smithy. Ownership passed from the Barber family in 1882. Early in the First... -
Founding of Dundas, The
In 1793, Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe authorized a townplot in this vicinity at the then eastern terminus of Dundas Street. It original name, "Coote's Paradise", was derived from that of the adjoining marsh, a haunt of waterfowl, and the favorite hunting ground of a Captain Thomas Coote. West of the townplot mills were built, which became the nucleus of a community known by 1801 as "Dundas Mills". The community's location at the head of navigation on Lake... -
Bradlo
In 1930 a handful of Slovak immigrants settled eleven kilometres south of Hearst near present-day Highway 583. They helped each other build log houses, clear land and sell wood to pulp and paper mills. Soon other Slovaks were attracted to the community. By the middle of the Depression, Bradlo boasted 150 people, a public school, Catholic church, store, post-office and meeting hall. After their pulpwood was harvested, residents realized that their land would not support... -
Bruce Mines, The
The original claim to the Bruce Mine location was filed in September 1846 by James Cuthbertson. It was acquired the following year by the Montreal Mining Company, and production commenced in 1847-48 at what became the first commercially successful copper mine in Canada. Employing skilled Cornish workers, the company operated the mine until l865 when it was purchased by the West Canada Mining Company. That firm had leased part of the property in 1853 and... -
Burlington Bay Canal
The first public work undertaken with the financial backing of the provincial government, Burlington Bay Canal was proposed as one of a series of waterways to provide uninterrupted navigation from Lake Erie to the Atlantic Ocean. It was also championed by area residents as a means of rendering Burlington Bay a usable harbour. In 1823, at the urging of Hamilton merchant James Crooks, the House of Assembly authorized the construction of the canal. Work began... -
Burlington Glass Works 1874, The
The Burlington Glass Works, formerly situated here, was one of the most important 19th-century glass houses in Canada in terms of the variety and quality of its production. From 1874 to about 1897, skilled artisans produced lamps, tablewares and containers. Glass-production techniques included free-blowing, mould-blowing and pressing in a mould. Pot furnaces produced several different types of glass in a wide range of colours. Glasswares were decorated by cutting, painting, sand-blasting, acid-etching and wheel-engraving. Archaeological... -
Canadian National Exhibition, The
The second half of the 19th century was an era in which technological innovation brought rapid economic progress and social change. The spirit of the age was reflected in an annual fair that first opened on this site on September 5, 1879. Staged by the Industrial Exhibition Association of Toronto, it offered medals and prize money to encourage innovation and improvement in agriculture, manufacturing and the arts. The fair quickly became a popular attraction and a boon to the local economy. A national event since 1912, the CNE continues to showcase Canadian creativity and achievement. -
Chaffey's Mills
Prominent early millers in Eastern Ontario, Benjamin and Samuel Chaffey were born in Somerset, England and came to Upper Canada in 1816. After settling briefly in Perth they moved to Elizabethtown (Brockville) where they operated mercantile and milling ventures. Encouraged by local residents to establish mills along the Rideau River, they chose this location in 1820. Samuel settled here soon after, effecting many improvements to the site. By 1827 an extensive complex including a distillery... -
Cobalt Mining Camp, The
About 900 yards southwest of here, on August 7, 1903, two lumbermen seeking timber for railroad ties made the initial discovery of the cobalt silver camp. Named for its discoverers, the McKinley-Darrach mine operated from 1904-1927. In the rush of 1905-06, Coleman township became the scene of the most intensive prospecting hitherto known in Ontario. Though it once boasted over 100 producing mines, the fortunes of the camp waned after 1920, owing to sharply reduced... -
In 1830 aboriginals of the surrounding region were gathered on a reserve along a newly opened road connecting The narrows (Orillia) and Coldwater. The superintendent, Capt. Thomas Gummersal Anderson, and a band of Ojibwa under chief Aisance, settled in Coldwater. Land-hungry settlers influenced the government to move the aboriginals to Rama and Beausoleil Island in 1838-39. This grist-mill, financed with aboriginal funds, was constructed by Stephen Chapman, Jacob Gill and others in 1833. The mill was sold to George Copeland in 1849 and been in operation for over 125 years.
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Colonel Robert Nelles 1761-1842
A Loyalist from the Mohawk Valley, New York, Nelles came to Canada during the American Revolution and from 1780 to 1784 served in the Indian Department. Following hostilities, he settled near the Grand River but by 1792 had moved to this area. Nelles built mills and a store on nearby Forty-Mile Creek and soon became a prominent merchant. About 1798, he constructed a Georgian-style stone manor on this site. Modified by later additions, notably the... -
Commanda General Store, The
An outstanding example of a High Victorian commercial structure, the Commanda General Store was built and occupied by James Arthurs (1866-1937) about 1885. It was strategically located on the Rosseau-Nipissing Colonization Road and during the more than two decades that Arthurs, who later served in the house of commons and the Senate, was the proprietor it played a vital service role in the development of Commanda and the surrounding area. A multi-purpose structure that functioned... -
Daniel McLachlin 1810-1872
One of the Ottawa Valley's most enterprising lumbermen, McLachlin was born in Rigaud Township, Lower Canada, and by 1837 had built a sawmill and grist-mill at Bytown (Ottawa). In 1851, influenced by the timber potential of the Madawaska watershed, he purchased some 400 acres at the deserted hamlet of Arnprior and in 1854 laid out a town plot. The large sawmills which he built here, greatly stimulated the community's growth. In the legislature of the... -
David Allanson Jones 1836-1910
World-renowned breeder of bees and pioneer of the North American beekeeping industry, he came in 1867 to Clarksville which, in 1874, was renamed Beetown (now Beeton). Jones searched the Old World for species of bees, and brought queens for isolated breeding to the islands of Georgian Bay. First president, in 1881, of the Ontario Beekeepers' Association, and in 1885 founding editor of the Canadian Bee Journal, Jones was Canada's first major commercial honey producer. -
Discovery of the Sudbury Nickel Deposits
The significance of Sudbury's mineral deposits became apparent during construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway through the area in the 1880s. Blacksmith Tom Flanagan, and others, took samples from some reddish rock nearby in 1883. Analysis of the rock revealed copper-nickel sulphides. The famous Murray mine was subsequently established at the site. Ore bodies were soon discovered in abundance throughout the Sudbury area. Entrepreneur Samuel J. Ritchie founded the Canadian Copper Company at Copper Cliff... -
Early Settlement in Erin Township
Erin Township was formed from land purchased by the Crown from the Mississauga Indians in 1818. It was surveyed in 1818 and in 1820-21. A few grantees, including three named Roszel, settled near the site of Ballinafad by 1820. Other settlers came in 1821-27. By 1828 Aaron Wheller had built a grist mill on the site of Hillsburgh, where Nazareth Hill later established a village. Another settlement formed near the site of Erin village where... -
Elliot Lake Mining Camp, The
Evidence of radioactive ore prompted Aimé Breton and Karl Gunterman to stake claims south of here near Lauzon Lake in Long Township in 1948. Geologist Franc R. Joubin became interested and persuaded mining financier Joseph H. Hirshhorn to fund drilling operations. In 1953 they located the ore body that became the Pronto Uranium Mine. The discovery of further uranium deposits near Quirke and Elliot lakes led to a mining boom. The town of Elliot Lake... -
Ferguson Highway, The
In 1925 the Ontario government began construction of this 260-mile trunk-road between Cochran and North Bay. The road was intended to link the rapidly developing mining and agricultural communities of "New Ontario" with the province's southern regions. Several sections of rebuilt local roads were incorporated into dense Timagami forest. The highway was officially opened on July 2, 1927, and named in honour of the Hon. G. Howard Ferguson, Premier of Ontario(1923-30) and long-time promoter of... -
James Baby 1763-1833
The first member of Upper Canada's French community to gain prominence in government circles, Baby was born in British-controlled Detroit, the son of a well-established trader. He was educated in Quebec and, after returning to this area, entered the mercantile business. In 1792, through his family's influence, he received lifetime appointments to the Executive and Legislative Councils, Upper Canada's pre-eminent political bodies. Three years later Baby moved from Detroit to the south shore and in... -
French Community in Welland
The neighbourhood that became commonly known as "French Town" was established in this area in 1918, when approximately 20 French-Canadian families arrived from Quebec to work at the Empire Cotton Mills plant. The Roman Catholic Parish of Sacré-Cœur was established in 1920 and became the cultural centre of the francophone community that developed around Empire Street. Additional French-Canadian families arrived from Quebec, New Brunswick and northern Ontario throughout the 1920s. Another wave of francophones moved... -
French Presence in Hearst, The
French Canadians began to settle in Hearst in 1912 during the construction of the National Transcontinental Railway. Most came to farm but soon turned to the more lucrative forest industry. Sawmills established by French Canadians prospered as family enterprises for decades, before being amalgamated into large forest-product companies by the end of the 20th century. Over the years, the French-speaking community in Hearst - once a minority - grew to 89% of the population with... -
Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway Company, The
When completed in 1905, the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway, or Portage Railway, provided a crucial 1.8-kilometre link connecting steamboats on Peninsula Lake to Lake of Bays and opened up North Muskoka to tourism and increased development. The railway was part of a larger navigation company owned by George F. Marsh and later sold to C.O. Shaw, owner of the Anglo-Canadian Leather Company in Huntsville and Bigwin Inn that opened on Lake of Bays... -
Timber Rafting on the Ottawa
The rafting of square timber down the Ottawa River, begun in 1806, reached its peak during 1861-91 and ended in 1909. Pine "sticks" from .1 to .2 square metres and 12 to 15 metres long were floated down tributary rivers such as the Petawawa, Madawaska, Bonnechere and Mississippi to rafting points on the Ottawa. There "cribs" were made up, containing 20 to 40 pieces of timber, and as many as 200 cribs, were in turn... -
"Cariboo" Cameron 1820-1888
Born in this township, John Angus "Cariboo" Cameron married Margaret Sophia Groves in 1860. Accompanied by his wife and daughter, he went to British Columbia in 1862 to prospect in the Cariboo gold fields. That year at Williams Creek he struck a rich gold deposit. While there his wife died of typhoid fever and, in order to fulfil her dying wish to be buried at home, he transported her body in an alcohol-filled coffin some...