Showing 362 results

People, organizations, and families
Aikenhead Hardware Company
Corporate body

In 1830 a new hardware store, also known as an ironmongery, was opened on the north-east corner of King and Yonge Streets in York (now Toronto), known as Ridout's Hardware Store. In 1845 a Board of Trade was organized and George P. Ridout was named its first president.

In 1845, James Aikenhead joined the firm of Ridout Bros. & Co. In 1868 James Aikenhead became a member of the firm which at this point was renamed to Ridout, Aikenhead and Crombie. On September 1, 1873 James' son Thomas E. Aikenhead started to serve a five year apprenticeship with Mrs. Ridout, Aikenhead and Crombie. In 1891 Ridout, Aikenhead and Crombie sold their lease on the corner of King and Yonge Streets and moved to Adelaide Street East. In 1893 Thomas E. Aikenhead purchased the business and it became known as Aikenhead Hardware Co.

In 1901, the business was reorganized as a limited stock company known as Aikenhead Hardware Limited. By 1930 Aikenhead Hardware Limited was situated on Temperance Street and had been there since 1905. By this point in time the business had six floors of merchandise and a warehouse for stock. It sold everything from tacks to tractors to cutlery and locks. In 1937 the company started to open branch stores in different communities in the Toronto area. They later expanded to the greater Toronto area and outside of it to such communities as Burlington, St. Catharines, Kitchener, Dundas, Markham and Sudbury. James T.E. Aikenhead, son of Thomas E. Aikenhead, joined the company in 1911 and took over from his father in 1944 as president. He died suddenly in 1948 and his brother J. Wilfred Aikenhead took over the presidency which he was still holding in 1969. In 1965 Aikenheads's purchased the hardware chain of Russell Hardware Company Limited and continued to expand.

By 1996, Aikenhead Hardware Limited was known as Aikenheads Improvement Warehouse Inc. with its corporate office located on Ellesmere in Toronto and stores located in Scarborough, Markham, Woodbridge, Brampton and Oakville.

Camp Inawendawin
Corporate body · 1933-1964

Camp Inawendawin was established in 1933 as a girls camp. It became a member of the Ontario Camping Association in 1954 and was operated by Mrs. Helena Anderson. The camp closed in 1964.

Camp Richiladaca
Corporate body · 1957-

Camp Richildaca was founded by William J. Babcock and Al Bathurst as a day camp in Kettleby, Ontario, in 1957. It grew to accommodate resident campers and was an outdoor education facility for various school boards. It was also a teacher training centre for the University of Toronto Faculty of Education and offered a heated pool, canoeing instruction, archery, snow-shoeing and tobogganing, as well as instruction in wildlife study, ornithology, insect ecology, forest ecology, survival skills, etc. Camp Richildaca was operated by the Babcock family until they sold it in 1989. William J. Babcock was head of the Physical Education Department of Richmond Hill High School and Chairman of the Richmond Hill Ontario Teachers' Federation Outdoor Education Committee. He wrote many articles pertaining to outdoor education.

Beavermead Park
Corporate body

Beavermead Park is located on the east shore of Little Lake, Peterborough, Ontario, on land that was once owned by Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald.

Better Bait Company
Corporate body

The Better Bait Company was situated at 631 Lundy's Lane in Peterborough, Ontario. The company claimed to be the manufacturers of quality fishing tackle. The owner and operator was Perce Dyer, a Peterborough resident in the 1940s.

Bobcaygeon-Nipissing Road
Corporate body

In 1852, William Lyon Mackenzie introduced to the Legislative Assembly a resolution asking for a survey of the Huron-Ottawa Territory. His intent was to increase settlement within the uninhabited region of Canada West, to encourage immigration from Europe, and discourage emigration from the province. This resolution, along with similar recommendations, led to the Colonization Roads policy, and ultimately to the passing of the Public Land Act in 1853 by the Legislature. This Act allowed the government "to appropriate as free grants any public land in the province to actual settlers, upon or in the vicinity of any public roads in any new settlements which shall or may be opened through the Lands of the Crown." The survey of the Bobcaygeon Road came about as a result of this legislation. Before 1854, the Bobcaygeon Road did not extend beyond the village of Bobcaygeon. By 1857, the road had been constructed to Kinmount. A year later, surveyor Michael Deane was commissioned by the Department of Crown Lands to conduct a survey of lot frontages along the proposed Bobcaygeon Road from just north of Kinmount (Somerville Township) to Bell's Line. In 1860, surveyor Crosbie Brady was hired to survey the Bobcaygeon Road from where Deane had left off, north of Bell's Line, to Nippissing Road Line, on the south shore of Lake Nippissing. Throughout the years, the road and the lots along either side of the road have been re-surveyed for the purpose of establishing specific boundaries and correcting any mistakes in the initial surveys. All that remains of the original Bobcaygeon Road today is Highway 649 which extends from the village of Bobcaygeon to Highway 121, south of Kinmount. (Taken from: Spragge, George W. "Colonization Roads in Canada West." Ontario History. Vol. XLIX, no. 1, 1957., and W. D. Thomas. Bobcaygeon: The Hub of the Kawartha's. Bobcaygeon: W. D. Thomas, 1980.)

Brighton Township
Corporate body

Brighton Township was created by an Act in 1851. It is bounded on the north by Seymour Township; on the west by Cramahe Township; on the east by Murray Township and on the south by Lake Ontario. It is part of the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham. The Village of Brighton was incorporated in 1890 but existed well before then. Built on the Brighton Harbour as a point of entry it had a population of 500 in 1850 and 1700 in 1878. In 1850 it had two grist mills, a plaster mill and a tannery. By 1878 it had four churches and a school. The early settlers were the Singletons, Thayers, Proctors, Butlers, Lockwoods, Wills, Dr. Gross, Sanfords and Ketchums. John Lockwood was the first postmaster of the village. Brighton Harbour used to be known as Freeman Point and Gosport.

British Parliament
Corporate body

The Stuart dynasty began in Britain with the reign of James I (James VI of Scotland) in 1603. His reign was marked by the Gunpowder Plot, a new translation of the bible, the rise of Puritanism and increasing hostility between monarch and Parliament as the latter increased under the influence of barons and an increasingly powerful merchant class. James I died in 1625. (See, for example, Victor Slater. The Political History of Tudor and Stuart England. N.Y.: Routledge, 2002).

Deloro Mine
Corporate body

Mining in Deloro began in 1868 when gold was discovered. In 1873 Canadian Consolidated Gold Mining Company, a British-based company, began mining operations which eventually failed due to the poor recovery of gold. In 1896 Canadian Gold Fields Company bought the property and the first mill was built. The operations were successful in the beginning as new cyanide technology was used to extract the gold and roasting furnaces were built to remove the arsenic from the gold. The mill was closed in 1903 due to the poor grade of the gold.

Corporate body

On March 17, 1862 the position of Deputy Superintendent General of Indian Affairs was created and William Spragge was appointed to this postion. At Confederation, control of Indian matters was given to the federal government and this responsibilty was delegated to the Department of Secretary of State for the Provinces. The Secretary of State became Superintendent General of Indian Affairs. In 1873 the Department of the Interior was created and an Indians and Indian Lands Branch was set up within it. As a result, the Minister of the Interior became the Superintendent General. The following year, L. Vankoughnet was appointed Deputy Superintendent General. In 1876 the Indian Act was passed which consolidated and revised all previous legislation dealing with Indians in all existing Provinces and Territories. Four years later, in 1880, the Independent Department of Indian Affairs was set up. However, the Minister of the Interior remained Superintendent General of Indian Affairs. In 1893, Hayter Reed was appointed Deputy Superintendent General and remained in this position until 1897 when James A. Smart, Deputy Minister of the Interior, took over the position. In 1902, Francis Pedley was appointed Deputy Superintendent of Indian Affairs thus ending the system where bythe Deputy of the Interior held that post. Under Pedley, the departmental structure of Indian Affairs was restructured. Several distinct branches were set up to reflect the expansion of the Department's activities. These were the Secretaries Branch, the Accountant's Branch, the Land and Timber Branch, the Survey Branch, and the School Branch. In 1913, Duncan Campbell Scott was appointed as Deputy Superindendent of Indian Affairs, a position which he retained until 1932. The Department continued to exist until 1936 when it was made a branch of the Department of Mines and Resources.(Taken from: "Public Records Division, General InventorySeries : No. 1 Records relating to Indian Affairs (RG 10)."Ottawa: Public Archives of Canada, 1975.)

Haileybury Cemetery
Corporate body

The Haileybury Cemetery is located north of Mills Creek, Ontario, approximately .40 km south of Centennial Park and approximately .40 km east of Mount Pleasant Cemetery. The Haileybury Cemetery was run by a private company and was in operation until 1922. The cemetery is believed to be one of the first organized cemeteries in that part of northern Ontario.

Haldimand Township
Corporate body

The Township of Haldimand is bounded on the north by the Township of Alnwick, on the east by the Township of Cramahe, on the west by the Township of Hamilton and on the south by Lake Ontario. Haldimand Township was partially surveyed in 1797 and again in 1822. By 1817 it had 6258 acres under cultivation. There were three grist mills and four saw mills. By 1850 the population of the Township was 4177 and by 1861 it was 6164. The villages are Grafton, Eddystone, Centreton, Vernonville, Fenella, Bowmanton, Burnley, Colbourne and Wicklow. The population consisted mostly of settlers from Ireland, Scotland, England and some from the United States. One of the first settlers in the area was Benjamin Ewing, in 1798, from Vermont. The harbour for the Township was located at Grafton and built around 1836. (Taken from: The H.H. Beldon Illustrated Historical Atlas of Northumberland and Durham Counties, 1878. Belleville: Mika Silk Screening Limited, 1972.)

Corporate body

The Haliburton, Kawartha & Pine Ridge District Health Council, through its Well-Being in the Rural Community Task Force, hosted a series of meetings in 1993 to look at the issues facing the health of the district's rural communities. The results of these meetings were forwarded to the Premier's Council on Health, Well-being and Social Justice and the district was subsequently chosen as one of four pilot projects to consider the impact of the changing economy on communities.

Canadian Camping Association
Corporate body

The first meeting of the Canadian Camping Association was held on May 20, 1936 at the Central Y.M.C.A., Toronto. At this meeting the Association was formally created, a constitution was adopted, officers were named, and steps were taken to begin the nomination process for a board of directors. The first officers of the Association were Mr. Taylor Statten, president; Miss Mary Edgar, vice-president; Dr. George S. Patterson, secretary; and Miss Mary C. Donaldson, treasurer. At the time, the primary objective of the Canadian Camping Association was to "further the interests and welfare of children, youths and adults through camping as an educative, recreative, and character developing experience." Over the years this primary goal has remained the focus of the Association with the addition of several other goals. These are: "to present the image of organized camping on a national level; to administer national camping affairs and to act as a liason between provincial camping associations; to encourage the development of high standards in camping; and to develop and promote research, training programs and conferences on a national level". The Canadian Camping Association continues to promote camping in Canada.

Hamilton Township
Corporate body

Hamilton Township is situated in Northumberland County. It was settled by United Empire Loyalists. Camborne is a small village located on an old north-south pioneer road in the township. (Taken from: Mika, Nick and Helma. Places of Ontario, Part II F-M. Belleville: Mika Publishing Co., 1981.)

The Canadian Canoe Museum
Corporate body

The Canadian Canoe Museum is a unique national heritage centre that explores the canoe’s enduring significance to the peoples of Canada, through an exceptional collection of canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft. We’re an engaging, family-friendly museum with more than 100 canoes and kayaks on display. Visitors will enjoy interactive, hands-on galleries, a scavenger hunt, model canoe building and puppet theatre for children. Through inclusive, memorable and engaging exhibits and programs we share the art, culture, heritage and spirit of paddled watercraft with our communities.

Founded on a collection of the late Professor Kirk Wipper, and established in Peterborough, Ontario, in 1997, the museum’s holdings now number more than 600 canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft. Together they span the country from coast to coast to coast and represent many of the major watercraft traditions of Canada.

The museum’s artifacts range from the great dugouts of the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest to the singular bark canoes of the Beothuk of Newfoundland; from the skin-on-frame kayaks of northern peoples from Baffin Island in the east to the Mackenzie River Delta in the northwest to the all-wood and canvas-covered craft manufactured by companies with names like Herald, Peterborough, Chestnut, Lakefield and Canadian. Over the years paddled watercraft from as far away as Paraguay and the Amazon have helped the Museum expand its reach and scope to include International examples.

Gaol and court house
Corporate body

The goal and court house building committee of Amherst, Hamilton Township, Newcastle District, was established on April 10, 1828. Its purpose was to make arrangements for procuring material and the construction of a new gaol and court house. Members of the committee included Walter Boswell, Zaccheus Burnham, Robert Henry, David Smart, James G. Bethune, Thomas Ward, and Elias Jones. The chosen site for the gaol and court house was Amherst, located near Cobourg, also in Hamilton Township. The end result was a large stone building which cost approximately 6000 pounds. In 1837, Cobourg became a police village, and the village of Amherst was amalgamated and became part of Cobourg. (Taken from: Spilsbury, John R. "Cobourg: early days and modern times." Cobourg: The Cobourg Book Company, 1981.)

Grand Trunk Railway
Corporate body

The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) was built to provide a main trunk line throughout the entire length of the Province of Canada. Under the sponsorship of Sir Francis Hincks, the Grand Trunk Railway was formally incorporated in 1852 to build a railway line from Toronto to Montreal. The Grand Trunk Railway of Canada East was also incorporated to build a line from Quebec City to Trois Pistoles, Quebec. The GTR also purchased the newly completed St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad in 1853. Much of the financing for the Railway was to come from investors in England, and as a result, much of the construction of the new lines was done by English construction firms. The "Trunk-Line" from Montreal to Toronto opened in 1856. The railway expanded quickly, existing small railway companies were purchased, and new lines were added, some of which were destined for the United States. By 1867, the GTR was the largest railway system in the world with 2 055 km of track. By the 1880's the company had over 700 locomotives, 578 cars, 60 post-office cars, 131 baggage cars, 18 000 freight cars and 49 snow plows. The high cost of construction, absentee management (Head Office in England), and failure to generate anticipated levels of traffic left the GTR debt ridden and unable to upgrade its equipment. In October 1919, the federal government took over the GTR after a disasterous attempt to create a transcontinental railway with the creation of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. The GTR and the GTPR were placed under the management of the Canadian National Railways on January 30, 1923. ( Taken from: "The Canadian Encyclopedia." Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers Ltd., 1985.)

Heritage Peterborough
Corporate body

Heritage Peterborough was first organized May 11, 1984 in the Board Room of Peterborough and Kawartha Tourist and Convention Bureau. The Peterborough and Kawartha Tourist and Convention Bureau, the Peterborough Historical Society and the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee joined together to form Heritage Peterborough out of a concern due to the lack of interest and publicity for Peterborough's heritage. Their aim was to encourage wide interest, research and awareness of 150 years of historical growth of the city and county. They did this through developing projects that would advertise Peterborough City and County to tourists and citizens. Projects such as a "lure piece" or glossy brochure with a map and small write-ups on various historical sites; calendars, placemats and walking and driving tours were developed to aid in the advertising. Funding for the projects came from the New Horizons programme, Health and Welfare Canada and the Peterborough City and County councils.

Corporate body

The Indian-Eskimo Association of Canada (IEA) had its origins in the Canadian Association for Adult Education (CAAE) when the CAAE appointed a committee “to study the problem of the Indian in the community off reserve, thereby stimulating organizations to make surveys, conduct research appoint specialists and provide services as needs arise,” with the intention of the Committee becoming a national organization. This committee became known as the National Commission on the Indian Canadian and it functioned as a standing committee of the CAAE. In 1960, the Commission withdrew from the CAAE and was incorporated as the Indian-Eskimo Association. Its services, at this time, were expanded to include all First Nations, Inuit and Métis people both on and off reserve. Its first president was Clare Evelyn Clark. The Indian-Eskimo Association was a national citizen's organization with membership open to all people interested in promoting the well-being of Indigenous people. Indigenous people formed 25% of the membership and at all times had members on the Board of Directors. The Association was headquartered in Toronto until 1973, it when it moved to Ottawa and changed its name to the Canadian Association in Support of Native Peoples (CASNP). The IEA was active in fund raising, organizing workshops to discuss housing, and working on community and economic development projects.

Journal of Canadian Studies
Corporate body

The Journal of Canadian Studies started off as an idea for a "Learned Journal" similar to the Queen's Quarterly but called the Trent Quarterly. As ideas were formulated by President T.H.B. Symons and others it came about that the need for a learned journal in Canadian Studies was necessary to the field of Canadian Studies. On 1 June 1964 during the first meeting of the Committee of the Learned Journal it was decided to call the new journal The Journal of Canadian Studies. Professor S.G. Denis Smith was chair of the meeting and other members in attendance at the meeting were Dean M.G. Fry, Mr. J.D.P. Martin and Professor J.S. Pettigrew. In the press release on 7 July 1964 issued by Trent University the Journal was to cover such Canadian topics as history, politics, anthropology, art, literature, theatre, economics and sociology. The Journal solicits manuscripts ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 words in length, English or French, dealing with some aspect of Canadian Society or history and of general as well as specialized scholarly interest. The first editor of the Journal was Denis Smith and the associate editor was Bernard R. Blishen. A number of Trent faculty members, such as Kenneth E. Kidd, T.H.B. Symons as well as Ronald J. Thom, sat on the editorial and advisory boards. The Journal was "founded in the belief that the life and history of Canada, still largely unexamined, deserve[d] common study by persons of many approaches and attitudes." (Journal of Canadian Studies Vol. 1, page 2). The symbol used to represent the Journal of Canadian Studies is Samuel de Champlain's astrolabe which he had lost in 1613 while crossing a portage in the upper Ottawa River valley. The astrolabe now resides in the Canadian Museum of History. From 1966 to 2015, the Journal of Canadian Studies was published quarterly by Trent University. Beginning with Volume 49.3 (Fall 2015), it became part of the University of Toronto Press’s Journals publishing program.

Kanawa Canoe Museum
Corporate body

The Kanawa Canoe museum was located in Haliburton, Ontario. The director and founder was Professor Kirk Wipper of the University of Toronto. The Canadian Canoe Museum was taken over by a Board of Directors centered at Trent University beginning in 1990. This steering committee was set up in 1980 to investigate "the feasibility of establishing the Kanawa International Museum at Trent". A management consultant was subsequently hired to advise on the location and future development of Kanawa. Kanawa is now known as the Canadian Canoe Museum.

Cobourg Foundry
Corporate body

The Cobourg Foundry was established in Cobourg, Canada West in the 1850's and was operated by Andrew Jeffrey. The foundry manufactured steam engines, boilers, agricultural equipment, axes and other useful implements. (Taken from: Spilsbury, John R. "Cobourg: Early Days and Modern Times." Cobourg: Cobourg Book Committee, 1981.)

Katchewanooka Herald
Corporate body

The Katchewanooka Herald is a handwritten newspaper created by agricultural students on Colonel Samuel Strickland's farm (the Agricultural College) during the mid-1800's. An article found in the February 15th, 1858 issue implies that the first volume covers the issues beginning April 14, 1856 and ending February 15, 1858. However, there are issues dated 1855. The words "Volume IInd" [Volume Two] are found in large script for the first time on the issue dated March 1st, 1858.

Corporate body

Cobourg is located in Hamilton Township, in the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham, on the north shore of Lake Ontario. The area was first settled in 1798 by Elias Nicholson who built his home within the limits of what was to become the town plot. Originally called Amherst, Cobourg has also been known by the names of Hamilton and Hardscrabble. In 1819, the developing town was given the name Cobourg. It was incorporated as a village in 1837 and incorporated as a town in 1850. (taken from "Illustrated Historical Atlas of Northumberland and Durham Counties, Ontario." Belleville: Mika Silk Screening Ltd., 1972.)