Trent Valley and Canal

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  • In 1835, a proposal to build a navigable water route from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay was submitted to Sir John Colborne, Lieutenant Governor, by civil engineer Nicol Hughe Baird. It was believed that if a link could be established between the many scattered settlements, the population would increase, and new markets would be created. With numerous arguments for and against the building of the Trent Canal, the project was begun, and was to take many separate projects over a period of almost one hundred years to complete. It was not until 1920 that the final link of the canal was completed, and water travel was made possible all the way from Trenton to Port Severn, a distance of 386 km. Although the original purpose of the building of the Canal had been to bring supplies to people living along its waterways, and to provide an outlet for timber, by the time the Canal was completed so many years later, the automobile and better roads and railways had been introduced and the original function of the Canal had changed. It has since become a famous route for recreational travel for thousands of people.

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      Trent Valley and Canal

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        Trent Valley and Canal

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          Trent Valley and Canal

            14 Archival description results for Trent Valley and Canal

            14 results directly related Exclude narrower terms
            A.B. Mills fonds
            77-1013 · Fonds · 1890-1930

            The fonds consists of photocopies of records relating to boats on the Trent waterway including a typescript of a list of boats, a typescript of an article title the "Trent Canal System: Peterborough Hydraulic Lift Lock", a map of the Trent-Severn waterway, two photographs of the S.S. Water Lily (of the Calcutt line), one photograph of the fleet of the Stoney Lake Navigation Company of Young's Point, and a clipping which includes a photograph of the Peterborough hydraulic lift lock.

            Mills, A.B.
            Edwin C. Guillet fonds
            74-003 · Fonds · 1632-1970

            This fonds consists of the original and collected papers of E.C. Guillet, relating to his works and research on the Trent Valley/Peterborough/Kawartha area. Included is correspondence, primarily with George M. Douglas and Helen Marryat; maps (photocopies); newspaper articles regarding above area; collected manuscripts of historical authors; photographs; and Guillet's own unpublished manuscript of Canadian Literary Pioneers.

            Guillet, Edwin C.
            Geale-Rogers family fonds
            82-022 · Fonds · 1834-1966

            This fonds consists of the personal and business records of the Geale, Hamilton, Peck, Barker and Rogers families. There are letters relating to World War I written by Beresford and Robert Hamilton and Heber and Harry Rogers; letters, diaries, journals of Richard Birdsall Rogers (superintending engineer of the Peterborough Lift Lock); the records of Hon. Robert Hamilton, a factor at the Hudson's Bay Company stationed at Fort Edmonton. The fonds also contains stereographs, approximately 1000 photographs, and a C.E. Goad fire insurance plan for the city of Peterborough, 1882. Items of interest include a group of photographs of the Trent Valley area and the building of the canal; Rogers family pictures of the Stoney Lake area and the Juniper Island Regatta; photos of early aircraft and the Curtiss Aviation School; photos of hydraulic lift lock at Peterborough; and one letter from Catharine Parr Traill to Robert Miles Hamilton.

            This collection of family papers, correspondence, journals, photographs, newspaper clippings and published works spans the years 1834 to 1966 and measures approximately 3 1/2 linear metres. The papers were deposited in Trent University Archives through the courtesy of members of the Geale and Rogers families in 1983.

            The papers are divided into two series:

            Series A, the Geale family papers, consists of records pertaining to the descendants of the Hon. Robert Hamilton, a factor of the Hudson's Bay Company stationed at Fort Edmonton in northern Manitoba. Robert Hamilton married Annie Seabourne. One of their sons was Robert Miles Hamilton (1864-1939). He married Alice May Barker and resided at "Auburn" in Peterborough, Ontario. Their children were Miles Beresford Hamilton, Robert Barker Hamilton, (Alice) Seabourne Hamilton, and S.R. Hamilton (son). Alice Seabourne Hamilton married Charles Norman Geale. Papers of the Barker family (the Hon. Samuel Barker was Mrs. Robert Miles Hamilton's father) are included in this series as are the papers of the Peck family. Edward Armour Peck was the natural son of Arthur Henry Peck and the adoptive father of Charles Norman Geale. He married Kitty Revell. Both Miles Beresford Hamilton and Robert Barker Hamilton served overseas in the First World War and their correspondence is included in this series.

            Series B of this collection consists of the Rogers Papers. Richard Birdsall Rogers was born at Ashburnham in 1857. He lived there until 1916 and then moved to "Beechwood Farm" in Douro Township. He was a land surveyor and was appointed superintendent engineer of the Trent Valley Canal in 1884. Richard married Clara Mina Calcutt of Peterborough in 1881. They had seven children. One daughter, Leah, married Herbert Geale, brother of Charles Norman Geale. Two sons, Heber and Harry served overseas in World War I. Their correspondence is included. R.B. Rogers designed and supervised the building of the hydraulic lift locks at Peterborough and Kirkfield. These papers included several files of plans and specifications for the locks, correspondence and documents accrued during the scandal preceding Rogers' resignation in 1906, the Holgate Report which condemned Rogers and the Keefer investigation which completely vindicated his work as Chief Engineer. We have created a major on-line exhibit focusing on the life and times of Richard Rogers and the Peterborough Lift Lock: http://digitalcollections.trentu.ca/exhibits/birdsall-rogers/zrptboll.htm

            Geale-Rogers family
            Helen Marryat fonds
            69-001 · Fonds · 1912-1964

            The fonds consists mostly of Helen Marryat's (nee Helen Fowlds) personal experiences as a nurse in World War I, and her activities as a local historian. There are clippings of her articles in local newspapers, historical maps (drawn by Gerald Marryat) and other materials relating to settlement of Hastings and district such as education and nursing. Also included are the correspondence and photograph collections of her brothers, Donald and Eric (mostly from World War I), and material on Frederick Marryat (1792-1848), navy captain and novelist. In December 2001, Trent University Archives launched an online exhibit which depicts Helen Fowld's experiences in World War I. All her letters and diaries are transcribed and are found at the following site: http://digitalcollections.trentu.ca/exhibits/fowlds/ffowldswelcome.htm

            Marryat, Helen
            Munro family fonds
            79-006 · Fonds · 1856-1975

            This fonds consists of the family and personal papers of William Hamilton Munro, his brothers Reid and Alan and his sister Effie. The materials in the fonds make reference to World War I; Peterborough County; hydro-electric companies in Canada and the third world; photographs, postcards, maps and plans of the Trent Canal; City of Peterborough; and locations in Bolivia, Europe and North America.

            Munro family
            91-1018 · Fonds · 1830-1897

            This collection consists of 3 maps: a photocopy of a map portraying a portion of Northumberland County, showing Hope and Emily Townships on the west and Murray and Methuen Townships on the east, 1830s; a photocopy of a map portraying a portion of Peterborough County, showing North Monaghan Township to Belmont Township on the south and Harvey to Methuen Townships on the north, 1897; and an original map of Peterborough County, 1897.