Local History

Most Canadians know about many of the magor events in our history, how about tell something about the history of your local area. On another thread I told the story about Charles Blessing, a man from Montana that was murdered 137 years ago on his way out to Barkerville and the Cariboo gold fields. We have a rich past that should be shared, tell us a story.....

I know the last pistol duel in North America took place in St. John's Newfoundland. I cant remember where in the city or who was involved, but it was to the death.

During WW2 St. John's was the only city in North America with a 24 hour blackout.

Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt met in secret aboard a ship in Placentia Bay Newfoundland in 1941, before the USA had entered the war and before Pearl Harbour. There they confirmed the policy of material aid for Britain and sanctioned the "Atlantic Charter." It also laid the groundwork for the three-way alliance that would bring about the destruction of the Axis powers.

I will most certainly share here! I just moved to Iroquois Falls, Ontario ... and what I have so far learned intrigues me greatly. I am a huge history buff - especially anything Native Indian, Irish or English.

Here is a history tidbit about the town of Iroquois Falls:

Many years ago the Iroquois ventured up the Sturgeon river to an Ojibway camp where the Iroquois massacred most of the Ojibway braves, saving only a handful to act as guides to lead them further North to find new wealth in furs. They headed up the Sturgeon river through the Temagami to the Abitibi River. There, the Ojibway braves knew that they must settle their score with the Iroquois, so they convinced the Iroquois that there was a rich Indian settlement up the river and that if they continued to paddle during the night while the Iroquois were sleeping, then they could surprise the camp in the early morning. The Iroquois arrogant in their own power believed the Ojibway's, so the Iroquois slept. As the Ojibway were approaching the waterfalls, they slipped out of the canoes, taking the paddles with them. The Iroquois were sent on their final journey over the falls. That is, according to the Ojibway legend, how Iroquois Falls came to be named after an Indian tribe that lived hundreds of miles away.

>>> What's interesting to note - LOL - my ex-husband's heritage is Ojibway, while Iroquois is somewhere down the lines on my father's side of the family! LOL!

Great post Epona Blue.......

...from Library and Archives Canada......

Those who live in, or have the chance to visit, Kitchener, Ontario will be very familiar with the area’s rich German culture and heritage. The original settlers of the region were of an agrarian, pacificist Mennonite background. By the eve of the First World War, Berlin, Ontario -- dubbed “the German Capital of Canada” -- boasted myriad German-language societies, German language instruction in schools, and a German-language newspaper. As the Great War continued, the loyalty of German-Canadians became more and more suspect. In August 1914, the bronze bust of Kaiser Wilhelm, proudly displayed in Victoria Park, was removed and thrown into the lake. Open mistrust of enemy aliens in the city led to the suspension of German-language instruction in schools.

In 1916, the Berlin Board of Trade made a suggestion that polarized the citizens of the city. The Board of Trade argued that the name Berlin hurt business and gave the impression that its citizens were sympathizers of the enemy cause in Europe. It was suggested that the act of changing the name of the city would be a tangible symbol of its citizens’ patriotism and would boost the city’s profile across the Dominion. Many Berliners supported maintaining the name of the city, as it reflected a proud tradition of growth and prosperity for German, and non-German, Canadians alike. Those citizens who supported the status quo were immediately perceived, by those who wanted change, as being unpatriotic and sympathizers with the enemy. Violence, riots and intimidation, often instigated by imperialistic members of the 118th Battalion, were not uncommon in the months leading up to the May 1916 referendum on the issue.

A majority of Berliners did chose to opt for a new name and by early summer the search for a new city moniker was on. A special committee was set-up by the city council with the express purpose to suggest possible names. On September 1, 1916, the name of Kitchener was officially adopted after the late Lord Kitchener.

Horatio Kitchener was appointed Secretary for War by the British Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith, at the beginning of the Great War. His image, beckoning recruits with an outward stare and finger pointed, was immortalized on Alfred Leete’s dramatic poster “Britons Want You!” Kitchener had drowned earlier in 1916, when the ship he was travelling on hit a mine near the Orkney Islands. It would be next to impossible for citizens of the new Kitchener to be considered unpatriotic.

Nonetheless, some Canadians did not readily adopt the new name for Berlin. The Post Office had to issue memoranda, reminding correspondents that there was no city in Ontario named Berlin. The issue was so contentious that several Canadian municipalities petitioned the Dominion Government to force those who did not comply to use the name Kitchener. Although ludicrous to modern eyes, the whole issue of a name for Berlin highlights the effects that fear, hatred and nationalism can have upon a society in the face of war.

.....and this might well be the last interesting thing to happen in my home town!

A Hudson Bay Company ship flying the Union Jack once landed on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay to effect repairs and hoisted the Union Jack over the island effectively making San Francisco Bay the southernmost outpost of Canada for the time.

Scared the crap out of the Spanish, I might add.

Well, I live on Fessenden Falls, a beautiful place where Reginald Fessendend (The man who, more or less, invented the radio) lived. I used to live in his house actualy, but we sold it to a friend of the family who moved it up the street. I still visit it often. We live there now, but in a much bigger house. My parents got the land because they were friends with his grand-children, and we got the land, Fessenden Falls (A BEAUTIFUL place to swim and fish) aswell as the surrounding forest lands. Truely one of the most beautiful lands in Canada.

William Green, traditionally known as "Billy Green the Scout", was born on February 4, 1794 in Saltfleet Township, Upper Canada. His father, Adam Green, a New Jersey Loyalist, fought in the American Revolution and after the war ended moved his family to Stoney Creek. He received a land grant of 300 acres near the top of the escarpment and in about 1792 established a flour mill. Billy was the eleventh and last child born to Adam and Martha Green. His mother died a year or so after his birth and Billy was raised by his oldest sister.

Traditionally he was known as the first white child born in the area. He grew up to be adventurous and a natural woodsman. During the War of 1812, Billy and his brother Levi scouted the movement of the American troops in the area. From his brother-in-law, Isaac Corman, who had been a temporary prisoner of the Americans, Billy learned the American password .... "Wil-Hen-Har".

Billy took this information to the British troops that were stationed at Burlington Heights. With this information and along with prior knowledge gleaned by their own scouts, the British decided on a night attack on the American encampment in Stoney Creek. Because of Billy's knowledge of the terrain, he led the British soldiers on their three-hour march to confront the American troops.

The short but fierce night battle that ensued on June 6, 1813, was the Battle of Stoney Creek. The result was a major British victory and the Americans retreated.

Bytown(which became Ottawa) is a few years older than Canada itself....

Well Oshawa/Whitby history has camp X

I win

Laura Secord's father ran a pub in Port Credit

I am from Fort McMurray Alberta, born in Edmonton, but raised in the Fort. The history there is so rich, all the major fur traders have passed through. Sir Alexander MacKenzie, Peter Pond, Arctic explorers.

Fort McMurray was settled by the natives long before the white men appeared. The townsite first appeared in a primitive form sometime in the 1600's, but didn't become a bustling place until the 1800's. It sits on the convergence of two major rivers, the Athabasca, which flows out of the Rockies and is Canada's widest river, and the Clearwater which flows into Saskatchewan. Peter Pond was the first white man to come to the area in 1778 which kick started the whole fur trade industry in the area.

Fort Chipewyan, which lies to the north is Alberta's OLDEST settled community.

Oil was first discovered in 1790 by Sir Alexander Mackenzie, who left the area in pursuit of finding the Pacific coast. However, the natives used the oil long before as waterproofing their canoes, so who knows when it was actually FIRST discovered.

So much history.

Abbotsford is home to the first Sikh temple built in North America (I can't remember exactly when it was built, but I know it was in the first decade of the 20th century).