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History

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Main article: History of Hamilton, Ontario

In pre-colonial times, the Neutral Indians occupied most of the land but were gradually driven out by the Five (later Six) Nations or Iroquois. The Iroquois were allied with the British against the Huron and their French allies. A member of the Iroquois Confederacy provided the route and name for Mohawk Road, which originally included King street in the lower city.

The town of Hamilton was conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812.[1] Nathaniel Hughson, a property owner to the north, cooperated with George Hamilton to prepare a proposal for a courthouse and jail on Hamilton's property. Hamilton offered the land to the crown for the future site. James Durand, the local Member of the British Legislative Assembly, was empowered by Hughson and Hamilton to sell property holdings which later became the site of the town. As he had been instructed, Durand circulated the offers at York during a session of the Legislative Assembly and a new Gore District was established of which the Hamilton town site was a member. As such, Hamilton's future seemed to be shaped by a private collaboration of Hamilton, Hughson and Durand.[1]

Initially the Town of Hamilton was not the most important centre of the Gore District. A permanent jail was not constructed until 1832 when a cut-stone design was completed on one of the two squares created in 1816, Prince's Square.[1] Subsequently, the first police board and the town limits were defined by statute on February 13 1833.[2] Official City status was achieved on June 9 1846.[3]

Two other important events took place in Hamilton in 1846. The first telegraph wire in Canada is strung between Hamilton and Toronto on December of 1846.[4] Secondly; The Hamilton Spectator newspaper was born. (still going strong today in January 2007).[5] The following year in 1847 Colin Campbell Ferrie became Hamilton's first Mayor.[6]

Downtown Hamilton at Gore Park
A Winton driven by John Moodie

The Great Western Railway (Ontario) became Hamilton’s first functioning railway in 1854. Completion of this railway and the Niagara Suspension Bridge transformed Hamilton into a major centre and part of the American immigration route from New York or Boston to Chicago or Milwaukee.[6]

Some other noteworthy events shaped Hamilton's early years. The Grand Lodge of Canada was formed in Hamilton on 10 November 1855.[7] In 1874, the Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) began offering horse-drawn public transportation.[8][9] In 1884 The Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway was incorporated.[4] In 1894 Hamilton Herald newspaper and cigar store owner Billy Carroll established the Around the Bay Road Race. Although it is not a proper marathon, it eventually becomes the longest continuously held long distance foot race in North America.[6] In 1898 The first automobile driven in Canada was by textile manufacturer John Moodie; A one-cylinder Winton he imported from Cleveland. John Moodie was also one of the founders of Canada's automobile club, the Hamilton Automobile Club, which was founded in 1903 when there were 18 cars in town. By 1920, there were 6,000 and Hamilton's ratio of one car for every 15 people was higher than that of New York, Chicago, Boston or Toronto.[10]

In 1922 CKOC radio station started up. Today it is the oldest radio station in English Canada; second oldest overall. On the air since May 1, 1922.[11] Then in 1927 CHML began operations as a response to censorship of political discussions by Hamilton's first radio station, CKOC. The original owners were Maple Leaf Radio Company, and the "HML" in the callsign stood for "Hamilton Maple Leaf". Today (January 2007) it is the flagship radio station of Hamilton.[10]

1930 was a huge year for Hamilton. The first British Empire Games - now the Commonwealth Games - were held in Hamilton in 1930 as a result of the efforts of Melville Marks Robinson.[12] McMaster University moved to Hamilton from Toronto in 1930.[13] Also in 1930, Besha Starkman (the wife of bootlegger/ gangster Rocco Perri) was murdered on 13 August, 1930.[13] The following year in 1931 Canada's first birth control clinic starts up in Hamilton, as the advocates of birth control, led by Mary (Chambers) Hawkins, the American wife of a prominent city executive, and aided by some of Hamilton society's leading women, it aimed to meet the needs of people whose health and family lives suffered tremendously during the Great Depression.[13] Hamilton's Ray Lewis captures Bronze medal at 1932 Summer Olympics in L.A. (Track & Field), becoming the very first Canadian-born Black Olympic medalist.[12] As war clouds gathered over Europe, Britain decided to shore up its support in the Dominions by having a royal visit to Canada. When King George VI and his consort Queen Elizabeth visited Canada in May and June of 1939, they stopped in Hamilton and also opened up the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Expressway).[14]

The end of the streetcar era in Hamilton came in the early hours of April 6, 1951 when the Belt Line route was abandoned, car 519 making the last revenue run. Even though it no longer operated on railway tracks, the name Hamilton Street Railway continued to be used, and is still used today.[8][9] In 1954 CHCH TV began broadcasting as a CBC affiliate from a transmitter located at 481 First Road West in Stoney Creek. At the time, all private stations were required to be CBC affiliates.[15] Then in 1961 CHCH disaffiliated from the CBC and became an independent TV station.[15] The Burlington Bay James N. Allan Skyway, originally called the Burlington Bay Skyway Bridge and referred to locally as simply the Skyway Bridge, is located in Hamilton and Burlington. The Skyway, as it locally known, is part of the Queen Elizabeth Expressway (freeway) linking Fort Erie with Toronto in Ontario. The first bridge was completed in 1958.[16]

Four well known Canadian businesses started in Hamilton. First, In 1847, Hugh Cossart Baker, Sr. establishes the first life insurance company in Canada; the Canada Life Assurance Company.[6] second, in 1934 Hamilton is the birthplace of Canadian Tire Corporation. Two brothers John W. Billes and Alfred J. Biles with a combined savings of $1,800, buy Hamilton Tire and Garage Ltd. and rename it "Canadian Tire" because it sounds big. (1934-first official associate store opens up in Hamilton Ontario).[10] Third, In 1956 Hamilton was the birthplace of the Pioneer gas station. November 29, 1956, on Upper James street. Today (January 2007) there are over 140 locations across Ontario (8% market share in Ontario) making it one of Canada's largest independent gasoline retailers.[10] Fourth, Hamilton became the birthplace of the Tim Hortons chain in 1964. The original store ("Store #1") still operates on Ottawa Street.[17]

  1. ^ a b c Weaver, John C. (1985). Hamilton: an illustrated history. James Lorimer & Company, Publishers. pp. "15-16". ISBN 0-88862-593-6 cloth. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help); Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  2. ^ Statutes of Upper Canada, 1833 3° William IV pg. 58-68. Chapter XVII An act to define the Limits of the Town of Hamilton, in the District of Gore, and to establish a Police and Public Market therein.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference 1846est was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "Chronolgy of the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Ontario". Retrieved 2007-01-09. Cite error: The named reference "headlake" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ "United Province of Canada Timeline Canadian Encyclopedia". Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  6. ^ a b c d Bailey, Thomas Melville (1981). Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol I, 1791-1875). W.L. Griffin Ltd. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Unknown parameter |pg= ignored (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  7. ^ "Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario". Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  8. ^ a b "Transit History in Hamilton, Ontario". Retrieved 2007-01-07.
  9. ^ a b "Hamilton Transit History". Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  10. ^ a b c d "The Hamilton Memory Project;" (Press release). The Hamilton Spectator- Souvenir Edition page MP38. Saturday June 10, 2006. {{cite press release}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help) Cite error: The named reference "memproj" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  11. ^ "CKOC Radio Official web site". Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  12. ^ a b ""Tigertown Triumphs"" (Press release). The Hamilton Spectator-Memory Project (Souvenir Edition) page MP56-MP68. 2006-06-10. {{cite press release}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help) Cite error: The named reference "memproj2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  13. ^ a b c Bailey, Thomas Melville (1992). Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol III, 1925-1939). W.L. Griffin Ltd. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Unknown parameter |pg= ignored (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  14. ^ Bessert, Christopher J. "Ontario Provincial Highways, 400-427 + QEW". Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  15. ^ a b "CH TV Hamilton History". Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  16. ^ "History of the James N. Allan Skyway Bridge". Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  17. ^ "Tim Horton's Official History" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-01-10.
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