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Camp Borden
Camp Borden was established during the First World War as a major training centre of Canadian Expeditionary Force battalions. The Camp (including this structure) was officially opened by Sir Sam Hughes, Minister of Militia and Defence, on July 11, 1916, after two months of intensive building. This military reserve, comprising over twenty square miles, was soon occupied by some 32,000 troops. Training facilities were expanded in 1917 with the institution of an air training program... -
Captain James Keating, R.A.
Here stood the residence of Captain Keating. Born about 1786 in Wexford, Ireland, he joined the Royal Artillery and was present at the capture of Detroit, 1812, and the Battle of Crysler's Farm, 1813. At Prairie du Chien in 1814, his skilful use of the single British cannon forced the surrender of Fort Shelby's American garrison. Appointed Fort Adjutant at St. Joseph's Island in 1815, he later served on Drummond Island, and with its garrison... -
Penetanguishene
The Attignawantan ("Bear Nation") of the Huron confederacy occupied the Penetanguishene peninsula prior to their dispersal in 1649 by the Iroquois. In 1793, Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe chose Penetanguishene as the terminus of a military route from Toronto. Construction of a naval base began in 1814. British troops were transferred here in 1828 when Drummond Island was returned to the United States. With them came families of French-Canadian voyageurs and Métis. George Gordon, Dédin Révol and Dr... -
Penetanguishene Road, The
The course of this road from Kempenfeldt Bay to the site of Penetanguishene was first surveyed by Samuel Wilmot in 1811. Dr. William (Tiger) Dunlop supervised its construction in the fall of 1814 and, although frequently impassable for heavy loads, it served for many years as a supply route to the garrison at Penetanguishene. Under a system of free grants, most of the land immediately adjacent to the road was settled 1819-1830. -
Rama Indian Reserve
In 1830, Sir John Colborne, lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada (1828-1836), settled several nomadic bands of Indians on a reserve stretching along the portage between the Atherley Narrows and Georgian Bay. They were placed under the superintendency of Captain Thomas Gummersall Anderson. The Ojibwa (Chippewa) tribe, led by Chief William Yellowhead (Musquakie), were located at the Atherley Narrows. Pressure on the government by land-hungry white settlers forced the Indians, in 1836, to relinquish their holdings, and... -
Schooner Town
The Nottawasaga River formed part of a transportation link between Lake Ontario and the upper Great Lakes, which became a vitally important supply route to British western posts during the War of 1812. The base of operations for the Royal Navy's vessels on Lake Huron was located here at the foot of navigation on the river from 1815 to 1817. Buildings to house the base were erected in October 1815 by the ship's company of... -
Simcoe County Court House and Gaol
In 1837, the Simcoe District was established and authority was given for erecting a district court-house and gaol at Barrie. The gaol was begun in 1840, the courthouse a year later, and both were completed in 1842. An important county judicial and administrative centre, the courthouse was enlarged in 1877 and demolished in 1976. The gaol, designed by Thomas Young of Toronto and constructed of Lake Couchiching limestone by Charles Thompson, a builder and steamboat... -
Sir Byron Edmund Walker, C.V.O., LL.D., D.C.L. 1848-1924
Born in Haldimand County, Walker joined the new Canadian Bank of Commerce at an early age, transforming it into one of Canada's leading financial institutions. He helped to author the Bank Act, cornerstone of Canada's national banking system. By 1907, he was president of the Bank of Commerce, a position he held until 1924. Walker was also a generous patron of the arts, helping to found and nurture many of Canada's cultural and educational institutions... -
Sir William Mulock 1843-1944
William Mulock was born in Bond Head where his father practised medicine. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1863 and was called to the Bar in 1867. A strong proponent of university federation, Mulock served his Alma Mater successively as Senator and Vice-Chancellor 1873-1900 and became Chancellor in 1924. First elected to the House of Commons in 1882, he was Postmaster General in the Laurier cabinet 1896-1905. There, he introduced Imperial penny postage, the trans-Pacific cable and far-reaching labour legislation. Knighted in 1902, Sir William was Chief Justice of Ontario 1923-36. -
Sir William Osler 1849-1919
This famous physician and author, son of the Reverend Featherstone Osler, was born July 12, 1849 in the Anglican rectory near Bond Head. Here he lived until 1857. He taught medicine at some of the greatest schools of his day, including McGill, Johns Hopkins and Oxford. His lectures and writing revolutionized methods of medical instruction and measures to protect public health. Gaining world renown, he became known as the father of clinical medicine. -
St. James-on-the-Lines 1836
This garrison church was erected 1836-38 on the Penetanguishene military reserve. It was also attended by military pensioners and civilians since, until the 1870s, it housed the only Protestant congregation in the vicinity. Building funds were obtained largely through the exertions of the local naval commandant, Captain John Moberly, R.N. The first rector, Reverend Geo. Hallen, held the post for thirty-six years. Many of the community's pioneers and military leaders are buried in its cemetery. -
Scotch Settlement 1819, The
In 1815, some 140 Highland Scots from Lord Selkirk's Red River Settlement, disheartened by crop failures and the opposition of the North West Company, moved to Upper Canada. Transported in the Nor'Westers' canoes, they disembarked at Holland Landing in September. They found temporary employment in the Yonge Street settlements but, in 1819, many took up land in West Gwillimbury. In 1823, a Presbyterian congregation held services in a building on this site, which was replaced by a frame church in 1827. The present structure was completed in 1869. -
St. Thomas' Church 1838
This church is one of the few surviving structures in Ontario built of "rammed earth". This method of construction utilized wet clay mixed with chopped straw, compacted into forms and covered, when dry, with plaster or siding for protection against weather. Built in a plain, somewhat Romanesque style, the church was begun in 1838 and largely completed by 1841, although not officially opened until February 27, 1842. Lt.-Col. Edward O'Brien, leading member of the Shanty... -
Steamboating on Lake Simcoe
From the 1830s to the 1920s, steamboats played a significant role in developing the region around Lake Simcoe. They carried passengers, freight and mail to ports around the lake and hauled lumber to mills. As railways came to dominate regional transportation, steamboats catered increasingly to tourists and excursionists. The growing popularity of private motorboats contributed to their final decline in the 1920s. -
Naval and Military Establishments on Lake Huron
After visiting the area in 1793, Upper Canada's lieutenant-governor John Graves Simcoe recommended the establishment of naval facilities on the isolated Penetanguishene peninsula. This proposed base was to help guard the province against threats posed by the United States, although no military action occurred in Upper Canada until the War of 1812. In 1814, this site, with its deep and defensible harbour, began to be developed to secure British communications on the upper Great Lakes...