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• Royal Canadian Yacht Club, The
  The province's first sailing association, the Toronto Boat Club, was formed in 1852 and two years later became the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. Dedicated to the promotion of yachting and naval interests, it initiated competitions that stimulated widespread interest in sailing and yacht design, and in 1860, instituted the Prince of Wales Cup, freshwater racing's oldest trophy. The Club was housed on Toronto's waterfront until 1881 when it moved to Toronto Island. This move facilitated...

• Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, The
  The nearby waterway, a part of the first Welland Canal constructed in 1824-29, is the course used for the annual Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. Competitive rowing became popular in Canada during the 1860s and 1870s, and in 1880, the Canadian Association of Amateur Oarsmen was formed in Toronto. This body held an annual regatta for international oarsmen in various Canadian centres until, in 1903, Port Dalhousie was selected as the permanent site. This rowing event, inspired by the famous regatta held yearly at Henley-on-Thames in England, has become one of the largest in the world.

• Kenora Thistles, The
  In January 1907, a hockey team from Kenora, comprising E. Giroux (goal), A.H. Ross (point), S.I. Griffis (cover point), T. Hooper (rover), W. McGimsie (centre), R. Beaudro (right wing) and T. Phillips (captain and left wing), defeated the Montreal Wanderers in two challenge games at Montreal to win the Stanley Cup. The team was coached and trained by J.A. Link. The trophy, emblematic of the Canadian championship, had been presented by the Governor General, Baron Stanley of Preston, in 1892. Kenora is the smallest town ever to win the Cup.

• Flying Frenchmen, The
  Professional hockey was in its infancy in the autumn of 1909 when the promoters behind the National Hockey Association, forerunner of the National Hockey League, created the Montreal Canadiens team to attract French-Canadian spectators. Belleville-born Jean-Baptiste "Jack" Laviolette was hired as the playing-manager and captain. Laviolette signed Cornwall's Édouard "Newsy" Lalonde to play forward and recruited his friend Didier "Cannonball" Pitre from the Renfrew Creamery Kings ('Renfrew Millionaires') as a defenceman. This trio of francophone...

• Flying Frenchmen, The
  Professional hockey was in its infancy in the autumn of 1909 when the promoters behind the National Hockey Association, forerunner of the National Hockey League, created the Montreal Canadiens team to attract French-Canadian spectators. Belleville-born Jean-Baptiste "Jack" Laviolette was hired as the playing-manager and captain. Laviolette signed Cornwall's Édouard "Newsy" Lalonde to play forward and recruited his friend Didier "Cannonball" Pitre from the Renfrew Creamery Kings ('Renfrew Millionaires') as a defenceman. This trio of francophone...

• Flying Frenchmen, The
  Professional hockey was in its infancy in the autumn of 1909 when the promoters behind the National Hockey Association, forerunner of the National Hockey League, created the Montreal Canadiens team to attract French-Canadian spectators. Belleville-born Jean-Baptiste "Jack" Laviolette was hired as the playing-manager and captain. Laviolette signed Cornwall's Édouard "Newsy" Lalonde to play forward and recruited his friend Didier "Cannonball" Pitre from the Renfrew Creamery Kings ('Renfrew Millionaires') as a defenceman. This trio of francophone...

• Disappearing Propeller Boat, The
  Popularly known as the Dispro, or Dippy, this small boat was first built on this site in 1916 by the Disappearing Propeller Boat Company Limited. Also manufactured elsewhere in Ontario and briefly in the United States, more than 3,000 were built and sold around the world when production ceased in 1956. Boat builder W.J. Johnston Jr. and machinist Edwin Rogers invented a device that allowed the propeller and shaft to be retracted manually or automatically...

• Syl Apps (1915-1998)
  Born in Paris, Ontario in 1915, Charles Joseph Sylvanus "Syl" Apps was a professional hockey player, businessman and politician. Throughout his life, Apps displayed remarkable breadth in his abilities and accomplishments. He was a varsity football star and as a pole vaulter won two national championships and competed at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. During an extraordinary 10-season hockey career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Apps was renowned for his skill and impeccable sportsmanship. He was...

• "Ned" Hanlan 1855-1908
  One of Canada’s greatest oarsmen, Edward Hanlan was born in Toronto. As a child, he took up rowing when his family settled in this vicinity, now named Hanlan’s Point. Although standing only 5 feet 8 ¾ inches and rarely heavier than 150 pounds, he became a leading international sculler. In 1873, Hanlan won the amateur rowing championship of Toronto Bay. Becoming a professional in 1876, he defeated all opponents in the Philadelphia Races of that...

• Bobby Kerr 1882-1963
  Born in Ireland, Kerr came to Canada in 1887 with his parents who settled in Hamilton two years later. He earned civic recognition at the 1902 Coronation Games where he won sprint and middle distance races. His exceptionally quick start placed him in the forefront of Canadian sprinters and in 1907 he won some 40 events. His greatest feats, however, were accomplished in 1908 when he wont the 100 and 200 yards at the British...

• Canadian National Exhibition, The
  The second half of the 19th century was an era in which technological innovation brought rapid economic progress and social change. The spirit of the age was reflected in an annual fair that first opened on this site on September 5, 1879. Staged by the Industrial Exhibition Association of Toronto, it offered medals and prize money to encourage innovation and improvement in agriculture, manufacturing and the arts. The fair quickly became a popular attraction and a boon to the local economy. A national event since 1912, the CNE continues to showcase Canadian creativity and achievement.

• Fergus Curling Club, The
  The oldest continuously operating curling club in Ontario, the Fergus Curling Club was formed in 1834 by Scottish immigrants. At the organization's first formal meeting two years later Adam Fergusson, a founder of Fergus, was chosen president and the rules of play were established. Curling matches between local players and against rival clubs were held out of doors until 1879 when a covered rink was opened. No longer the exclusive preserve of Scots, curling became...

• "Cyclone" Taylor 1885-1979
  An outstanding hockey player, Frederick W. Taylor was born in Tara and began his amateur career with the Listowel juniors about 1901. His exceptional skating ability and irrepressible energy drew widespread attention to "whirlwind" (later "cyclone") Taylor and in 1905, in Michigan, he entered the International League, hockey's professional organization. Having joined the Canadian Civil Service in 1907, he continued to play with Ottawa and Renfrew teams, and soon confirmed his reputation as a brilliant...

• "Howie" Morenz 1902-1937
  An outstanding hockey player, Howard William Morenz was born in Mitchell. He began his career with the Mitchell Juveniles, 1917-18, and after his family moved to Stratford, he played with several teams there. His skilful play, characterized by exceptionally fast skating and intense concentration, brought the "Stratford Streak" offers from several professional teams, and in 1923 he joined the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League. His success was immediate and he remained in the...

• Development of Pelee Island, The
  The largest in a string of islands in the western end of Lake Erie, Pelee Island forms, together with nearby Middle Island, the southernmost portion of Canada. In 1788, it was leased to Thomas McKee, the son of an influential Indian Department official, by the Ojibwa and Ottawa nations. The island, whose name is derived from the French "pelée," meaning bare, remained largely undeveloped, however, until William McCormick purchased it in 1823. In 1868, it...

• Dr. James Naismith 1861-1939
  This is the boyhood home of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. Born in a house that formerly stood on this lot, he entered McGill University in 1883, where he was active in athletics. In 1890, Naismith graduated in theology from Presbyterian College, Montreal, and subsequently enrolled at the International YMCA Training School (now Springfield College) in Massachusetts. There was a need for a competitive team sport that could be played indoors during the winter...

• Renfrew Millionaires, The
  Local tycoon M.J. O'Brien launched a bid to bring the Stanley Cup to Renfrew in 1910 by offering hockey stars like Lester and Frank Patrick and "Cyclone" Taylor, extravagant salaries to play for the Renfrew Creamery Kings. The team was quickly nicknamed the "Millionaires". That season they played thrilling games against Cobalt, Haileybury, Ottawa and Montreal teams, but Renfrew's hopes were cashed when the Montreal Wanderer's took the cup. After the first world wars, the emergence of the National Hockey League signaled an end to small-town participation in big-league hockey.

• Tom Longboat 1886-1949
  An Onondaga from the Six Nations of the Grand River, Tom Longboat was one of the world's great long-distance runners. He ran his first race in Caledonia in 1905 and two years later shot to international attention with a record-breaking win in the Boston Marathon. He represented Canada in the 1908 Olympics. Hailed as professional world champion the following year, Longboat went on to set world records for 15- and 20-mile races. During the First...

• Tommy Burns
  Noah Brusso was born near Hanover in 1881. He took up professional boxing under the name of Tommy Burns, and although standing only 5 feet 7 inches and rarely heavier than 170 pounds, was a leading heavyweight. In 1906 by defeating Marvin Hart, he became the first Canadian to win the heavyweight championship of the world. Defeated by Jack Johnson in Australia in 1908 he did not retire from boxing until 1920. Brusso's methods of training were used by later athletes, and he wrote a book on scientific boxing. He died in Vancouver in 1955.