The Visual Past

Fort York

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:49:35 +0000

Fort York was built in 1793 to fend of an anticipated American invasion. But when it failed to materialize the fort fell into disrepair only to be rebuilt in the face of mounting tensions before the onset of the 1812 war.

Immigration Overview

admin — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 02:13:14 +0000

The first Europeans in the Americas had few advantages over the native people. Their guns were rudimentary. Their ships were small. Their knowledge of how to survive in the North American wilderness was so limited that most of the early colonies failed.

It has been estimated that over half the native population in the Americas died within a few decades of the arrival of Europeans, but not from conquest. Instead, new diseases swept across the land leaving behind the illusion that it was largely uninhabited.

Imported Victorian Children

admin — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:58:01 +0000

Homelessness and poverty were issues in Victorian England that many charities sought to alleviate. One response was homes for homeless children. But soon, many of these kids were being forced to emigrate to the colonies where they worked as child labour.

Ste. Marie Among the Hurons

admin — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:18:50 +0000

Ste. Marie was the first European settlement in Ontario.

More than 60 Frenchmen, or 1/5 of the total population of New France lived there at one time or another.

Some 1200 km (800 miles) of rough forest separated the mission from the rest of New France and the only access was by canoe and foot.

German Company Tract

admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:50:16 +0000

The Militia Act exempting Quakers, Mennonites and Trunkers from military service as pacifists was key to attracting settlers to south-central Ontario in the early to mid 1800s.

Murder in Dawson City

admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:44:10 +0000

Justice in Dawson City during the gold rush was often complicated by the many nationalities represented among the miners. Americans, Crow and Canadians dominated the scene but this was the frontier. Policing was stretched and most of the people who lived in the area were there for only one purpose: gold!

Eldorado Gold Mines

admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:42:30 +0000

The discovery of pitchblende in Canada's barren north led to a small but profitable mining industry capitalizing on the value of radium and uranium to the medical and armaments industries. By 1959 uranium was the most profitable metallic mineral mining industry in the country.

Quebec – Montreal: St Joseph’s Oratory

admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:38:14 +0000

In 1904 St. Joseph's Oratory was a wooden shack where Brother André prayed. It's now a monumental building whose spire forms the highest point in Montreal, where miracles are performed and pilgrims climb it's 283 steps on their knees, begging for intercession.

Overview – New France

admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:37:19 +0000

The first French settlements in North America took place in a context of European expansion. French fishermen and traders joined the Portuguese, English, and Dutch in exploiting the wealth of furs, fish and timber recently discovered along the western fringe of the Atlantic.

Ontario – Brantford: Mohawk Chapel

admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:35:42 +0000

St. Pauls is the 1st Protestant chapel in Ontario. Located in Brantford, it served the Mohawk nation. It contains 6 exquisite stained glass windows.