Don't Try This at Home

William Dunlop, portrait by James Bowman, 1834
Royal Ontario Museum

Many people today are of the opinion that the Victorians (or anyone living in the 19th century) were a stodgy and serious group of people concerned only with discipline, morality, and wearing too many layers of clothing. This is not true (at least not entirely). Bawdy jokes, hoaxes, cartoons, and pranks were incredibly popular - especially amongst those with a little more time on their hands...

The man pictured here once stood inside a shop in Goderich, and asked a group of newly arrived settlers to each hand him some nails from a nearby barrel. If you were one of these settlers you might think this was some sort of symbolic gesture - nails for building a new home in a new land, etc. So you line up and reach into the barrel, as these settlers did, only to discover that this gentleman, William Dunlop, a respected doctor, 1812 war veteran, journalist, and Warden of  Woods and Forests for the Canada Company, has teamed up with a friend to place a porcupine inside. Surprise!

This is pranking, 19th century style, and this wasn't the first or last time that Mr. Dunlop took part in a little schadenfreude. He once caused a fellow Canada Company official to be thrown from his horse in the woods after he, and the same accomplice from the porcupine incident, spooked it by howling like wolves. (Said official later recuperated with the dedicated care and attention of Mr. Dunlop and his liquor cabinet).

Porcupines are found all across
Canada, and are generally not con-
sidered to be, by any means, cuddly.

Sources
Royal Ontario Museum 2014, Images
Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online 2014, "Dunlop, William"
Huron County Museum 2014, "Gairbraid"

Further Reading
History Today 2014, "Victorian Jokes: The best in 19th-century humour"
Today I Found Out 2014, "The Greatest Practical Joke of the 19th Century: The Berners Street Hoax"
If you'd really like to get into the subject of Victorian honour, you can always take a course at the University of Edinburgh, "We Are [Not] Amused: Victorian Comic Literature"

Curling

Curling was a popular winter sport brought over to Canada by early Scottish settlers. Many settlements in Upper Canada had their own curling clubs, some of which exist to this day. Below is a wonderfully bucolic scene of a curling match in Toronto, circa 1836.



Curling on the Don River, Toronto, Watercolour c. 1836, Artist Unknown

Library and Archives Canada

Sources

Library and Archives Canada 2014, "Curling into Canada"
Galt Curling Club 2014, "History of the Galt Curling Club, 175 years and going strong"
Nancy B. Bouchier's 2003 For the Love of the Game

Further Reading
Canadian Curling Association 2014, "History or Curling"

Shopping in Shade's Mills

For the early settlers arriving and establishing themselves in Shade's Mills/Galt, there were but a few options when it came to purchasing the goods they needed and/or wanted.


Excerpt from James Young's Reminiscences of Galt, Page 54

The first option was to visit the combined home/general store of Absalom Shade and his second wife, Isabella. This two-storey log home was the first to be built in the new settlement (c.1816), and was located near the corner of Main and Water streets. (Young, 31) By the following year a blacksmith's shop had opened, thus providing the necessary materials and equipment for life on a farm. Mr. Shade was able to secure for himself a bit of a monopoly for his general store, and later increased his trade in 1824 with the opening of a second and larger shop, known as the Red store. (Young, 48) With a promise from William Dickson that no land would be sold to anyone else wishing to construct or operate a shop, Shade was able to comfortably grow his personal fortune.

Nearly a decade later, Mr. Shade added the 'White store' to his holdings (c.1832). Different from the Red store which conducted business in credit or barter, the White store worked in cash. (Young, 109) There was also now a hatter in the village, as well as a tavern, and a hotel. As the population of Dumfries township and surrounding areas grew, so to did competition. In neighbouring Preston, and in Waterloo, shops were able to offer goods at lower prices. The construction of roads, relative ease of transport (as compared to the previous decades), growing industry in other larger towns, and increased demand for "luxury" items encouraged businessmen to open up new enterprises.* By 1838 a former pedlar had opened a shop in the heart of Galt, and Shade's monopoly was effectively broken.

Sources

Black Sheet Iron Money Box, c.1830-1850

Dictionary of Canadian Biography 2014, "Shade, Absalom"James Young's 1880, Reminiscences of the early history of Galt
McCalla, Douglas. “Retailing in the Countryside: Upper Canadian General Stores in the Mid-Nineteenth Century”. In Business and Economic History, Winter 1997; 26, 2. Pages 393-403.

Further Reading
For more information on the credit and barter systems, you can check out a previous blog post here.
W. Hamish Fraser's 1981 The Coming of the Mass Market,1850-1914. 

Michael Gonder Scherck's 1905 Early Pioneer Life in Upper Canada.

* It has been shown that villages/towns with populations over 500 tend to see the growth of specialised shops. For example, rather than visiting a general store for items you might need, you can visit the shoemaker, the harness shop, the carpenter, or the grocer's separately. Ideally, these specialised shops would be able to offer you more selection, and possibly better prices. (McCalla)

Huron County Museum

Central School, constructed in 1856

A few weeks ago I happily seized upon an opportunity to visit the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol in Goderich, Ontario. This was my first visit to the museum, though once inside I felt right at home. The permanent exhibits focus on development - development of the Huron Tract from forests to farms to thriving modern communities; development of agricultural technology and methods over the past two hundred-plus years; and the development of the people from settlers to soldiers, and from farmers to Victorian and Edwardian fashionistas.

1913 Steam Locomotive

The settlement of Goderich is a product of the Canada Company (at that time headed by John Galt), and it's Warden of the Woods and Forests, William "Tiger" Dunlop. Founded in 1827, and linked by a "muddy sleigh track" to Guelph by the following year, it became a popular destination for early British settlers. By its incorporation date in 1850, it had amassed a population of about 800 people. Today, the town of Goderich is home to 7,500.

The Huron County Museum is located near the radial core of Goderich, and is housed within a former schoolhouse (c.1856) and a large, modern addition (c.1989). The layout of the museum is such that it keeps you guessing what might be around the next corner. As I zigzagged through each space, I was constantly surprised and delighted at what I found. Particular exhibits of interest were the replica settlers' cabin (displaying the conditions in which early settlers lived), and of course the Huron County Main Street (for a little 19th century window shopping).

Two-Headed Calf

Finding Goderich and the museum is easy. When I give friends directions I always like to say that if you've driven into Lake Huron, you've gone too far. The museum itself has incredibly friendly staff, and the low admission includes your own audio guide. On your way out you can visit their gift shop and take home some very unique items - like the two-headed calf toy pictured here (they have a taxidermy specimen in the reception area that has become popular with adults and children alike). I would recommend the Huron County Museum to anyone, at any time of year. In the summer you can head out to the beach after your visit, or in the winter you can enjoy a snowy drive and Christmas shopping in the "prettiest town in Canada".

Sources
Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol Online
Hilary Stead 2002, Guelph: A People's Heritage 1827-2002
You can get a head-start by taking a look at the museum's floor plan, here.
Huron County Museum Blog, 2014

Further Reading
Ontario's West Coast 2010, "Huron History"
Immigrants to Canada, "Letters Collected by the Canada Company, to Encourage Emigration 1842" Many of these letters reference the road between Guelph and Goderich; its condition, construction, and uses.

Ugh, Women Settlers

The following in an excerpt from Anna Brownell Jameson's Winter Studies and Summer Rambles in Canada. First published in 1838, Jameson's travel diary takes readers on a journey through a pre-rebellion Upper Canada. Making stops in Toronto, Niagara, St. Catherine's, London, and up Lake Huron to Manitoulin Island, Jameson writes about her thoughts and interactions with the people and places making up the colony.

"He said he should be quite happy here, were it not for his wife, who fretted and pined continually after her 'home.'
'But,' said I, 'surely wherever you are, is her home, and she ought to be happy where she sees you getting on better, and enjoying more of comfort and independence than you could have hoped to obtain in the old country.'
'Well, yes,' said he, hesitatingly; 'and I can't say but that my wife is a good woman: I've no particular fault to find with her; and it's very natural she should mope, for she has no friend or acquaintance, you see, and she doesn't take to the people, and the ways here; and at home she had her mother and sister to talk to; they lived with us, you see. Then, I'm out all day long, looking after my business, and she feels quite lonely like, and she's crying when I come back - and I'm sure I don't know what to do!'
The case of this poor fellow with his discontented wife is no unfrequent occurrence in Canada; and among the better class of settlers the matter is worse still, the suffering more acute, and of graver consequences.
I have not often in my life met with contented and cheerful-minded women, but I never met with so many repining and discontented women as in Canada. I never met with one woman recently settled here, who considered herself happy in her new home and country: I had heard of one, and doubtless there are others, but they are the exceptions to the general rule. Those born here, or brought here early by their parents and relations, seemed to me very happy, and many of them had adopted a sort of pride in their new country, which I liked very much. There was always a great desire to visit England, and some little airs of self-complacency and superiority in those that had been there, though for a few months only; but all, without a single exception, returned with pleasure, unable to forego the early habitual influences of their native land.
...

Anna Brownell Jameson
calotype 1843-1848 by David Octavius Hill

I have observed that really accomplished women, accustomed to what is called the best society, have more resources here, and manage better, than some women who have no pretensions of any kind, and whose claims to social distnction could not have been great any where, but whom I found lamenting over themselves as if they had been so many exiled princesses"

I found this passage interesting for a couple of reasons. First, Jameson doesn't seem to understand the irony of her opinions. She herself was in an unhappy marriage that only after a few years ended in separation... a separation which allowed her to happily return to England. She critiques any lady who pines for home and family left behind, yet does the same herself in her diaries. She even goes so far as to say that being of the better classes makes the remembrance of home harder, presumably because they have more friends, family members, and luxuries to miss. I also like this passage as it reminds me of countless other (borderline humourous) accounts from this period of women critiquing women. We have always been our own harshest critics, but in the 19th century it really was made into an art form.

Anna had made her journey to the Canadas at the request of her husband, Robert Simpson Jameson, who had recently been appointed chief justice of Upper Canada and who had settled in Toronto. Unhappy in love and life, she travelled the southern portion of the province before returning to England the next year, in 1837.

Sources
Anna Brownell Jameson's 1838, Winter Studies and Summer Rambles in Canada.

Lands in Upper Canada

Clicking on the image below with enable you to zoom in on this advertisement for settlement, printed in 1835 in London, England.

Some excerpts from the advertisement include:

"The ordinary baggage of Emigrants consists of their wearing apparel, with such bedding, and utensils for cooking, as may be required on the voyage, and any articles of clothing, not intended to be used at sea, ought to be packed in water-tight cases or trunks, not exceeding eighty or ninety pounds in weight."

"The class of persons chiefly required in Upper Canada, and who, of course, will find it best suited to their purposes, are small Capitalists, Farmers, Mechanics, and Labourers."

Sources
Toronto Public Library Digital Archive 2014, "Lands in Upper Canada"

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto is for me one of the most anticipated events of the year. While I'm not personally involved in any of the competitions, I can certainly appreciate good husbandry and perfect grooming when I see it. I can also appreciate any opportunity to get up close and personal with so many sheep and goats that I can't keep count.


Feeding the goats is definitely a
highlight for me each year

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair was given its Royal designation by King George V in 1920, and since 1922 it has been attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Over 300,000 people visited last year alone. The fair is home to a number of Agriculture Competitions, Horse Shows, and opportunities for people to learn about local agriculture through exhibitors, activities, and presentations. There are also a number of vendors selling everything from locally made cheeses and skeins of hand spun alpaca yarns to leather goods and gourmet honey. Many of the vendors come to the Royal each year, and I've made a habit of calling on my favourites each time I visit. My perennial favourites include The Upper Canada Cheese Company, Bouchard's Poutinery, and Tandy Leather.



2009 ad for The Royal (One of my favourites)

I will admit that with all the wonderful exhibits and vendors, I still make a bee-line to the petting zoo. I love visiting the goats and sheep and getting to interact with them. For a couple dollars you can buy a cup of food for them to nibble out of your hand. Some of the larger goats can get a bit pushy, but they're hungry too, and I try to make sure to spread the wealth. The petting zoo area is also home of some gorgeous rare breed show birds, such as Cayuga Ducks, African Geese, and Sebastopol Geese.

Admission can be a bit high for some ($24 per adult), but there is a way around it. It isn't advertised on their website, but if you visit the Royal after 4:00pm, admission is 2-for-1. Most of the competitions and horse riding events happen during the day, so you will miss out on those, but you will also miss out on the 18,000+ school children that visit each year (they're usually back on their busses by 3:00pm).

This year the Royal runs from November 7-16, so check it out!

Sources
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair 2014 Website

Further Reading
Farmers Feed Cities 2014 Website
Ontario Beekeeper's Association 2014 Website

John Galt and the Elgin Marbles

This is an example of one of those times when I've very audibly (and embarrassingly) shouted "NO way!" while doing research. This is also an example which proves just how small and interconnected our world really is. It's the story of how many of the Elgin Marbles came incredibly close to being known to us today as the Galt Marbles.

Portion of the east side of the Parthenon pediment,
on display at the British Museum

John Galt was doing what any 19th century man of his means would do when under the weather, or otherwise evading creditors or looking for distraction; tour the continent. He left London in 1809, and by 1811 had found himself in Italy and in Greece. The Mediterranean was a popular place at the time, especially for Romantic poets and writers eager for inspiration from the "East". Lord Byron, one of Galt's contemporaries and sometimes travel companion, was also in Greece at this time. It is Galt's connection to Byron that introduces him to the world of opportunistic art sales.

In his book Byron and Scotland: Radical or Dandy, Angus Calder describes Byron's friendship with Signore Luseri, an Italian Agent and artist-in-residence in Athens for Lord Elgin. Luseri had been working with Elgin for almost a decade in Greece on the documentation and eventual removal of the Parthenon sculptures to Britain. Despite Byron's protests that such removals of ancient artefacts were tantamount to rape,  he continued his friendship with Luseri.


It is during the second shipment of the marble statues out of Athens that John Galt becomes involved to the point where his morals are set firmly aside.  He learns from Luseri that Elgin is having financial issues, and may be unable to pay the freight (the cost of the ship, etc.) when it arrives in Malta. The ship would then of course confiscate its cargo in lieu of payment, and deal with the sculptures as the captain sees fit. Galt is not the only one to hear of this desperate news, however, for the French as also keen to add to their collection.

Monsieur Favelle, the French Consul in Athens, had been instructed to remove any and all possible works of antiquity from Greece and supply them to the Musee Napoleon (the Louvre) for permanent and glorious display. Upon hearing of Elgin's money woes, Favelle sees a chance to seize the shipload and claim the pieces for the Emperor. Galt decides (aboard the very ship that the marbles are travelling on) that he will pay the freight, save the day for Britain, and make a tidy sum for himself once he sells the cargo to eager and illustrious buyers in London.

John Galt, from his Autobiography in 1833

The plan could have worked wonderfully. The British Museum could now be in possession of the Galt Marbles, as well as the Elgin Marbles. Galt could have been an even wealthier man - would he have spent those funds creating more settlements in Upper Canada? Luseri, however, was a man of business and persuasion. He managed to alleviate the debts of Elgin in Malta and retain possession of the Greek artefacts; eventually sending them all the way to Britain. Galt was admittedly conflicted by this outcome. While he was saddened by the loss of fortune and fame that the sculptures would bring him back home, he was also steadfast in his agreement with Byron that the works were taken wrongfully in the first place.

Sources
The British Museum 2014, "What are the 'Elgin Marbles'?"
John Galt's 1833, The Autobiography of John Galt
Angus Calder's 1989, Byron and Scotland: Radical or Dandy?
Ozlem Caykent's 2010, "John Galt's Travels"

Further Reading
Encyclopaedia Britannica 2014, "Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin"
Biography.com 2014, "Lord Byron Biography"
Metropolitan Museum of Art 2014, "Romanticism"

Making Butter

Jean-Francois Millet's 1855
"Woman Churning Butter"
Metropolitan Museum of Art

And now the dairy claims her choicest care,

And half her household find employment there;

Slow rolls the Churn; its load of cloging cream

At once foregoes its quality and name,

From knotty particles first floating wide,

Congealing butter's dashed from side to side;

New milk around, through flowing coolers stray

And snow-white Curd abounds, and wholesome whey;

(excerpt from Robert Bloomfield's The Farmer's Boy, written in 1800)

Sources

Robert Bloomfield's 1800, The Farmer's Boy

Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Robert Bloomfield"
Henry Stephens quotes this passage in his chapter on the making of butter and cheese in The Book of the Farm, Volume III published in 1844

Further Reading

The Metropolitan Museum of Art 2014, "Woman Churning Butter"

Collections Canada 2006 "Women and Their Work in Upper Canada" by Jane Errington
Nick Mika et al, 2000 Black Creek Pioneer Village: Toronto's Living History Village, read page 25 on the process of making butter in the early 19th century

The Credit, Barter, and Three-Way Systems of Payment

Let's pretend you're living with your family in Upper Canada in the first half of the nineteenth century. You own a productive farm, and keep sheep and chickens in addition to various crops such as apples, wheat, and barley. Life is good - you have everything you need. One day while in the village, you pass by the General Store and lo and behold there's a window full of things you want: Fabrics for making new clothes for the family, spices to make just about everything taste better, and tools that will make farm work easier. Remember, life is good, and you decide to head in to the store. After a few of your items have been wrapped in paper, the shopkeeper gives you the total. How are you going to pay for these luxuries? 

Responding to the needs of their customers, and accepting of the fact that currency was scarce in most rural communities, shopkeepers offered many of their goods on credit. (Fraser, 86) The prices of purchased goods were noted in an account book (ledger) or on a bill.  From time to time, most customers paid all or part of that bill by service, cash or trade.  In order for the credit-based system to work, not only did the customers have to be honest, trustworthy and able to pay off their debts in a timely fashion, but the shop owner had to be equally as honest, trustworthy, and able to bear the various debts of often an entire village.  In many cases, the shop owner was a man in good circumstances and was able to wait until sales of crops or livestock enabled farmers to pay for items purchased throughout the year.

Crysler's Store, Upper Canada Village
Morriston Ontario

A shop could quite easily fail due to bad debts, or the inability of the store owner to collect in a timely manner.  Collection of debts could be tricky for the shop owner.  If he came on too strong, he would lose the customer (and the money). If he was too lenient, he might end up out of business, unable to pay his own debts. Opening a store where family and neighbourly ties are stronger was an effective way to stay in business.  By knowing his customers on a more intimate level, the credit system had a better chance of succeeding. (Fleming, 141) The shop owner could appeal to his friends (who presumably wished him to succeed) to pay off their debts, and could visit them with a kindly reminder when they did not.  Knowing your customers had another advantage, for it allowed the shop owner to “avoid sales to those who would not pay, and to increase sales, especially of goods that carried the highest mark-up, to those most likely to pay”. (McCalla, 401)

There were a number of ways in which a family or individual could repay the store owner for items purchased on credit.  The three most popular methods include payment through service or labour; delayed payment using cash, or payment through trade.  Payment through service or labour included for example, splitting and piling wood for the shop owner, lending the shop owner a horse or ox for a project, or lending skills such as blacksmithing, etc. (Fleming, 127-129) Payment using cash occurred whenever the family or individual had some to spare – usually in the fall of each year, after the “threshing” or the “killing”. (Sherck) It was also not uncommon for the shop owner to institute a monthly collection whereby accounts were required to be settled by the end of each calendar month.

Some debts could be repaid by trading in chickens, eggs, or butter.  In October 1861, James Watson, a shop owner in Lindsay advertised through the local newspaper that he would accept “all kinds of country produce” as payment. (Fleming, 26) A Manilla shop owner, Adam Gordon, also advertised that he would purchase “Wheat, Pork, and other farm produce, at the Highest Market Prices”. (Fleming, 26) Payment through trade was extremely common, but must not be confused with pure bartering.  Each object (usually by weight) had a dollar amount attached to it, and customers did not, for example, simply trade eggs for tea.  Every transaction was entered into the ledgers, and one dollar’s worth of tea must be offset by at least one dollar’s worth of eggs.

There were also many instances where arrangements were made between businesses which allowed for labourers to be paid in credit to the local general store or to a trade, eliminating the need for workers to handle cash:  “Every builder or contractor made an arrangement with the various trades and stores for a line of credit, by which they could pay their workman as much of their wages as possible with the smallest amount of cash.” (Guillet, 240) Worker’s wives would then go and pick up items from the store as needed without the requirement for currency to exchange hands.  The items purchased would simply be deducted from the credit provided by the employer. Likewise, the Three-Way System involved little to no exchange of money.  For example “In Glencarin, Ontario (west of Barrie), millworkers paid for their laundry indirectly. Storekeeper and mill owner M.N. Stephens would deduct a dollar or two from wages and enter that amount as a credit on the laundry woman’s account”. (Fleming, 138)

General Store Interior, Black Creek Pioneer Village
Toronto, Ontario

As communities grew, and the connections between shop owner and neighbour became more distant, the need for payment upfront and in cash increased.  Additionally, the amount of individuals travelling through the province and purchasing goods was also rising.  Itinerant purchasers could little be expected to be tracked down if they did not live in the area, and so they too were expected to pay in cash.  As the cost of some goods also increased, so too did the debts of the shop owners. (Fraser, 90) Eventually, the general store moved away from the credit, trade, and Three-Way systems and adopted the more streamlined cash system.

Sources

W. Hamish Fraser's 1981 The Coming of the Mass Market,1850-1914. 

Michael Gonder Scherck's 1905 Early Pioneer Life in Upper Canada. 

R.B. Fleming's 2002 General Stores of Canada:Merchants and Memories. 

Edwin C. Guillet's 1934 Toronto, from Trading Post to Great City. 

McCalla, Douglas. “Retailing in the Countryside: Upper Canadian General Stores in the Mid-Nineteenth Century”. In Business and Economic History, Winter 1997; 26, 2. Pages 393-403.

Mini Review: How the Scots Invented Canada

How the Scots Invented Canada is Ken McGoogan's biographical response to Arthur Herman's 2001 How the Scots Invented the Modern World. Rather than discussing larger themes that effect an international diaspora, McGoogan has opted to narrow the scope to (exactly 60) important Scottish individuals on the Canadian scene. There were a lot to choose from - 13 of our 22 prime ministers have Scottish heritage, not to mention the many explorers, settlers, inventors and visionaries up to present day.

"Early arrivals included explorers Alexander Mackenzie, Simon Fraser and the 'Scotch West Indian', James Douglas. Later, Scots such as Lord Selkirk and John Galt encouraged thousands to immigrate. Nation-builders followed, among them John A. Macdonald, James McGill and the reformer Nellie McClung. Then came the visionaries, Scottish Canadians such as Tommy Douglas, Doris Anderson and Marshall McLuhan, who have turned Canada into a nation that revels in diversity." (From the publisher)

My review of this book is a bit mixed, in that many of the things I find great about Scots are the same things that I dislike, or see as a failing. Maybe balanced is a better word? Here's what I mean:

One of the first things I'd noticed when I was flipping through the book at the store was the amount of archival images that McGoogan has included; portraits, photographs, ephemera, you name it. At the time I thought that was wonderful, and I continued to think that while I was reading until I realized that none of the source information for the images is included. Which archives is it from? Is it on display in a museum or gallery? Who painted that image? The best part about sharing information with others is the possibility that it might actually inspire them to want to learn more. With the lack of photograph/archives credits in Scots I feel like many people (myself included) will be left out in the cold.

This dearth of source information extends to the research as well. There are no footnotes or endnotes... only a suggested reading list in the appendix to let you know where McGoogan's facts might have come from. (I'm one of those people that love reading the footnotes; not just to check sources, but also for small anecdotes or related facts.) That being said, not all books have notes. Some books are not meant for an academic audience, but rather for a popular audience looking for an enjoyable and easy read.

The story-telling quality that McGoogan gives to his books is enjoyed so much that he was the recipient of the 2006 Pierre Berton Award for popularising Canadian history. Now, while I do enjoy McGoogan's more informal take on historic personalities and their contributions to Canadian society, I could do without the personal anecdotes of his own Scottish vacations and family connections. I don't think that these particular extras add to the reader's understanding of the book, and indeed at times made me feel like I had been tricked into watching a slideshow of someone else's vacation. That being said, I understand that many might find McGoogan's personal approach in this regard an accessible way to break into Canadian/Scottish history.

I would recommend this book to a casual reader with an interest in history - someone looking to increase their general knowledge in all things Canadian. As far as using the book for academic means, I would treat it the same way I treat Wikipedia; it's the perfect jumping off point for ideas and research, but should by no means be your only source.

Sources
Harper Collins Canada, 2014 "How the Scots Invented Canada"
Roy MacSkimming's 2010 Globe and Mail Review of How the Scots Invented Canada
D. Grant Black's 2010 Toronto Star Review of How the Scots Invented Canada
Canada's History Magazine Online 2014, "Ken McGoogan: 2006 Pierre Berton Award Winner"

Further Reading
You can find your own copy of How the Scots Invented Canada at Amazon or Chapters.
Visit Ken McGoogan's Blog here
University of Sheffield, History Matters 2013, "Writing Popular History: Comfortable, Unchallenging Nostalgia-Fodder?"
Harvard University, Harvard Guide to Using Sources 2014, "What's Wrong with Wikipedia?"

Model Railway and Local History

This past weekend I visited the St. Jacobs and Aberfoyle Model Railway in St. Jacobs, Ontario. The 3,000 square foot display focuses on Southern Ontario in the 1950s, and includes various urban and rural scenes (during the day and night).

The detail in each of the hand-made elements of this model is astounding, and I spent a great deal of time examining each building (in many cases there were little people going about their "lives" inside). The most endearing features of the exhibit, however, are the many nods to local life, geography, and architecture. Ah nostalgia!

A Mennonite barn raising is in progress next to a small farm and sawmill, while a man and a cat watch from the farmhouse porch. At a small campsite a tent has been pitched and a bear spies on a family as they sit around a small campfire. The Niagara Escarpment is an integral feature of the display, and the cliffs and foliage act as the perfect canvas for the scenes below.

In the more urban sections of the model railway, I was drawn immediately to a building that many in Galt (Cambridge) would recognize: The Galt Post Office.



"Built between 1884 and 1887, the Former Galt Post Office served an important function as the home of the post office, customs, and other government services. This post office was one of the many buildings erected during the course of a program of government construction in small communities and towns across Canada under the direction of Thomas Fuller, Chief Architect of the Department of Public Works from 1881 to 1896. The high standard of design imposed by Fuller is evident in the former Galt Post Office. Typical of his designs, the building features an round-arched entrance portico, symmetrical twin façades and a clock tower, in this case uniquely adapted to be visible from both the street and the Grand River. The steeply pitched mansard roof, as well as the use of contrasting colours and textures and the accomplished stonework, come together to create a striking blend of the Gothic, Second Empire and Romanesque styles." (HP)

Of course I could not cap off this trip to the Model Railway without a stop in Galt for dinner right across from the old post office - this time in full scale.

I would absolutely recommend that everyone who has the opportunity to visit the Model Railway should do so. Admission is $8 for adults, and the volunteer staff are amazing. When you're done exploring you can head out and spend the rest of the day in St. Jacobs, making sure of course to stop at A Touch of Scotland for some mushy peas, tartans, and other Scottish treats.

Sources

St. Jacobs and Aberfoyle Model Railway Website, 2014

Cambridge Times 2013, "A little Cambridge moves down the track, stops in St. Jacobs"

(HP) Canada's Historic Places, 2014 "Former Galt Post Office National Historic Site of Canada"

Further Reading
Canadian Encyclopedia Online, 2013 "Thomas Fuller"
Your Heritage Waterloo Region, 2014 "Old Galt Post Office" Search Results for some great images

From the Pen of William Dickson

The Honourable William Dickson was educated, eloquent, and greatly opinionated (in addition to his also being the founder of the Township of Dumfries, and of Galt); Three qualities which were often demonstrated in his personal correspondence and at various speaking engagements. His sentiments are so clear that you can almost picture him preaching the benefits of a conservative and obedient life under the Crown (the dour expression in the photo below should assist you should you need inspiration). I always find learning about history through the eyes and pens of its participants particularly appealing. Thus, the following are excerpts from a speech delivered to his fellow Galtonians in 1839 on the occasion of his 70th birthday. His words give us a glimpse into his world, and into his mind, on all things political, social, and emotional.*

On the Difficulties of Settlement
"Embarrassments and difficulties beset me - despondency sometimes showed her unwelcome visage." (JY, 176)

"Many of you have had your days and nights of gloom - you have encountered privations, toil, trouble, and uphill exertions, but many of you have attained the summit of your wishes, and others are in a progressive advance." (JY, 177)

On the creation of Upper Canada in 1791

"I was then at Niagara, when General Simcoe first addressed the assembled Legislature; and well do I remember the joy and enthusiasm which pervaded all classes and ranks, on such a boon being granted." (JY, 177)

On Upper Canadian prosperity
"If the people of Upper Canada are not happy and contented, it must mainly be their own fault." (JY, 181)

On Dumfries / Galt
"... I entertain, and shall always continue to feel, a lively interest in all that relates to Dumfries; and I have especial pleasure in receiving the evidence of the satisfaction and prosperity which seems to prevail among its inhabitants." (JY, 173)

On the French and politics
"The Constitution and form of Government that was at that time conferred on the Canadas has worked well in practice in Upper Canada, and would have worked equally well in Lower Canada, had not the malignant, ambitious, and selfish French demagogues poisoned the minds of an illiterate peasantry - inducing them at length to throw off the mask of moderation, and factiously to resort to insurrection, treason, and rebellion." (JY, 177-178)

On the United States and civil war
"Reflecting on the change in the national character of the descendants of British subjects, I am almost warranted in adopting an opinion that the elective principle, carried on to an extreme stretch, has changed the pulse of men and inoculated the people of the United States with principles destructive of liberty and good government, and that the time may yet arrive, when, on the revolving wheels of their government, the clog of despotism may be found not to be that far distant from that of democracy, and when civil broils and a servile war may madden to a contest, which, for the sake of humanity, may kind Providence in his mercy avert." (JY, 180)

*As these are excerpts, they are taken somewhat out of their original context. To fully understand his words, be sure to check the source material referenced.

Other interesting Dickson facts
- He was challenged to a duel in 1808 by a colleague, Mr. Weeks, who had felt he had been publicly insulted by him. Dickson won, and Mr. Weeks died three hours later. (JY, 16)
- He was captured in Niagara-on-the-Lake (at that time known simply as Niagara) by American forces in June 1813 and jailed in Albany until the following January. When he returned he found his house, and the village had been razed.(JK)
- He was a member of the Family Compact

Sources:
(JK) James E. Kerr's 1916, "Sketch of the Life of the Honourable William Dickson"
(JY) James Young's 1880, "Reminiscences of the Early History of Galt and the Settlement of Dumfries in the Province of Ontario"

Further Reading:
Dictionary of Canadian Biography 2014, "William Dickson"
Cambridge Archives and Records Centre, "Honourable William Dickson"

Better Together

In the spirit of the No (thanks) vote following Scotland's referendum last week,

Further Reading
BBC News 2014, Scotland Decides
CBC News, 2014, After the Scottish Referendum: What Happens Next
The British Monarchy 2014, The Queen's message following Scotland's referendum
The Telegraph 2014, Scotland News
Maclean's 2014, Referendum
The Economist 2014, Scotland's Referendum: Britain Survives
The Scottish Government 2014, Scotland's Referendum 2014
The Guardian 2014, Scottish Independence
What Scotland Thinks 2014, Opinion Polls
UK Government 2014, Scottish Independence Referendum
Huffington Post 2014, Scotland's Referendum
Herald Scotland 2014, Scotland Decides

The Scottish Referendum

Today the people of Scotland are being asked "Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes/No".

While I've been keeping track of the referendum for just over a year, many have been on top of it (and part of it) for decades (and some would even argue centuries). If you're new to the issues, or are simply looking for some clarification, here are some links to help you learn more. They cover news of the referendum, why it's happening, and what might be the possible outcomes of today's vote.

BBC News: Scotland Decides - As always the BBC has done an excellent job of keeping it's readers informed. Everything from what would happen to food prices, currency, defence, and citizenship have been covered from multiple angles. They also have a poll tracker that compiles data from several different sources, and maps out events that may have changed the minds of voters.

The Scottish Government: Scotland's Referendum - This site offers highly accessible and easy to understand facts on the history of the Scottish Government, and answers questions that every day people would have about a possible Yes outcome. They even claim to have an entire section of infographics to help people understand the various issues related to the vote... I say claim because I don't think that coloured font qualifies as an infographic, but you can see for yourself.

The Telegraph - The UK-based newspaper has compiled its articles (which include opinion pieces, polls, and photos) on the referendum online; one of which explains how everyone's finances will be effected by the referendum. Likewise, The Guardian has dedicated a page to their coverage.

Here in Canada, the CBC has also covered the election, although not nearly as comprehensively.

If you'd like to learn more about the YES campaign for an independent Scotland, you can visit www.yesscotland.net For the Better Together campaign for a continued United Kingdom, visit www.bettertogether.net The Better Together site also claims to have infographics, and ones that you can share on Facebook no less... the thing is, is that these aren't infographics* either, they're just photographs.

Going through the above sites should give you a pretty good idea about what's at stake for either campaign. If you'd like even more background about why the Scots feel the need to have a referendum in the first place, the following histories are recommended:

Neil Oliver / BBC's, A History of Scotland
J.D. Mackie's, History of Scotland (You can read my review of this work here)
Michael Lynch's, Scotland: A New History
Daniel Szechi's 1715: The Great Jacobite Rebellion
Geoffrey Plank's Rebellion and Savagery: TheJacobite Rising of 1745 and the British Empire

Final results of the Scottish referendum will be made public the morning of September 19th 2014.

*For the record, an infographic is "a visual image such as a chart or diagram used to represent information or data". Here is an example, and one of my favourites: Star Trek The Original Series

Waste Not, Want Not (When Mackenzie Came to Town)

No matter where you're from, being able to make a connection to a (in)famous individual through a specific location can be a source of pride. While I'm not personally for violent rebellion, I was nonetheless a bit starstruck that William Lyon Mackenzie had once visited the fair little village of Galt. His effigy was there too... and as it turns out, neither of them fared too well.

William Lyon Mackenzie

It was 1833 and William Lyon Mackenzie was touring the province; speaking to small crowds of men from all walks of life, attempting to drum up support for political reform. He was a well known critic of the ruling Family Compact and its individual members, and indeed had been expelled numerous times from the Upper Canada Assembly (only to be re-elected back in each time). What he wanted were investigations into past alleged abuses of power on behalf of the government, and better representation for the people of the growing settlements in the province.

While support for Mackenzie continued to exist throughout Upper Canada, it began to wane as his ideas became viewed as too radical, or disloyal to the Crown. Thus, when he decided to speak at the little (and only) tavern in Galt in 1833 there were both fellow reformers and adversarial Tories in attendance. From neighbouring townships there amassed a crowd estimated to be a few hundred strong, but as we all know, it only takes one to ruin a party.

As supporters were eagerly listening to Mackenzie in the afternoon sun, there could be seen an unusual pair of shapes coming toward them from Main Street. Those shapes were in fact, "a person with a blackened face and fantastic dress... carrying a hideous-looking effigy" (Young). Supposedly to continue the theme, the effigy (meant to be Mackenzie) was also fully dressed for the occasion with the addition of a parcel of gunpowder hidden within. A group of Mackenzie and reform detractors were looking to make it quite clear that such men and policies were not welcome in their village.

Men's Leather Shoe, 1799
Bata Shoe Museum Collection

The gun powder lit and the effigy exploded into flames in front of its horrified audience. Mackenzie meanwhile continued his speech completely unfazed - shouting his words with a smile on his face from the tavern window to the crowd below. Among his supporters, and a member of that crowd, was a young farmer by the name of Marshall. By his attendance at Mackenzie's speech that day Marshall demonstrated his desire for political change. Equally, by his exceedingly hasty exit from that speech along with the very boots that adorned the inflamed effigy, he demonstrated his desire for decent footwear.

Why let good things go to waste?

Sources
James Young's 1880, Reminisces of the Early History of Galt and the Settlement of Dumfries in the Province of Ontario.
James Young's 1912, Public Men and Public Life in Canada: The Story of the Canadian Confederacy
Historica Canada, 2013, "Rebellion in Upper Canada"
Dictionary of Canadian Biography, 1976, "William Lyon Mackenzie"

Further Reading
Bata Shoe Museum, 2014

Mill Creek

The confluence of Mill Creek and the Grand River is where William Dickson and Absalom Shade first decided to begin the settlement that would eventually become Galt, and later Cambridge. For some reason Mill Creek is plainly visible in Google Maps... but disappears once it hits Main Street in the Satellite view. Is it there or isn't it?

It turns out that Mill Creek was in fact there in a very big way, and still is. It has simply been altered over time to suit the needs of those developing the area since the early nineteenth century. Today, the creek has simply been diverted underground to accommodate a more modern way of living - one that's not as dependant on the productivity of mills and water-powered factories, etc. The following two images are part of a series of six completed by PLANT Architect Inc. in Toronto, Ontario. I encourage you to visit their site to see all of the maps in sequence.

In an upcoming blog I'll be detailing the importance and inner working of various mills in the Galt area; so stay tuned! In the meantime, feel free to browse the Further Reading links provided.

Sources

PLANT Architect Inc. 2012, "Mill Creek Galt"

Google Maps, 2014, "Cambridge"

Further Reading

Grand River Conservation Authority, 2014, "Low Water Response: Mill Creek"

April Souwand and Derek Coleman, A Natural History of Cambridge, Ontario

The Township of North Dumfries, 2014, "History"

Alexander or Donald?

I had recently come across a line in a novel that said that in Scotland (in the mid-18th century) every man's name was either Alexander or Donald. While that's obviously an exaggeration, it got me thinking, and I decided to see just how popular those names were within the context of Scottish settlement in Upper Canada.


Five most popular names for listed
male settlers 1790-1849

Looking at the 15 extant passenger lists of ships departing from Scotland to Quebec (between 1790-1849 with settlers intended on travelling through to Upper Canada), I was able to distinguish 1,153 male names (Campey). These names are mostly the heads of families; children's names were rarely provided. In some instances not every man travelling aboard a vessel was accounted for by name, however, the five most popular names listed are:

1. John (261 individuals)
2. Donald (101)
3. Alexander (100)
4. William (93)
5. Duncan (59)

The next most popular names were Robert (54), Archibald (40), Angus (28), Allan and Andrew (each with 16), and Dougald (7). So it would seem that this novel wasn't too far off the mark. As you can see from the donut graph here, the top five names cover just more than half of the total, and if you were a listed male passenger aboard one of these ships, there was a nearly one in four chance that your name was John. As for modern day, the five most popular names for boys in Ontario between the years 1917-2010 were 1. Joseph, 2. John, 3. William, 4. Robert, and 5. James. Looks like in about 200 years of settlement we haven't strayed too far from the mark.


Five most popular names for listed
female settlers 1790-1849

For those interested in the most popular names for the ladies aboard the same ships, it's "Mrs." and "Wife of". All jokes aside, I was able to find 533 listed female passengers, and the most popular recorded names are:

1. Mary (86 individuals)
2. Catherine (80)
3. Janet (57)
4. Anne (46)
5. Margaret (45)

The next most popular names to round off the top ten were Isobel/la (23), Marion and Flora (each with 19), Elizabeth (17), and Euphemia (8). In modern day Ontario between the years 1917-2010, the most popular girls names were 1. Mary, 2. Marie, 3. Jennifer, 4. Margaret, and 5. Patricia.

Sources

Lucille H. Campey's 2005 The Scottish Pioneers of Upper Canada, 1784-1855: Glengarry and Beyond

Global Toronto, 2012, "Interactive: 93 Years of Ontario Baby Names"

Further Reading
Behind the Name, "Scottish Names" Here you can learn a little more about the Gaelic roots to many of the names mentioned above. For example, "Duncan: Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Donnchadh meaning "brown warrior", derived from Gaelic donn "brown" and cath "warrior". This was the name of two kings of Scotland, including the one who was featured in Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth' (1606).

Don't Ask, Just Eat It

Baguette topped with sliced apple
and black pudding, with brown
gravy for dipping.

I've recently discovered the most amazing little cafe in Cambridge which caters to the Scots-loving crowd: Rising Dough Scottish Bakery and Coffee Shop. I went on a bit of a spree, buying a haggis, four haggis pies, three packs of black pudding, and two Double Decker bars (all for under $50). I would highly recommend to anyone within driving distance to check them out. Other than my general love of haggis, there was a particular reason for this visit; the TV adaptation of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander had premiered, and what better way to celebrate than to whip up some Scottish goodies with some friends?
 
What is black pudding? "Essentially, black pudding is a mixture of suet, blood, barley and a special blend of spices stuffed in a length of protein casing." (Visit Scotland) In other words, it's a type of blood sausage... but you'll get more people to eat it if you just call it black pudding. It's relatively soft with an oaty texture, but is also very rich in flavour, and very filling. You can purchase it as sausage links, or already sliced into pucks for convenience.

Recipe for Black Puddings found in Cookery Reformed; or, The
Lady's Assistant, published in London in 1755.

I chose to fry some black pudding pucks in a pan with some butter (about 5 minutes each side), and then set it on top of baguette slices with apple. I made up some brown gravy in case anyone wanted to dip, and voila! All in all it only took a few minutes to prepare, and was absolutely delicious. I'm very selfishly planning to hoard the rest of my black puddings for breakfasts and snacks. 

Now, if you are the sort to want to spend more time (ie. a few days) in the kitchen, you are more than welcome to this recipe, taken from a 1755 publication, Cookery Reformed; or, The Lady's Assistant. The ingredients have not changed all that much over time - why mess with a good thing, right?

Sources

Visit Scotland, 2014, "Traditional Scottish Food"

Cambridge Now, 2014, "Rising Dough Scottish Bakery and Coffee Shop"

Internet Archive, 2001, Cookery Reformed; or, The Lady's Assistant

Further Reading

Showcase, 2014, "Outlander"

The English Breakfast Society, 2014, "Traditional Black Pudding"