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Historic Hills

Shadows in the Forest

Nov 22, 2016 | Ken Weber

Many a table regularly offered squirrels, groundhogs and, of course, ducks and geese.

August 1914: The First Goodbyes

Sep 16, 2016 | Ken Weber

As early as August 7, the word went out to militia units across the country: Enlist as many volunteers as possible.

The Grand River – When Your Neighbour is a River

Jun 20, 2016 | Ken Weber

Not only does the Grand River lay out nature’s beauty, it also offers opportunities for recreation, commerce and development. Yet all this comes at a cost, for the Grand can be both friend and foe.

All the News That’s Fit to Print

Mar 21, 2016 | Ken Weber

In the 19th century a weekly newspaper was the primary source of information, commerce, entertainment, argument and gossip for the people of rural Canada. Few papers did the job better than the Orangeville Sun.

The Red River Rebellion: The Hills Get Indignant!

Nov 25, 2015 | Ken Weber

There was the button that always cranked these hills beyond reason – the hint of anything Fenian.

Parachuting Candidates into the Safest Seat in the Country

Sep 11, 2015 | Ken Weber

For almost 40 years after Confederation, the Conservative Party treated the riding of Cardwell – Albion, Caledon, Mono and Adjala townships – like private property. It led to some wild and woolly election campaigns.

William Henry Riddell: 50,000 Miles in a Sulky

Jun 16, 2015 | Ken Weber

Henry was born in Caledon Township in 1860 and left just long enough to get a veterinarian degree in Guelph in 1886 before moving to Orangeville to practise.

Seneca Ketchum

Mar 23, 2015 | Ken Weber

Seneca was nearly 60 when he came to Mono, an age when many people look forward to ease and comfort.

“Your Christmas concert must be first-rate. Nothing less!”

Nov 17, 2014 | Ken Weber

During the 1800s, teachers in local one-room schools faced 
a list of expectations and responsibilities so onerous, 
it’s a wonder so many carried on.

The Bob Edgar Telephone Company

Sep 11, 2014 | Ken Weber

Beginning in the late 1920s, though, a series of government regulations along with profit-driven business decisions gradually changed telephone service across the country into a fluid network.

Our Local Press on the Eve of the Great War

Jun 17, 2014 | Ken Weber | Heritage

From the first week of August onward, war news exploded onto the pages of community papers, filling them almost cover to cover.

The On-Again-Off-Again Birth of Peel County

Mar 23, 2014 | Ken Weber

When the council of the newly independent County of Peel convened in 1867, a first task was to choose a site and a builder for the courthouse and jail.