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Historic Hills

Shadows in the Forest

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

Nov 22, 2016

August 1914: The First Goodbyes

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

Sep 16, 2016

The Grand River – When Your Neighbour is a River

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.

Jun 20, 2016

All the News That’s Fit to Print

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.

Mar 21, 2016

The Red River Rebellion: The Hills Get Indignant!

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

Nov 25, 2015

Parachuting Candidates into the Safest Seat in the Country

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.

Sep 11, 2015

William Henry Riddell: 50,000 Miles in a Sulky

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.

Jun 16, 2015

Seneca Ketchum

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

Mar 23, 2015

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

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.

Nov 17, 2014

The Bob Edgar Telephone Company

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.

Sep 11, 2014

Our Local Press on the Eve of the Great War

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

Jun 17, 2014

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

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.

Mar 23, 2014