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Caledonia, Ontario: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 43°53′53.1″N 79°57′18.3″W / 43.898083°N 79.955083°W / 43.898083; -79.955083
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Caledonia was once a small strip of land between [[Seneca people|Seneca]] and [[Oneida people|Oneida]] villages. The Oneida village was started by the Grand River Navigation Company, who laid out the village of Oneida on the south side of the Grand River. The Oneida village plot originally contained 16 acres and was named after the township where it began. In 1835, the same company began the village of Seneca about a mile down the river from Oneida on the opposite side of the Grand River. It was named "Seneca Village" after the township in which it began. The Grand River passed through Caledonia dividing it into two sides, North and South. In 1834, Ranald McKinnon was hired by the Grand River Navigation company to build a dam in Seneca and a dam in Caledonia. Completed in 1835, the dams made water power available with the accompanying lock and excavation finishing early in the following year.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Whitford-Nie|first=Marion|title=Footprints Through Haldimand: The Making of a Village|publisher=Aylmer Express|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9865719-09|location=Aylmer|pages=15}}</ref> Mills sprung up all over Seneca village, and five mills were built in Caledonia by 1850. One renamed [[Caledonia Mill]] which has been rebuilt and is now used for office space.
Caledonia was once a small strip of land between [[Seneca people|Seneca]] and [[Oneida people|Oneida]] villages. The Oneida village was started by the Grand River Navigation Company, who laid out the village of Oneida on the south side of the Grand River. The Oneida village plot originally contained 16 acres and was named after the township where it began. In 1835, the same company began the village of Seneca about a mile down the river from Oneida on the opposite side of the Grand River. It was named "Seneca Village" after the township in which it began. The Grand River passed through Caledonia dividing it into two sides, North and South. In 1834, Ranald McKinnon was hired by the Grand River Navigation company to build a dam in Seneca and a dam in Caledonia. Completed in 1835, the dams made water power available with the accompanying lock and excavation finishing early in the following year.<ref name = 'footprints' /> Mills sprung up all over Seneca village, and five mills were built in Caledonia by 1850. One renamed [[Caledonia Mill]] which has been rebuilt and is now used for office space.


In 1835, William Bryant was the first to own a tavern in town. Official deeds to the lands early settlers occupied were not provided until 1850, however they did have bills of sale.
In 1835, William Bryant was the first to own a tavern in town. Official deeds to the lands early settlers occupied were not provided until 1850, however they did have bills of sale. There was a high concentration of Scottish immigrants and as such many of Caledonia's streets are named in honour of this. Most notably, the main street being named "Argyle" after the example of Glasgow in Scotland.


The Hamilton to Port Dover [[plank road]] was brought through Caledonia in 1838. A bridge was built across the river in Caledonia and Seneca in 1842. These wooden bridges lasted around 19 years before they were swept away by the ice on the river. The Seneca bridge was never rebuilt. As of 2011, the [[Grand River Bridge (Ontario)|Grand River Bridge]] built in 1927 serves Caledonia's traffic.
The Hamilton to Port Dover [[plank road]] was brought through Caledonia in 1838. A bridge was built across the river in Caledonia and Seneca in 1842. These wooden bridges lasted around 19 years before they were swept away by the ice on the river. The Seneca bridge was never rebuilt. As of 2011, the [[Grand River Bridge (Ontario)|Grand River Bridge]] built in 1927 serves Caledonia's traffic. When first built, a stagecoach traveled to both Hamilton and Port Dover daily.


In 1844, Caledonia was incorporated as a village and later as a town. By 1860, the Grand River Navigation company was bankrupt, and their land was sold to different organizations. Seneca village was failing; many people from Seneca moved to Caledonia. Navigation on the river ended by 1880. A whole new way of transportation arrived around 1883; the [[Grand Trunk Railway]] passed through Caledonia. Oneida had become part of Caledonia and the town limits were expanding. By 1960 Caledonia was a bustling town.
In 1846, David Thompson of Ruthven became the first Member of Parliament for Haldimdand County and died in office 5 years later in 1851. In the succeeding by-election, Ranald McKinnon ran for office but was ultimately defeated by [[William Lyon MacKenzie]].<ref name = 'footprints /> In 1853, Caledonia was incorporated as a village, when the villages of Oneida and Seneca were amalgamated, and later as a town. Ranald McKinnon was the village's first Reeve. By 1860, the Grand River Navigation company was bankrupt, and their land was sold to different organizations. Seneca village was failing; many people from Seneca moved to Caledonia. Navigation on the river ended by 1880. A whole new way of transportation arrived around 1883; the [[Grand Trunk Railway]] passed through Caledonia. Oneida had become part of Caledonia and the town limits were expanding. By 1960 Caledonia was a bustling town.


On April 1, 1974, the town was amalgamated into the new town of Haldimand within the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hamilton|first=William|title=The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names|url=https://archive.org/details/macmillanbookofc0000hami|url-access=registration|publisher=Macmillan|year=1978|isbn=0-7715-9754-1|location=Toronto|pages=[https://archive.org/details/macmillanbookofc0000hami/page/139 139]}}</ref> Although the largest community in Haldimand, the town hall was located in nearby Cayuga. In 2001, Haldimand and all other municipalities within the region were dissolved and the region was instead divided into two single tier municipalities with city-status but called counties. Caledonia is now an unincorporated community in Ward 3 of Haldimand County.
On April 1, 1974, the town was amalgamated into the new town of Haldimand within the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hamilton|first=William|title=The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names|url=https://archive.org/details/macmillanbookofc0000hami|url-access=registration|publisher=Macmillan|year=1978|isbn=0-7715-9754-1|location=Toronto|pages=[https://archive.org/details/macmillanbookofc0000hami/page/139 139]}}</ref> Although the largest community in Haldimand, the town hall was located in nearby Cayuga. In 2001, Haldimand and all other municipalities within the region were dissolved and the region was instead divided into two single tier municipalities with city-status but called counties. Caledonia is now an unincorporated community in Ward 3 of Haldimand County.
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===Ranald McKinnon===
===Ranald McKinnon===
McKinnon was born in Ardelum, Scotland on September 11, 1801. He came to Masonville, Newyork, Delaware County in the United States of America with his paternal grandparents, Malcolm McKinnon, his wife and a number of siblings. He worked in Virginia and Kentucky until 1820 when the family moved to Trafalgar, Esqueing and Vaughan. At 24 he began working on the Rideau Canal System. On March 3, 1835, he married his first cousin, Euphemia McKinnon who was 22 years old at the time. The pair would go on to have 9 children.
McKinnon was born in Ardelum, Scotland on September 11, 1801. He came to Masonville, Newyork, Delaware County in the United States of America with his paternal grandparents, Malcolm McKinnon, his wife and a number of siblings. He worked in Virginia and Kentucky until 1820 when the family moved to Trafalgar, Esqueing and Vaughan. At 24 he began working on the Rideau Canal System. On March 3, 1835, he married his first cousin, Euphemia McKinnon who was 22 years old at the time. The pair would go on to have 9 children.

McKinnon was very involved in the community. He was the Treasurer of the Presbyterian Church for a time. In 1850 he petitioned that Caledonia be made its own township that would be absorbed into the township of wentworth but nothing came of this. He ran for Haldimand County's member of parliament as a conservative when the predecessor died in office in 1851 but lost the election. He became Caledonia's first Reeve shortly after in 1853.


==Demographics==
==Demographics==

Revision as of 17:56, 10 August 2023

Caledonia
Argyle Street
Argyle Street
Motto: 
Gateway to Haldimand County
Caledonia is located in Ontario
Caledonia
Caledonia
Caledonia is located in Canada
Caledonia
Caledonia
Coordinates: 43°53′53.1″N 79°57′18.3″W / 43.898083°N 79.955083°W / 43.898083; -79.955083
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
Regional MunicipalityHaldimand County, Ontario
Government
 • Mayor of HaldimandShelley Ann Bentley[2]
 • Governing bodyThe Council of the Corporation of Haldimand County
 • Ward 3 (Caledonia) CouncillorDan Lawrence
 • MPLeslyn Lewis (Conservative)
 • MPPToby Barrett (PC)
Area
 • Total
5.57 km2 (2.15 sq mi)
Elevation
206 m (676 ft)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total
12,179[1]
DemonymCaledonian
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Forward sortation area
Area code905 / 289 / 365

Caledonia is a community located on the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. It had a population of 12,179[1] as of the 2021 Canadian Census. Caledonia is within Ward 3 of Haldimand County. The Councillor elected for Ward 3 is Dan Lawrence. As of 2021, there were 4,310[1] private dwellings in Caledonia.

Caledonia is located at the intersection of Highway 6 and Haldimand Highway 54 (within the town, these streets are called Argyle Street and Caithness Street respectively) on the Grand River. On Highway 6, the town is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Hamilton and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of Hagersville. On Haldimand Highway 54, the town is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of Brantford, Ontario and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Cayuga, Ontario.

History

Census Population
1841 300
1871 1,246
1901 801
1911 952
1921 1,223
1931 1,396
1941 1,401
1951 1,681
1961 2,198
1971 3,183
1981 N/A
1991 N/A
2001 9,228
2006 9,740
2011 9,871
2016 9,674
2021 12,179

Caledonia was once a small strip of land between Seneca and Oneida villages. The Oneida village was started by the Grand River Navigation Company, who laid out the village of Oneida on the south side of the Grand River. The Oneida village plot originally contained 16 acres and was named after the township where it began. In 1835, the same company began the village of Seneca about a mile down the river from Oneida on the opposite side of the Grand River. It was named "Seneca Village" after the township in which it began. The Grand River passed through Caledonia dividing it into two sides, North and South. In 1834, Ranald McKinnon was hired by the Grand River Navigation company to build a dam in Seneca and a dam in Caledonia. Completed in 1835, the dams made water power available with the accompanying lock and excavation finishing early in the following year.[3] Mills sprung up all over Seneca village, and five mills were built in Caledonia by 1850. One renamed Caledonia Mill which has been rebuilt and is now used for office space.

In 1835, William Bryant was the first to own a tavern in town. Official deeds to the lands early settlers occupied were not provided until 1850, however they did have bills of sale. There was a high concentration of Scottish immigrants and as such many of Caledonia's streets are named in honour of this. Most notably, the main street being named "Argyle" after the example of Glasgow in Scotland.

The Hamilton to Port Dover plank road was brought through Caledonia in 1838. A bridge was built across the river in Caledonia and Seneca in 1842. These wooden bridges lasted around 19 years before they were swept away by the ice on the river. The Seneca bridge was never rebuilt. As of 2011, the Grand River Bridge built in 1927 serves Caledonia's traffic. When first built, a stagecoach traveled to both Hamilton and Port Dover daily.

In 1846, David Thompson of Ruthven became the first Member of Parliament for Haldimdand County and died in office 5 years later in 1851. In the succeeding by-election, Ranald McKinnon ran for office but was ultimately defeated by William Lyon MacKenzie.[3] In 1853, Caledonia was incorporated as a village, when the villages of Oneida and Seneca were amalgamated, and later as a town. Ranald McKinnon was the village's first Reeve. By 1860, the Grand River Navigation company was bankrupt, and their land was sold to different organizations. Seneca village was failing; many people from Seneca moved to Caledonia. Navigation on the river ended by 1880. A whole new way of transportation arrived around 1883; the Grand Trunk Railway passed through Caledonia. Oneida had become part of Caledonia and the town limits were expanding. By 1960 Caledonia was a bustling town.

On April 1, 1974, the town was amalgamated into the new town of Haldimand within the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk.[4] Although the largest community in Haldimand, the town hall was located in nearby Cayuga. In 2001, Haldimand and all other municipalities within the region were dissolved and the region was instead divided into two single tier municipalities with city-status but called counties. Caledonia is now an unincorporated community in Ward 3 of Haldimand County.

In 2006, the Grand River land dispute involving First Nation land claims brought Caledonia to national attention. The land at the centre of the dispute in Caledonia covers 40 hectares, which Henco Industries Ltd. planned to develop as a residential subdivision to be known as the Douglas Creek Estates. It is part of the 385,000-hectare plot of land originally known as the "Haldimand Tract",[5] which was granted, in 1784, by the Crown to the Six Nations of the Grand River, for their use in settlement. Henco argues that the Six Nations surrendered their rights to the land in 1841, and Henco later purchased it from the Crown. The Six Nations, however, maintain that their title to the land was never relinquished. The Grand River Land Dispute continued with 1492 Land Back Lane, protests occurring during 2020 and 2021.

Ranald McKinnon

McKinnon was born in Ardelum, Scotland on September 11, 1801. He came to Masonville, Newyork, Delaware County in the United States of America with his paternal grandparents, Malcolm McKinnon, his wife and a number of siblings. He worked in Virginia and Kentucky until 1820 when the family moved to Trafalgar, Esqueing and Vaughan. At 24 he began working on the Rideau Canal System. On March 3, 1835, he married his first cousin, Euphemia McKinnon who was 22 years old at the time. The pair would go on to have 9 children.

McKinnon was very involved in the community. He was the Treasurer of the Presbyterian Church for a time. In 1850 he petitioned that Caledonia be made its own township that would be absorbed into the township of wentworth but nothing came of this. He ran for Haldimand County's member of parliament as a conservative when the predecessor died in office in 1851 but lost the election. He became Caledonia's first Reeve shortly after in 1853.

Demographics

Canada census – Caledonia community profile
20212016
Population12,179 (+23.9% from 2016)9,674 (-2.0% from 2011)
Land area9.18 km2 (3.54 sq mi)5.57 km2 (2.15 sq mi)
Population density1,326.7/km2 (3,436/sq mi)1,738.2/km2 (4,502/sq mi)
Median age37.2 (M: 37.4, F: 38.8)40.5 (M: 39.2, F: 41.5)
Private dwellings4,310 (total)  3,485 (total) 
Median household income$110,000$96,614
References: 2021[6] 2016[7] earlier[8][9]

Ethnicity

Only those populations which compose more than 1% of the population have been included.

Ethnic Groups in the Community of Caledonia, Ontario (2021)
Ethnic
Group
2021[1] 2016[10]
Pop. % Pop. %
Canadian 1,935 15.89% 3,380 27.75%
English 3,325 27.3% 3,455 28.37%
Irish 2,345 19.25% 2,105 17.28%
Scottish 2,830 23.24% 2,785 28.79%
French[a] 650 5.34% 865 8.94%
German 1,620 13.3% 1,380 14.27%
Chinese 125 1.03% 70 0.72%
Italian 725 5.95% 565 5.84%
Indian 165 1.35% 45 0.47%
Ukrainian 445 3.65% 350 3.62%
Dutch 970 7.96% 980 10.13%
Polish 495 4.06% 370 3.82%
Filipino 135 1.11% 45 0.47%
Welsh 205 1.68% 180 1.86%
Portuguese 260 2.13% 120 1.24%
American 145 1.19% 75 0.78%
Hungarian 235 1.93% 255 2.64%
Pakistani 175 1.44% 10 1.81%
Jamaican 140 1.15% 25 0.26%
Croatian 125 1.03% 40 0.41%
Total responses 12,085 99.23% 9,560 98.82%
Total population 12,179 100% 9,674 100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses.

Language

As of the 2021 census, there were 11,510 citizens that spoke English only, 10 that spoke only French, 595 that spoke both official languages and 60 that spoke neither.[1]

Attractions

Toll House

The Caledonia Toll House is the second oldest building in Caledonia, Ontario still standing; the first being Haldimand House. The toll house is currently a private residence.[13]

The toll house was there when the original iron bridge collapsed and the new concrete one (still used today) was built.

With the historic Caledonia Bridge in need of complete replacement, the beautiful historic toll house which is currently a home and business has been expropriated as part of the Ministry of Transportations plan to replace.

Sports

Schools

Notable people

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Census Profile: Caledonia Ontario (Population centre)". Canada 2021 Census. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Shelley Ann Bentley". Haldimand County. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference footprints was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Hamilton, William (1978). The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names. Toronto: Macmillan. pp. 139. ISBN 0-7715-9754-1.
  5. ^ Map of the 1784 Haldimand Tract Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine, reclamation.kisikew.org (moved to reclamation.kisikew.org - site owner)
  6. ^ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022.
  7. ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021.
  8. ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  9. ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference census2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Edinburgh Square Heritage & Cultural Centre". Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Caledonia Fair". Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  13. ^ Martindale, Barbara. "Landmarks - Built To Take Tolls". Caledonia - Along the Grand River. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  14. ^ "Hall of Famer: Jack Hamilton". Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. 1972. Retrieved 2019-12-21.


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