Roberta "Bobbie" Styran fonds, 1707-2013, n.d.

Roberta “Bobbie” Styran was born and rasied in Fredericton, N.B. She graduated from McMaster University with a B.A. (1962) and M.A. (1964), before furthering her studies at the University of Toronto, where she received a Ph. D in History. From 1967 to 1978, she taught Medieval History at Brock University, where she developed an interest in the Welland Canal. She began a collaboration with Prof. Robert R. Taylor of the History Department at this time, researching the history of the Welland Canals. She later moved to Toronto and worked for the Ministry of Education, but returned to St. Catharines in 1988 to facilitate her work with Prof. Taylor. The two have co-authored several books, including The Welland Canals: the Growth of Mr. Merritt’s Ditch; Mr. Merritt’s Ditch: A Welland Canals Album; The Great “Swivel Link”: Canada’s Welland Canal and This Great National Object: Building the Nineteenth-Century Welland Canals. Bobbie travelled extensively, visiting many canal and industrial revolution sites in Great Britain and the United States. She was active in many canal associations, including the Canadian Canal Society (where she served as president and editor of the Society’s newsletter), the American Canal Society, and the Council of Inland Waterways International. She also helped to found the Welland Canals Preservation Association and organized and chaired the 2004 World Canals Conference at Brock University. In 2009, she received the W. Gordon Plewes Award from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, an award that recognized her services to Canadian engineering history.

Letter (unsigned) to Fred Holmes

Letter (unsigned) to Fred Holmes stating that the ditch on the left side of the canal at Lyons Creek has been gravinated, Sept. 27, 1855.

Letter to S.D. Woodruff from Fred Holmes

Letter to S.D. Woodruff from Fred Holmes which states that the excavation of the Marshville tap ditch is finished. The contractors have collected their contracts except Henshall and Brown who have to move some more dirt, Sept. 24, 1856.

Letter to S.D. Woodruff from Fred Holmes

Letter to S.D. Woodruff from Fred Holmes stating that Mr. Cook has chopped and cleared the back ditch near Lyons Creek Culvert, Mr. Clancy has chopped lots 22, 23 and 24, Rose Osborne has excavated and cleared 1000 feet on the Daly ditch and Andrew Mains and Co. have chopped and cleared their whole section, Oct. 31, 1856.

Letter to S.D. Woodruff from Fred Holmes

Letter to S.D. Woodruff that Edward Henderson has completed the excavation below the Marshville culverts and Brown and Henshaw have finished the contract on the tap ditch. This is signed by Fred Holmes, Nov. 5, 1856.

Letter to Dexter Deverardo from S.D. Woodruff

Letter to Dexter Deverardo from S.D. Woodruff regarding descriptions of land in the ditch in the 4th concession in Humberstone, Nov. 10, 1856.

Letter to S.D. Woodruff from Fred Holmes

Letter to S.D. Woodruff from Fred Holmes in which he tells Mr. Woodruff that the back ditch on the south side of the feeder is full of water, April 13, 1857.

Letter to S.D. Woodruff from Fred Holmes

Letter to S.D. Woodruff from Fred Holmes who says that he received Mr. Woodruff’s instructions to change the level of the bottom of the northwest corner of lots no. 9-15. He then received a note from Mr. Cook, the foreman that they had to quit working because of too much water in the ditch, Aug. 1, 1857.

Diagrams (charts and graphs) made into a booklet with a newspaper cover

Diagrams (charts and graphs) made into a booklet with a newspaper cover. This booklet contains cross sections of the back ditch on the south side of the Welland Canal feeder, west of the Marshville culverts (45 pages, hand drawn). This was created by Fred Holmes, Oct. 3, 1857.

Letter (unsigned) from the Welland Canal Office

Letter (unsigned) from the Welland Canal Office regarding a quantity of wood felled upon the bank of the feeder. It is laid too near the back ditch. The recipient of the letter is instructed to proceed with the removal of the wood so that the excavation of the ditch might proceed, Aug. 7, 1858.

Estimate sent to S.D. Woodruff from Fred Holmes

Estimate sent to S.D. Woodruff from Fred Holmes. Mr. Cook says that he doesn’t want an estimate taken yet but Mr. Mains estimate for work done on marsh lands drainage up to Oct. 31, 1855 is enclosed, Oct. 31, 1855.