Annual report of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario, 1919

The reports are also published in the Annual report of the Department of Agriculture of the province of Ontario, and in the Sessional papers of the province of Ontario "Printed by order of the Legislative Assembly" [-1923] "Printed by order of ... Minister of Agriculture" [1924-] 25th, 1893- pub. by the Ontario Department of Agriculture, Toronto 1890 -1908 reports are bound with the corresponding annual reports of the Entomological Society of Ontario 1894 -1905 reports are bound with the corresponding annual reports of the Fruit Experiment Stations of Ontario 1906 -1910 reports are bound with the corresponding Report of the Fruit Branch, Dept. of Agriculture, Ontario

The slave in Upper Canada (1919)

Inscribed on cover: Falconbridge 1919. Previous owner's name inscribed on front flyleaf and stamped on various pages. "Reprinted from the Journal of Negro History, vol. iv, no.4, October, 1919" - cover.

Colin Duquemin fonds, 1935, 1968-2001, n.d.

Colin Duquemin was born in 1932 in Guernsey, British Channel Islands, and came to Canada as a young adult. He attended McMaster University (B.A.), the University of Toronto (B.Ed.), the State University of New York at Buffalo (M.A.) and the University of London, London, England (M.Sc.). He began his career as a tea taster and tea buyer in Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), but later became a teacher. He spent most of his teaching career as a manager of the St. Johns Outdoor Studies Centre, north of Fonthill, Ontario, developing environmentally related programmes for elementary and secondary school students. He was also active in many local organizations, serving as Associate Director of the St. Catharines Grape and Wine Festival Board, Chairman of the St. Catharines Historical Museum Board, President of the Niagara Military Institute and President of the Canadian Canal Society. In addition to the numerous curriculum materials he authored, Colin wrote the Driver’s Guide Series, highlighting the many points of interest in the Niagara region, including the Welland Canal, battlefields of the War of 1812, and the Niagara Parkway. He also wrote A Guide to the Grand River Canal (1980) with Daniel Glenney, The Fur Trade in Rupert’s Land: Opening up the Canadian Northwest (1992), Stick to the Guns! A short history of the 10th field battery, Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (1996), Niagara Rebels: the Niagara Frontier Incidents in the Upper Canada Rebellion, 1837-1838 ( 2001), and edited and contributed to A Lodge of Friendship: the History of Niagara Lodge, No. 2, A.F. & A.M, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, 1792-1992 (1991). He died in December 2012.

Niagara churches collection, 1937, 1968-1994

This collection contains 7 church programs and brochures, ranging in date from 1937 to 1994. There are programs for church services at Knox Presbyterian Church, St. Catharines (May 9, 1937); St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral, St. Catharines (July 28, 1968) ; Memorial United Church, Ridgeway (October 15, 1972); Salem Chapel, British Methodist Episcopal Church, St. Catharines (November 30, 1986); and Ridley College Memorial Chapel, St. Catharines (December 3 & 4, 1994). There is also a brochure of activities offered at St. Paul Street United Church, St. Catharines (1986), and a development fund appeal brochure for the Cathedral of St. Catherine, St. Catharines (1985).

Copy of poster advertising “Grand Buffalo Hunt at Niagara Falls” with Bill Hickok, August, 1872

James Butler Hickok (1837-1876), also known as “Wild Bill” Hickok, was an American gun-fighter, scout and spy. He was involved in altercations with others while working for the famous express company Russell, Majors and Waddell (in 1861), and later while working as a wagon master, scout, and spy for the Union forces during the Civil War. These altercations resulted in the deaths of 4 people, but Hickok was acquitted in all cases. An embellished article written about him in Harper’s magazine helped contribute to his reputation as a western hero. He served as a deputy U.S. marshal and sheriff in Kansas in the late 1860’s, helping to bring law and order to a previously lawless area. He gambled considerably, and during a card game on August 2, 1876, was shot and killed. The cards he was holding (two aces, two eights, and a jack) became known as the "dead man's hand."

Donald Ziraldo Fonds, 1968-2012, n.d.

Donald J. P. Ziraldo, C.M., BSc., LLD was born in St. Catharines, Ontario on October 13, 1948 to Fredrick and Irma (Schiratti) Ziraldo. He graduated Denis Morris High School in St. Catharines in 1967, and received his B.Sc. in Agriculture at the University of Guelph in 1971. In 1974, Ziraldo was running Ziraldo Nurseries when he met Austrian born schoolteacher, chemist and winemaker Karl J. Kaiser. They realized that there was a gap in the premium varietal wine market and decided to plant a premium traditional European variety of grape vine species, the Vitis vinifera. This was an innovation in the Niagara region because the current wine producers were not using premium European grapes at the time. Ziraldo and Kaiser founded and then formally incorporated Inniskillin Wines Inc. in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario on July 31, 1975. Ziraldo successfully lobbied General George Kitching, CEO of the LCBO, for a winery license. In 1975, Kitching granted him a winery license, the first in Ontario since Prohibition ended. From the beginning, there was a division of labour where Kaiser focused on the winemaking and Ziraldo focused on the marketing and promotion of the wines. Ziraldo also became president of the company. Ziraldo and Kaiser worked on improving their winemaking techniques and promoting their products and company. Ziraldo has been called ‘one of the founding fathers of the Canadian wine industry’, and it is widely acknowledged that both men played a large role in the success and growth of the Canadian wine industry. Together they pioneered the estate winery movement in Canada. A major turning point Inniskillin came in 1984 when Karl Kaiser successfully harvested the first Icewine crop from frozen grapes on the vine and bottled Eiswein Vidal (Icewine). In 1990, Inniskillin received worldwide recognition for this Icewine when their 1989 Vidal Icewine won the most prestigious award in the wine world, the Grand Prix d’Honneur, given at Vinexpo in France. This victory has been called ‘the award heard round the world’ and it launched Inniskillin into the international wine arena. At the same time, this helped lift the profile of Canadian wines in general. Inniskillin not only became Canada’s leading producer of Icewine, but it also became known for producing ‘one of the world’s great wines’. After the 1990 award, Ziraldo began a major public relations campaign to promote Inniskillin and build Icewine into a worldwide brand. He travelled broadly every year to promote the brand and products and networked extensively with politicians, celebrities, chefs, sommeliers, etc. To ensure worldwide and long-term success, Ziraldo introduced Icewine to Asia and the United States which were new markets. He developed a new Icewine glass with George Riedel. Tony Aspler has called Ziraldo ‘Canada’s Wine Ambassador’. Ziraldo was President of Inniskillin Wines Inc. (Niagara) from 1975 to 2006. In 1992, Inniskillin merged with Cartier Wines, and in 1993 Cartier Inniskillin Vintners Inc. merged with T.G. Bright & Co. Limited, forming the new company Vincor International Inc. Inniskillin wines was now a subsidiary of Vincor. Ziraldo became a Director at Vincor International Inc. from 1993 to 2004. From 1989 to the mid 1990s, Ziraldo also became President of Inniskillin Napa, in Napa Valley, California. Inniskillin purchased Napa Valley vineyards and produced wines under the Terra label. In 1994, Ziraldo set up a subsidiary estate winery of Inniskillin in Oliver, British Columbia which was called Inniskillin Okanagan Vineyards Inc. He became President of the winery. This started as a partnership between Inniskillin and the local Inkameep Indian Band in the Okanagan. In 2006, Ziraldo left Inniskillin and since that time he has been involved in other Icewine related ventures such as running Ziraldo Estate Winery and producing Ziraldo Riesling Icewine 2007. He also is in partnership with the Niagara based Equifera Estate Winery to produce Equifera Icewine. His most recent projects include planting Picolit grapes in his parent’s hometown, in a project called Picolit Di Fagagna and becoming Managing Director of the Senhora Do Convento Port Winery in Portugal. Donald Ziraldo was instrumental in the creation of the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) in Ontario and was its founding Chair from 1988-1995. The VQA was established as a regulatory and appellation system which secured the quality and origin of Canadian wines made under this system. The VQA designation and bottle label gave the consumer confidence that the wines they were purchasing were 100% local products. The VQA system was set up first in Ontario and then in British Columbia.

The Award Winners - compiled August 1985

The Inniskillin awards listed compiled August 1985. The list includes: 1983 International Eastern Wine Competition, 1984 International Easter Wine Competition, Festival '84 Nouveau Tasting, 1981 International Eastern Wine Competition, 1982 International Eastern Wine Competition.

Communion Certificate - Helen Stanley Smith, 1919

A communion certificate for Helen Stanley Smith dated 31 January, 1919. The certificate is signed by George H. Smith D.D. (minister).

Thorold Tunnel opening ceremony photographs, September 18,1968.

Construction on the Thorold tunnel began in 1965 and was completed in 1967. It was designed by H. G. Acres & Company Ltd. and built by Pitts-Atlas, a joint venture of C.A. Pitts, General Contractor Ltd., and Atlas Construction Company Ltd. The tunnel replaced two lift bridges (Bridge 9 at Ontario Paper Co. and Bridge 7) that carried traffic over the Welland Canal. The majority of the construction occurred during the winter months, when the canal was closed to shipping. The water was drained and concrete sections shaped liked tubes were poured, creating the tunnel. During the summer months, the end sections of the tunnel were constructed so that shipping could continue uninterrupted. The 24 million dollar project was financed jointly by the Department of Highways and the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority. The tunnel was officially opened on September 18, 1968.