Grand Trunk Railway way bills, 1900

The Grand Trunk Railway initially ran from Montreal to Toronto, then with expansion of Canada operated to British Columbia, linking major cities together. In 1900, two way bill forms were completed; one for the Niagara Falls Wine Co. and the other for T.G. Bright & Co. Both companies were headquartered in Niagara Falls, Ont. The consignors were John Mayberry & Co. and John Eleareys?.

Office of the City Clerk, St. Catharines Records, 1928-1974, n.d.

The site of present-day St. Catharines was settled by 3000 United Empire Loyalists at the end of the 18th century. From 1790, the settlement (then known as "The Twelve") grew as an agricultural community. St. Catharines was once referred to Shipman's Corners after Paul Shipman, owner of a tavern that was an important stagecoach transfer point. In 1815, leading businessman William Hamilton Merritt abandoned his wharf at Queenston and set up another at Shipman's Corners. He became involved in the construction and operation of several lumber and gristmills along Twelve Mile Creek. Shipman's Corners soon became the principal milling site of the eastern Niagara Peninsula. At about the same time, Merritt began to develop the salt springs that were discovered along the river which subsequently gave the village a reputation as a health resort. By this time St. Catharines was the official name of the village; the origin of the name remains obscure, but is thought to be named after Catharine Askin Robertson Hamilton, wife of the Hon. Robert Hamilton, a prominent businessman. Merritt devised a canal scheme from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario that would provide a more reliable water supply for the mills while at the same time function as a canal. He formed the Welland Canal Company, and construction took place from 1824 to 1829. The canal and the mills made St. Catharines the most important industrial centre in Niagara. By 1845, St. Catharines was incorporated as a town, with the town limits extending in 1854. Administrative and political functions were added to St. Catharines in 1862 when it became the county seat of Lincoln. In 1871, construction began on the third Welland Canal, which attracted additional population to the town. As a consequence of continual growth, the town limits were again extended. St. Catharines attained city status in 1876 with its larger population and area. Manufacturing became increasingly important in St. Catharines in the early 1900s with the abundance of hydro-electric power, and its location on important land and water routes. The large increase in population after the 1900s was mainly due to the continued industrialization and urbanization of the northern part of the city and the related expansion of business activity. The fourth Welland Canal was opened in 1932 as the third canal could no longer accommodate the larger ships. The post war years and the automobile brought great change to the urban form of St. Catharines. St. Catharines began to spread its boundaries in all directions with land being added five times during the 1950s. The Town of Merritton, Village of Port Dalhousie and Grantham Township were all incorporated as part of St. Catharines in 1961. In 1970 the Province of Ontario implemented a regional approach to deal with such issues as planning, pollution, transportation and services. As a result, Louth Township on the west side of the city was amalgamated, extending the city's boundary to Fifteen Mile Creek. With its current population of 131,989, St. Catharines has become the dominant centre of the Niagara region. Source: City of St. Catharines website http://www.stcatharines.ca/en/governin/HistoryOfTheCity.asp (January 27, 2011)

Clinician-Perceived Bridges and Barriers to Parental Implementation of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS): An evaluation.

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an augmentative and alternative communicative system that improves communication and decreases problem behaviors in children with Developmental Disabilities and Autism. The mediator model is a validated approach that clinicians use to train parents to perform evidence-based interventions. Parental non-adherence to treatment recommendations is a documented problem. This qualitative study investigated clinician-perceived factors that influence parental adherence to PECS recommendations. Three focus groups (n=8) were conducted with Speech Language Pathologists and Behavior Therapists experienced in providing parents with PECS recommendations. Constant comparison analysis was used. In general, clinicians believed that PECS was complex to implement. Thirty-one bridges were identified to overcome complexity. Twenty-two barriers and 6 other factors also impacted parental adherence. Strategies to address these factors were proposed based on a review of the literature. Future research will be performed to validate these findings using parents and a larger sample size.

The Garden of Canada: Niagara, St. Catharines, and Toronto Railway (1909)

Descriptions and photos of places to visit in Niagara, St. Catharines, and Toronto, including the railway services that connect them.

Papers and Practical Illustrations of Public Works of Recent Construction, both British and American (1856)

Memoirs of the late Brigadier-General Sir Samuel Bentham, with an account of his inventions -- The Paddock Viaduct / by John Hawkshaw -- Lockwood Viaduct / by John Hawkshaw -- Denby Dale Viaduct / by John Hawkshaw -- Tithebarn Street Viaduct, Liverpool / by John Hawkshaw -- Newark Dyke Bridge on the Great Northern Railway / by Joseph Cubitt -- Mountain top track in the state of Virginia / by Charles Ellet -- Preliminaries to good building / by Edward Lacy Garbett / Suggestions for increasing the circulating medium in aid of commerce and mechanical enterprise

Erie & Niagara Railway Collection, 1864-1884

William Alexander Thomson (1816-1878) was a promoter and developer of railway systems in western Ontario. He incorporated the Fort Erie Railroad Company in 1857, purchased the Erie and Ontario Railroad in 1863, and incorporated the Erie and Niagara Extension Railway Company in 1868 (later renamed the Canada Southern Railway). Thomson was also elected to the House of Commons for Welland in 1872, and re-elected in 1874. He was known for his support of public management of the currency and is seen as a pioneer advocate of government monetary policy. He was also an advocate of radical agrarian economic doctrine, believing that Canadian laws favoured mercantile interests over those of the producers of goods, and that this hindered national development.

Photograph - Baie Comeau, welding railway line

A photograph of men working to weld the railway line at Baie Comeau. The caption reads, "Welding railway line as rails joined immediately behind the temporary staff house".

Photograph - Baie Comeau, Last Railway Spike

A photograph of the "last spike in the Baie Comeau railway. Photo shows, left to right; A.I.Cunningham, managing engineer of the Ontario Paper Company driving the spike: V.G. Younghusband, vice president of the Foundation Company of Canada; R.W. Shaver, construction manager for the paper company; K.W. Bash, general superintendent, Foundation Company; and His Lordship the Bishop of Quebec.

Photograph - Baie Comeau, Railway line

A photograph with the caption "Railway line, on trestle, immediately behind millsite".

Indenture of Release to Woodstock and Lake Erie Railway from Executors of Samuel Zimmerman

Indenture of release regarding a loan of 12, 500 pounds which Samuel Zimmerman (deceased) is said to have lent and advanced to the Woodstock and Lake Erie Railway and Harbour Company. This is put forward by the executors who include: Joseph A. Woodruff, Richard Woodruff, John L. Ranney and Richard Miller. This document releases and exonerates the Railway Company from any debts to the executors. [The outside of the document says 1857, but the actual date is Feb. 10, 1858].

Indenture of Release of All Existing Contracts and Agreements with Woodstock and Lake Erie Railway Co.

Indenture of release stating that all existing contracts and agreements made by the Woodstock and Lake Erie Railway Co. are cancelled. This release was between the executors of Samuel Zimmerman's will and the Woodstock and Lake Erie Railway Co. February 10, 1858.

Indenture between The St. Catharines and Niagara Central Railway Company and Samuel DeVeaux Woodruff

Indenture of deed of land situate between The St. Catharines and Niagara Central Railway Company and Samuel DeVeaux Woodruff of St. Catharines regarding parts of Lots no. 12 and 13 30 in the 8th Concession of the Township of Grantham. This was registered at Merritton on Feb. 2, 1891 – instrument no. 1021, Aug. 16, 1890.

Presentation from the Office of Macdonald and Rykert regarding the Case of O'Connor vs. the Great Western Railway Co.

Presentation from the Office of Macdonald and Rykert regarding the Case of O’Connor vs. the Great Western Railway Co. This is a handwritten, 9 ½ page double sided document). Some of the witnesses for the plaintiff included: Robert Johnson, John Ryder, Edward Duffy, Gilbert Gregory, John Cutter, James Patterson, Samuel Rush and Francis Bigger, among others. They claimed that the Great Western Railway Co. was destroying their land. Jacob Dittrick claimed that the culverts were not large enough to carry off water. Mr. Jackson noticed injury to his flats. Wild grass was destroying the bottom grass, May 6, 1836.

Clippings - Road Allowances, Lock 2 Bridge, Toronto Railway Company, St. Davids' History

Clipping regarding the original road allowance which was part of Mr. Woodruff’s property, n.d. Clipping regarding the Lock 2 Bridge. This is a letter to the editor of the Journal from Calvin Phelps of Lockport, Nov. 13, 1889. Clipping entitled “Settled beyond a Dispute”: a letter to the Editor of the Star from J. G. Currie regarding the road allowance in the 5th Concession of Grantham, Nov. 16, 1889. Clipping entitled “That Old Road Allowance” which is a rebuttal to Mr. Currie’s letter, [1889] 2 newspaper clippings regarding: “Reg. vs. Toronto Railway Company”. These 2 articles are glued to a piece of paper. Beneath the newspaper articles is the name M. Chambers, Nov. 18, 1898. Notes regarding the clippings are enclosed with the articles. These notes and written on the back of “Pattison, Collier and Shaw Barristers, Solicitors, Etc.” stationary (notes are 2 pages, handwritten), Nov. 18, 1898. Clipping entitled “History on the Site: St. Davids’ Students Learn Lessons where Events Occurred” (2 copies), n.d.

Michigan Central Railway to S.D. Woodruff

Letter from the Michigan Central Railway to S.D. Woodruff regarding the construction of a fence, June 16, 1883.