A tour from the City of New-York, to Detroit, in the Michigan Territory, made between the 2d of May and the 22d of September, 1818 : the tour extends from New-York, by Albany, Schenectady, and Utica to Sacket's Harbor, and thence throught Lake Ontario, to St. Lawrence river, and down that stream to Hamilton village. Thence along both banks of the St. Lawrence, from Hamilton to the Thousand Islands; thence to Sacket's Harbor by water; from that place by the route of great Sodus, Geneva, Cananaigua and Batavia, to Buffalo; and from thence to Black Rock, Fort Erie, the Falls of Niagara, Queenston, Lewiston, and the memorable fields of Bridgewater and Chippewa after viewing the interesting place of Niagara, the author traversed the south shore of Lake Erie to the City of Detroit, and visited in the latter range, Dunkirk, Erie, Cleveland, Sandusky, and other places of less note. The tour is accompanied with a map upon which the route will be designated; a particular map of the Falls andRiver of Niagara, and the environs of the City of Detroit /

Errata slip inserted.

The Battle of Queenston Heights, Oct. 13, 1812

Inscribed on title page, below the author's name: Champlain 8th N.Y. H. Artillery + 10th N.Y. S. Infantry.

District general orders of Maj.-Gen. Sir Isaac Brock from June 27th, 1812-Oct. 16th, 1812 [and] instructions sent to officers commanding forts / by Maj.-Gen. Brock shortly before the attack on Queenston. --

"Certain of these orders ... have been printed in Col. E. Cruikshank's Documentary history of Niagara." Created on behalf of the Women's Canadian Historical Society of Toronto

"Where Gen. Brock died. Queenston. Oct. 13, 1812." by Clara Mason

[from back of painting] "The old house faced the river, and the artist has sketched the trees and old fences as they might have been at the time. The remains of the old well were found, and so the path from the house is represented as it probably appeared, together with the old fashioned well cover, common at that period. The artist has suggested a sunset background, in harmony with the evening of life of the old home and the passing of the great General. The house faced the east, so the western glory of the setting sun is most appropriate." The painting was done on paper and the frame is wooden. The artist's signature is located at the lower right. "House where General Brock died, Queenston, Ont."

The Death of Brock at Queenston Heights, 1812: Imperial Tobacco Company silk card

General Isaac Brock was a British Army officer and administrator who was promoted to Major General. He was responsible for defending Upper Canada against the United States. He died at the Battle of Queenston Heights during the War of 1812. Bartholome Houde and George E. Tuckett (Tuckett was mayor of Hamilton Ontario in 1896) manufactured and sold tobacco before Confederation. In 1841, the company was called B. Houde and Grothe. When Houde retired in 1822 his son in law, Francis Xavier Dussault took over the company. In 1903, the company was called B. Houde and Company Ltee. and it was run by Dussault’s two sons J.A. Dussault and J.E. Dussault. The B. Houde Company had become part of American Tobacco Ltd. which merged with Empire Tobacco Co. Ltd. to form the Imperial Tobacco Company in 1908 in the St. Henri district of Montreal. In 2008, the company celebrated their centennial. Cigarette silks were either enclosed in packets of cigarettes or were redeemable by mail. People would sew these silks together to create quilts or table covers. Some cigarette packages even included instructions for making these items.

Proposal for Construction of Brock’s Monument, Queenston, newspaper fragment, 1824

Brock’s Monument is owned by Parks Canada and maintained by the Niagara Parks Commission in collaboration with the Friends of Fort George and Niagara National Historic Sites. It is located in Queenston Heights Park atop the Niagara Escarpment. On March 14, 1815, Parliament passed an act to erect a monument to the memory of General Isaac Brock. A design by engineer Francis Hall was selected. He envisioned a 135 ft. tall Tuscan column, made out of stone with a winding staircase inside. By the spring of 1824, work had begun on the monument. In June of that year, the cornerstone was laid and William Lyon Mackenzie was in attendance at the ceremony. It was on October 13th, 1824 (the anniversary of Brock’s death) that 6000 people traveled to Queenston to inter the remains of Brock and Lieutenant-Colonel Macdonell. This was the second burial for both. After 3 years the tower had reached 135 feet, but there was no inscription at the base, the fence around the observation deck had not been installed and there was no statue of Brock. Hall submitted a plan to finish the statue, but he was turned down and a simple ornament was placed where the Brock statue should have been. A massive blast of gunpowder destroyed the monument in 1840. It is alleged that an American sympathizer with the Upper Canada Rebellion set off the blast. Brock and Macdonell’s bodies were reburied in the Hamilton Family Cemetery in Queenston. The present monument was rebuilt in 1853. William Thomas (designer of St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto) was the architect. Brock and Macdonell were once again laid to rest in separate vaults at the statue. In 1968, Brock’s Monument was declared a national historical site. In 2005, it was closed to the public due to safety concerns, but it reopened in 2010. Source: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/brocks-monument-queenston-heights

Bond between Isaac Sterling of the Township of Salt fleet to William Dickson of Niagara and Thomas Clark of Queenston

Bond (1 page, printed) between Isaac Sterling of the Township of Salt fleet to William Dickson of Niagara and Thomas Clark of Queenston (regarding the Last Will and Testament of Robert Hamilton) for payment of 153 pounds, 12 shillings and 3 pence to be made to Dickson and Clark, May 21, 1819.

Bond between Archibald Johnston of the Township of Bertie to William Dickson of Niagara and Thomas Clark of Queenston

Bond (1 page, printed) between Archibald Johnston of the Township of Bertie to William Dickson of Niagara and Thomas Clark of Queenston (regarding the Last Will and Testament of Robert Hamilton) for payment of 75 pounds to be made to Dickson and Clark, June 7, 1821.

1964-65 Board of Governors

The 1964-65 Board of Governors. Pictured here are those who attended the first meeting on December 8, 1964. From left to right - Front Row: E. E. Mitchelson, Niagara Falls. Mrs. J. J. Bench, St. Catharines. W. B. Gunning, Chippawa. Dr. J. A. Gibson, St. Catharines. D. G. Willmot, St. Catharines. J. M. Trott, Welland. C. B. Hill, St. Catharines. A. C. Rae, Fonthill. Back Row: E. S. Howard, Fort Erie. W. J. Freeman, Port Colborne. M. L. Swart, Thorold. C. F. Anderson, Port Colborne. W. S. Martin, Queenston. E. R. Davey, Niagara Falls. R. L. Hearn, Queenston. C. W. Morehead, Welland. S. J. Leishman, Thorold. F. H. Leslie, Chippawa. F. C. Cullimore, Chippawa. W. B. C. Burgoyne, St. Catharines. H. C. Blenkhorn, St. Catharines. M. A. Chown, St. Catharines. B. P. R. Newman, St. Catharines. R. S. Misener, St. Catharines. Missing: R. M. Schmon, Niagara on the Lake. E. J. Barbeau, St. Catharines. P. E. Roberts, Toronto. L. R. Williams, Welland.

Governor General Michener's Visit

In October of 1969, Governor General Rolland Michener along with the Bailiff of Guernsey were invited to tour the Niagara Region with Dr. Gibson as part of a series of events to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Sir Isaac Brock's birth. Here they are visiting a stone monument erected in Queenston years ago by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. Pictured in the foreground are Mrs. Michener, Dr. Gibson, and Governor General Michener - the man speaking with Dr. Gibson with his back to the photographer.

Gypsy moths (Lymantria dispar) in the Niagara Region : population density variation, introduction of an entomopathogenic fungus (Entomophaga maimaiga) and occurrence of nuclear polyhedrosis virus

The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, a major defoliator of broad leaf trees, was accidentally introduced into North America in 1869. Much interest has been generated regarding the potential of using natural pathogens for biological control of this insect. One of these pathogens, a highly specific fungus, Entomophaga maimaiga, was accredited with causing major epizootics in populations of gypsy moth across the north-eastern United States in 1989 and 1990 and is thought to be spreading northwards into Canada. This study examined gypsy moth population densities in the Niagara Region. The fungus, .E.. maimaiga, was artificially introduced into one site and the resulting mortality in host populations was noted over two years. The relationship between fungal mortality, host population density and occurrence of another pathogen, the nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV), was assessed. Gypsy moth population density was assessed by counting egg masses in 0.01 hectare (ha) study plots in six areas, namely Louth, Queenston, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Shorthills Provincial Park, Chippawa Creek and Willoughby Marsh. High variability in density was seen among sites. Willoughby Marsh and Chippawa Creek, the sites with the greatest variability, were selected for more intensive study. The pathogenicity of E. maimaiga was established in laboratory trials. Fungal-infected gypsy moth larvae were then released into experimental plots of varying host density in Willoughby Marsh in 1992. These larvae served as the inoculum to infect field larvae. Other larvae were injected with culture medium only and released into control plots also of varying host density. Later, field larvae were collected and assessed for the presence of .E.. maimaiga and NPV. A greater proportion of larvae were infected from experimental plots than from control plots indicating that the experimental augmentation had been successful. There was no relationship between host density and the proportion of infected larvae in either experimental or control plots. In 1992, 86% of larvae were positive for NPV. Presence and intensity of NPV infection was independent of fungal presence, plot type or interaction of these two factors. Sampling was carried out in the summer of 1993, the year after the introduction, to evaluate the persistence of the pathogen in the environment. Almost 50% of all larvae were infected with the fungus. There was no difference between control and experimental plots. Data collected from Willoughby Marsh indicated that there was no correlation between the proportion of larvae infected with the fungus and host population density in either experimental or control plots. About 10% of larvae collected from a nearby site, Chippawa Creek, were also positive for .E.. maimaiga suggesting that low levels of .E.. maimaiga probably occurred naturally in the area. In 1993, 9.6% of larvae were positive for NPV. Again, presence or absence of NPV infection was independent of fungal presence plot type or interaction of these two factors. In conclusion, gypsy moth population densities were highly variable between and within sites in the Niagara Region. The introduction of the pathogenic fungus, .E.. maimaiga, into Willoughby Marsh in 1992 was successful and the fungus was again evident in 1993. There was no evidence for existence of a relationship between fungal mortality and gypsy moth density or occurrence of NPV. The results from this study are discussed with respect to the use of .E.. maimaiga in gypsy moth management programs.