The current conflict between Russia and Ukraine has shaken the world and threatened to fracture our collective sense of order and security. Even as we struggle to make sense of the senseless, and to show our support for the Ukraine and its people, we are also drawn to reflecting on the connections between Canada, Mississauga…
The seemingly lazy course of the Credit River belies its vital importance to early industry and settlement in historic Mississauga. Water-powered mills once dotted the landscape, making use of natural (and harnessed) water energy to drive machinery. Few remnants remain on the landscape today, although some clues do remain. At the south end of Streetsville you…
Next stop on the GooseChase Scavenger Hunt, North Streetsville! When the survey of the northern portion of Toronto Township was completed in 1819, survey contractor Timothy Street received permission to build a saw and grist mill. As news of the construction of a mill on the banks of the Credit River spread, more settlers were…
Did you know that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. passed through Mississauga to attend the talk held on March 15th, 1962. During the 1960s, Civil Rights was at the forefront of not only American, but also Canadian minds. In 1962, civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. travelled to Toronto to speak at Toronto’s…
Heritage Mississauga continues to research, record, and celebrate Black History in Canada. Research Centre Assistant Justine Lyn has embarked on an arduous research project to gather records on the history and journey of many Black families that came to Canada. One of the many resources Justine has utilized is census records, which tell fragments of…
The former Riviere Fruit Farm remembers an earlier agricultural landscape that, in our not-so-distant past made up much of Mississauga. This property is part of the Credit Reserve lands that were included in treaties in 1820 between the Indigenous Mississaugas and The Crown. This property was first granted to Thomas Silverthorn in 1832. Subsequent owners…
This week, Matthew welcomes Professor Anna Thomas, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of English and Drama at UTM with a special focus on African American Literature and Diaspora Studies. Matthew and Professor Thomas will explore how early African American literature reflected and impacted changing attitudes towards slavery and what roles these literary works played…
By: Justine Lynne Black history research is often quite tricky and has been a focus at Heritage Mississauga for many years. We have shared other research findings in earlier articles in this series. In almost every case, we feel that there is so much more to uncover, and we are left with a lot of…
This week, Justine welcomes Zalika Reid-Benta as they discuss Caribbean Canadian culture and identity in the GTA, and literary representation. Zalika Reid-Benta is a Toronto-based writer. Her debut short story collection Frying Plantain is a coming-of-age story centered around a young Jamaican Canadian girl, Kara Davis, living in Toronto’s Little Jamaica neighborhood. Frying Plantain won…
Today is National Flag of Canada Day which commemorates the raising of the Maple Leaf Flag for the first time on February 15, 1965. DYK the incredible story of our flag and its connections to Mississauga? At noon, on Saturday, February 15th, 1965, 10,000 people gathered in Ottawa to witness the historic raising of the first Maple Leaf…