It is a bit like a bug that I cannot shake. Wherever I travel, wherever I may go, I look to connect with the history and stories of the place, and invariably I am drawn to finding connections to Mississauga. We recently had an opportunity to go winter Yurt camping in Algonquin Park – and…
Join Matthew Wilkinson for a special holiday episode of Ask A Historian on December 9, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. This week Matthew welcomes Lindsay Doren, Coordinator of Education and Engagement for the Museums of Mississauga, as they explore some holiday traditions of the past and the many upcoming holiday events offered by Museums of Mississauga….
It was Monday, October 31, 1910. And for over three hours a fierce engagement took place between two armies – one advancing eastward from Hamilton, the other, in defence of Toronto, advancing westward along Dundas Street, determined to hold the bridge over the Credit River. The armies met at Mississauga Road. The engagement involved over…
166 years ago, a steam locomotive, painted in dark green with polished brass fittings, and pulling several passenger cars full of VIPs – railway officials, financiers, and other assorted dignitaries – travelled merrily along the newly laid Great Western Railway near Clarkson. The date was December 3, 1855, and the opening of the sparkling new…
Join Historian Matthew Wilkinson for our next episode of “Ask A Historian” on August 26, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. on our YouTube channel. This week Matthew answers questions about the historic Britannia United Church, a functional Clarkson refinery that has supported community initiatives, and the doctor known as the “greatest son of Peel”. Each week…
The Thompson family were staunch Loyalists, with strong military traditions. In 1808 Cornelius Thompson, Rebecca’s husband, travelled to York from New Brunswick with Stephen Jarvis, and applied for a land grant in Upper Canada. Cornelius received 480 acres in Toronto Township (historic Mississauga) – Lots 33 and 34 in Concessions 3 & 4, SDS. In…
Welcome to our 41st installment of “Ask a Historian”. Join Historian Matthew Wilkinson on our YouTube channel for our next episode of “Ask A Historian” on Thursday March 18, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. This week Matthew welcomes Lindsay Doren, Coordinator for Education and Engagement at the Museums of Mississauga, as they explore the history, stories…
Call it an urban legend … or at least a rural legend in its origin. There is a plaque in historic Dixie Union Chapel that references the baptism of one Colonel William Frederick Cody, better known to the world as “Buffalo Bill”. There are entire books dedicated to the story of Buffalo Bill Cody, and…
Happy Birthday! Heritage Mississauga turned 60 years old on December 6, 2020. While this year has not quite been the anniversary year we had originally planned, we thought we would take a moment to share, in brief, the story of us. Heritage Mississauga, then known as the Toronto Township Historical Foundation, was incorporated on December…
Morris Gershon, a well-known Toronto poultry buyer, and his assistant, Murray Baker, went missing on June 19th, 1939. They have never been found, although police suspected that the pair met with foul play and were murdered. And they had their suspicions of who was responsible. Gershon’s abandoned truck was found along Highway 122 (Royal Windsor…