Sep 14 2020
September 2020 In a time before power was supplied by electrical grids, grist mills were responsible for generating their own hydro to operate the mills. Sheave towers were an economical way to generate power from rivers by use of a water turbine underneath the tower. The last remaining wooden sheave tower in Ontario can be …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/the-blair-sheave-tower-ontarios-last-remaining-wooden-water-powered-hydro-generator-tower/
Sep 14 2020
September 2020 OK, while it’s debatable as to whether the “Bad Orange Man” south of the border was wrong in downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic in February, are the usual smug Canadian America-haters feeling the same way about their Lord and Saviour Justin Trudeau? It appears that Trudeau and Health Minister Patty Hadju were …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/theres-blame-to-go-around/
Sep 11 2020
September 2020 The Stoney Creek area of southern Ontario was the site of a pivotal battle in the War of 1812. Called the Battle of Stoney Creek, a battle fought on 6 June 1813, it marked a turning point in the war. Around 700 British soldiers and Mohawk warriors, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel John …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/battlefield-park-a-museum-park-dedicated-to-the-pivotal-war-of-1812-battle/
Sep 09 2020
September 2020 Of the many historic buildings in Hamilton, Ontario, Dundurn Castle is one of the best known. Dundurn Castle is an 18,000-square-foot, forty room Italianate-style villa, built over a three-year period and completed in 1835, as the home of Sir Allan Napier MacNab, 1st Baronet. MacNab was a lawyer, land owner, businessman, militia officer …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/dundurn-castle-hamiltons-own-historic-castle/
Sep 08 2020
September 2020 Motorsports has been a very popular attraction in North America and worldwide. Since the invention of automobile, people have wanted to race them at ever increasing speeds, along dedicated tracks and public roadways. The first recorded motor vehicle race, dubbed a “speed trial,” occurred in 1900, with racers travelling along a forty-mile long …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-motor-car-speedways-in-simcoe-county/
Sep 05 2020
September 2020 The northern Ontario city of North Bay has a long railroad history. In fact, it was the extension of the Canadian Pacific Railway lines into the north bay on Lake Nippising that led to incorporation of North Bay as a town in 1891. To celebrate this heritage, a railway heritage park was established, …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/heritage-trains-and-carousels-entertain-visitors-on-the-north-bay-waterfront/
Sep 02 2020
September 2020 The Niagara region of southern Ontario has many popular tourist attractions. For those interested in urban exploration, a popular attraction in the area is the “Blue Ghost” tunnel. Built beginning in 1875 by the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR), the 713 foot long tunnel was constructed to run underneath the then-new Welland Canal (now …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/the-merritton-blue-ghost-tunnel-a-relic-of-the-grand-trunk-railway/
Aug 28 2020
August 2020 The giant movie screen stands silent, white panels falling off the steel truss frame; a white monolith and monument to an industry that has seen many ups and downs over the past century. While some drive-inn theatres have survived to this day, the screen at the Elmvale Drive-in no longer displays the moving …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/the-end-of-the-show-is-the-elmvale-drive-in-an-image-of-the-past/
Aug 22 2020
August 2020 The grounds are eerily quiet. There is no longer the laughter and commotion of children and adults, splashing about in one of the four pools and a splash pad for the younger ones. The only water in the pools is rainwater, partially submerging old deck chairs and other debris, and the cracked pool …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/splash-canyon-the-crumbling-remains-of-an-abandoned-water-park/
Aug 18 2020
August 2020 The great punk legend Johnny Rotten famously said this at the final Sex Pistols show at the Winterland in January 1978. For Rotten, he was done with the Sex Pistols. With the release of the Fraser Institute’s 2019 edition of the Canadian Consumer Tax Index, it’s now official that the average Canadian now …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/ever-get-the-feeling-youve-been-cheated/
