Apr 05 2024
April 2024 Canadian Forces Base Borden, in the southern Ontario county of Simcoe, has been a training base for Canada’s Armed Forces for over a century. Opened on 11 July 1916 as Camp Borden, named after Sir Frederick Borden, Minister of Militia under Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, it was originally a training centre for infantry …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/borden-dedicates-new-monument-marking-the-100th-anniversary-of-the-royal-canadian-air-force/
Apr 04 2024
April 2024 Since the early Nineteenth Century, railroads have have been an effective transportation option for goods and passengers. While the railways once dominated transportation, particularly land transportation, the emergence of automobiles, trucks and improved road networks gave the business community and the general public better options, leading to the demise of many railway companies …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/from-transportation-to-recreation-the-caledon-trailway-and-the-relics-of-a-railroading-past/
Mar 26 2024
March 2024 The Borscht Belt was the colloquial name of the Catskills area of eastern New York State that was once populated with resorts and bungalow communities for Jewish clients from New York City. In an era when Jewish people still faced discrimination elsewhere, Borscht Belt resorts were a popular choice for family vacations and for …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/is-a-serial-arsonist-behind-the-rash-of-fires-at-abandoned-borscht-belt-hotels/
Mar 22 2024
March 2024 On first glance, Beechwood Cemetery looks like any other cemetery. This cemetery in the Ottawa suburb of Vanier is the national cemetery of Canada, the final resting place for over 85, 000 Canadians from a variety of backgrounds. Most notably, Beechwood Cemetery is the national cemetery for the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/beechwood-national-cemetery-the-final-resting-place-of-veterans-and-notable-canadians/
Mar 14 2024
March 2024 When the Government of Ontario was looking for a location for a new super-jail for the central Ontario region, in mid-1990s, the small town of Durham, in Grey County, was on the list of proposed locations. In the end, the provincial government chose another location, but this wouldn’t have been the first time …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/bible-camp-in-grey-county-was-originally-a-provincial-jail/
Mar 13 2024
March 2024 Zoos, or animal parks, have been popular tourist attractions for hundreds of years in both big cities and small communities. Simcoe County currently has the Elmvale Jungle Zoo, a seasonal zoo opened in 1967 in Elmvale, Ontario, north of Barrie. Another zoo that operated briefly in Simcoe County in the early part of …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/gosslings-animal-park-a-long-forgotten-refuge-for-orphaned-and-abandoned-wild-animals/
Mar 08 2024
March 2024 It sits silently rusting away, but the bridge crossing the Nottawasaga River on the former Line 4 road alignment in Flos Township, north of Barrie, Ontario, has seen hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of vehicles travelling across its surface in the over 100 years it has spanned the river. Now this historic bridge …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/historic-vigo-iron-truss-bridge-faces-uncertain-future/
Feb 29 2024
29 February 2024 Mention “The Roxx” or “The Roxy” to anyone in the southern Ontario city of Barrie, who has lived there for more than a decade, they will likely know of the art deco influenced building in downtown Barrie that has been a centre for entertainment for almost a century. Starting out as a …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/from-the-roxy-to-mavericks-music-hall-historic-venue-has-entertained-for-almost-a-century/
Feb 27 2024
February 2024 An enthusiastic crowd gathered at the Bradford Leisure Centre to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and to express their continued support for the Ukrainian people. Hosted by the Ukrainian Community of Bradford, dignitaries included Member of Parliament for York-Simcoe Scot Davidson, Bradford West Gwillimbury Mayor Mayor James Leduc …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/bradford-west-gwillimbury-shows-their-support-for-ukraine-on-the-2nd-anniversary-of-the-russian-invasion/
Feb 18 2024
February 2024 Another part of Barrie’s past has fallen to the wrecking ball. The southern Ontario city of Barrie is like many cities and towns across Canada, with many historic buildings in their downtown core. What became known as the “Pink Building” in recent years, due to the pink paint that covered its exterior, had …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/the-pink-building-is-now-gone-but-its-demolition-revealed-a-glimpse-of-barries-past/
