May 2018 The crumbling ruins of Camp Bison stand as the sole reminder of a long-vanished town and jail complex. Ontario has many ghost towns; towns that once bustled with people and activity but now are silent. The former Town of Burwash, south of Sudbury, is a favourite among Urban Explorers. Burwash was originally founded …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/abandoned-ontario-jail-a-favourite-among-urban-explorers/
May 2018 In the Catskill region of New York State lie the crumbling ruins of Grossinger’s Catskill Resort Hotel. Opened in 1919 by Asher Selig Grossinger and his wife Malka, the resort was once the premier and one of the largest of the Borscht Belt kosher resorts for Jewish clients from New York City. In …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/crumbling-resort-hotel-a-relic-of-a-by-gone-era/
May 2018 In the Adirondack Mountains north of Albany, New York, families once flocked to Frontier Town, a Western theme park in the Town of North Hudsen, where costumed re-enactors would provide an interactive glimpse of American history. Opened on Independence Day in 1952 by owner Arthur Bensen, visitors to the 267-acre park where could …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/western-theme-park-now-a-crumbling-ghost-town/
May 2018 On a recent road-trip, I made my way to the now infamous Roxham Road, the now-officially-designated unofficial and illegal Point-of-Entry straddling the Canada-American border at Quebec and New York State, where economic migrants come to make their refugee claims in contravention of the Safe Third Country Agreement. As I was already in the …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/roxham-road-a-trip-to-the-twilight-zone/
May 2018 Every year, memorial services are held across Canada and the United States honouring police and peace officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty over the past year. On 8 May, a crowd assembled at the State of New York Police Memorial in Empire State Plaza in downtown Albany to honour …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/crowd-gathers-to-remember-fallen-police-officers-in-new-york-state/
May 2018 In a small cemetery west of Oxford, New York, lies the mortal remains of Merrit Beardsley. What makes the grave of “Little Merritt” unique is that this small, above-ground tomb has a window at one end. On a cold, snowy night in December 1865, “Little Merrit” Beardsley, an 8-year-old boy, was dying of …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/im-afraid-of-the-dark-daddy-little-merrits-tomb/
January 2018 Moored at a dock in Port McNicoll, Ontario, visitors can tour a ship that harkens back to the glory days of passenger travel on the Great Lakes. Owned and operated by Canadian Pacific Railway, the S.S. Keewatin is the last of the Edwardian-era Great Lakes passenger steamers. Out of service since it was …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/s-s-keewatin-a-jewel-from-the-glory-days-of-great-lakes-passenger-travel/
December 2017 The City of Burlington is a modern city in the Golden Horseshoe area of southern Ontario, but one that also proudly celebrates its heritage. A popular museum in the city is the Ireland House Museum, located at 2168 Guelph Line. Built between 1835 and 1837, Ireland House was the home of Joseph Ireland, …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/the-ireland-house-burlingtons-celebrated-pioneer-homestead/
November 2017 On 27 October 2017, Barrie’s Military History Park was formally dedicated by Mayor Jeff Lehman. The $1.57-million park, located just east of Southshore Centre along Kempenfelt Bay, honours and showcases the link between the City of Barrie and its ongoing relationship with CFB Borden and Canada’s military forces. Visitors can take a self-guided …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/barries-military-heritage-park-officially-dedicated/
November 2017 In the south-east corner of Barrie, Ontario, sits a small park sandwiched between Priscillas Place and Lockhart Road sits small corner park named J. Gibbons Park. All that one will find in this park are a lone grave and a monument stone telling the story of a woman named Jane (Young) Gibbins, the …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/pioneer-womans-gravesite-remembered-with-city-park/
