Caledonia, Ontario
Caledonia is a community located on the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. It had a population of 12,179[2] as of the 2021 Canadian Census. Caledonia is within Ward 3 of Haldimand County. The Councillor elected for Ward 3 is Dan Lawrence. As of 2021, there were 4,310[2] private dwellings in Caledonia.
Caledonia | |
|---|---|
 Argyle Street | |
| Motto: Gateway to Haldimand County | |
  Caledonia  Caledonia | |
| Coordinates: 43°53′53.1″N 79°57′18.3″W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Regional Municipality | Haldimand County, Ontario |
| Government | |
| • Mayor of Haldimand | Shelley Ann Bentley[1] |
| • Governing body | The Council of the Corporation of Haldimand County |
| • Ward 3 (Caledonia) Councillor | Dan Lawrence |
| • MP | Leslyn Lewis (Conservative) |
| • MPP | Toby Barrett (PC) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.57 km2 (2.15 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 206 m (676 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 12,179[2] |
| Demonym | Caledonian |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| Forward sortation area | |
| Area code | 905 / 289 / 365 |
Caledonia is located at the intersection of Highway 6 and Haldimand Highway 54 (within the town, these streets are called Argyle Street and Caithness Street respectively) on the Grand River.
History
Caledonia was once a small strip of land between Seneca and Oneida villages. The Oneida village was started by the Grand River Navigation Company, who laid out the village of Oneida on the south side of the Grand River. The Oneida village plot originally contained 16 acres and was named after the township where it began. In 1835, the same company began the village of Seneca about a mile down the river from Oneida on the opposite side of the Grand River. It was named "Seneca Village" after the township in which it began. The Grand River passed through Caledonia dividing it into two sides, North and South. In 1834, Ranald McKinnon was hired by the Grand River Navigation company to build a dam in Seneca and a dam in Caledonia. Completed in 1835, the dams made water power available with the accompanying lock and excavation finishing early in the following year.[3] Mills sprung up all over Seneca village, and five mills were built in Caledonia by 1850. One renamed Caledonia Mill which has been rebuilt and is now used for office space.
In 1835, William Bryant was the first to own a tavern in town. Official deeds to the lands early settlers occupied were not provided until 1850, however they did have bills of sale. There was a high concentration of Scottish immigrants and as such many of Caledonia's streets are named in honour of this. Most notably, the main street being named "Argyle" after the example of Glasgow in Scotland.
The Hamilton to Port Dover plank road was brought through Caledonia in 1838. A bridge was built across the river in Caledonia and Seneca in 1842. When first built, a stagecoach traveled to both Hamilton and Port Dover daily. These wooden bridges lasted around 19 years before they were swept away by the ice on the river. The Seneca bridge was never rebuilt. As of 2011, the Grand River Bridge built in 1927 serves Caledonia's traffic.
In 1846, David Thompson of Ruthven became the first Member of Parliament for Haldimdand County and died in office 5 years later in 1851. In the succeeding by-election, Ranald McKinnon ran for office but was ultimately defeated by William Lyon MacKenzie.[3] In 1853, Caledonia was incorporated as a village, when the villages of Oneida and Seneca were amalgamated, and later as a town. Ranald McKinnon was the village's first Reeve.
By 1860, the Grand River Navigation company was bankrupt, and their land was sold to different organizations. Seneca village was failing; many people from Seneca moved to Caledonia. Navigation on the river ended by 1880. A whole new way of transportation arrived around 1883; the Grand Trunk Railway passed through Caledonia. Oneida had become part of Caledonia and the town limits were expanding.
In 1875 the Caledonia Dam was sold to milling companies in the area from the Haldimand Navigation company however several of those companies fell into hard times after a series of fires leveled many buildings in the area. McQuarry, Thorburn and Monroe went bankrupt by 1880 and the Caledonia Mill was taken over by Robert Shirra which remained active until 1960.[3]
A highschool was built in 1924, remaining in use as such until 1991 when McKinnon Park Secondary School was constructed and currently houses River Heights Public School. In 1927, the Grand River Bridge was built, unique as the only nine-span bridge of its kind in Canada and the first reinforced concrete bridge of its type ever built. During these years the town also saw the opening of an Opera House and the construction of St. Paul's Angelican Church.[3]
James Little, founder of the Haldimand House ensured that the ongoing railroad project was routed through Caledonia instead of Cayuga and heavily influenced the town into bankrupting itself to make sure that it happened. He became director of the line in 1873. The wooden railway bridge that spanned the Grand River, a local landmark, was opened on September 22, 1873, allowing railway travel from Hamilton to Jarvis and later to Port Dover. A 'Railway Hotel' was built where the current train station sits and, after a series of detrimental fires, the current train station was opened September 30, 1908. As new technology made the train station rather obsolete, the train station fell into a sad state of disrepair and was only restored in November 1997 after a businessman, Ron Clark, saved the property.[3]
In 2006, the Grand River land dispute involving First Nation land claims brought Caledonia to national attention. The land at the centre of the dispute in Caledonia covers 40 hectares, which Henco Industries Ltd. planned to develop as a residential subdivision to be known as the Douglas Creek Estates. It is part of the 385,000-hectare plot of land originally known as the "Haldimand Tract",[4] which was granted, in 1784, by the Crown to the Six Nations of the Grand River, for their use in settlement. Henco argues that the Six Nations surrendered their rights to the land in 1841, and Henco later purchased it from the Crown. The Six Nations, however, maintain that their title to the land was never relinquished. The Grand River land dispute continued with 1492 Land Back Lane, protests occurring during 2020 and 2021.
Ranald McKinnon
McKinnon was born in Ardelum, Scotland on September 11, 1801. He came to Masonville, New York in the United States of America with his paternal grandparents, Malcolm McKinnon, his wife and a number of siblings. He worked in Virginia and Kentucky until 1820 when the family moved to Trafalgar, Esquesing and Vaughan. At 24 he began working on the Rideau Canal System. On March 3, 1835, he married his first cousin, Euphemia McKinnon who was 22 years old at the time. The pair would go on to have 9 children.
McKinnon was very involved in the community. He was the Treasurer of the Presbyterian Church for a time. In 1850 he petitioned that Caledonia be made its own township that would be absorbed into the county of Wentworth but nothing came of this. He ran for Haldimand County's member of parliament as a conservative when the predecessor died in office in 1851 but lost the election. He became Caledonia's first Reeve shortly after in 1853.
After a number of financial setbacks due to numerous of his business ventures burning down McKinnon found himself in hard times. One of the last acts of his life was about 1875 when he attempted to have a steel bridge replace the pre-existing wooden one. Ranald McKinnon ("Town Father" of Caledonia) died October 18th, 1879 at age 79.[3]
Demographics
| 2021 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,179 (+23.9% from 2016) | 9,674 (-2.0% from 2011) |
| Land area | 9.18 km2 (3.54 sq mi) | 5.57 km2 (2.15 sq mi) |
| Population density | 1,326.7/km2 (3,436/sq mi) | 1,738.2/km2 (4,502/sq mi) |
| Median age | 37.2 (M: 37.4, F: 38.8) | 40.5 (M: 39.2, F: 41.5) |
| Private dwellings | 4,310 (total) | 3,485 (total) |
| Median household income | $110,000 | $96,614 |
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 1841 | 300 |
| 1871 | 1,246 |
| 1901 | 801 |
| 1911 | 952 |
| 1921 | 1,223 |
| 1931 | 1,396 |
| 1941 | 1,401 |
| 1951 | 1,681 |
| 1961 | 2,198 |
| 1971 | 3,183 |
| 1981 | N/A |
| 1991 | N/A |
| 2001 | 9,228 |
| 2006 | 9,740 |
| 2011 | 9,871 |
| 2016 | 9,674 |
| 2021 | 12,179 |
Ethnicity
Only those populations which compose more than 1% of the population have been included.
| Ethnic Group |
2021[2] | 2016[9] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |||||||||||
| Canadian | 1,935 | 15.89% | 3,380 | 27.75% | ||||||||||
| English | 3,325 | 27.3% | 3,455 | 28.37% | ||||||||||
| Irish | 2,345 | 19.25% | 2,105 | 17.28% | ||||||||||
| Scottish | 2,830 | 23.24% | 2,785 | 28.79% | ||||||||||
| French[lower-alpha 1] | 650 | 5.34% | 865 | 8.94% | ||||||||||
| German | 1,620 | 13.3% | 1,380 | 14.27% | ||||||||||
| Chinese | 125 | 1.03% | 70 | 0.72% | ||||||||||
| Italian | 725 | 5.95% | 565 | 5.84% | ||||||||||
| Indian | 165 | 1.35% | 45 | 0.47% | ||||||||||
| Ukrainian | 445 | 3.65% | 350 | 3.62% | ||||||||||
| Dutch | 970 | 7.96% | 980 | 10.13% | ||||||||||
| Polish | 495 | 4.06% | 370 | 3.82% | ||||||||||
| Filipino | 135 | 1.11% | 45 | 0.47% | ||||||||||
| Welsh | 205 | 1.68% | 180 | 1.86% | ||||||||||
| Portuguese | 260 | 2.13% | 120 | 1.24% | ||||||||||
| American | 145 | 1.19% | 75 | 0.78% | ||||||||||
| Hungarian | 235 | 1.93% | 255 | 2.64% | ||||||||||
| Pakistani | 175 | 1.44% | 10 | 1.81% | ||||||||||
| Jamaican | 140 | 1.15% | 25 | 0.26% | ||||||||||
| Croatian | 125 | 1.03% | 40 | 0.41% | ||||||||||
| Total responses | 12,085 | 99.23% | 9,560 | 98.82% | ||||||||||
| Total population | 12,179 | 100% | 9,674 | 100% | ||||||||||
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses. | ||||||||||||||
Language
As of the 2021 census, there were 11,510 citizens that spoke English only, 10 that spoke only French, 595 that spoke both official languages and 60 that spoke neither.[2]
Religion
As of the 2021 census, there were 6,725 citizens identifying as Christian, 405 people identifying as Muslim and 4,695 as non-religious and secular perspectives.[2]
Religious buildings in Caledonia include:
- Gateway Church
- St. Paul's Anglican Church
- Caledonia Presbyterian Church
- Caledonia Congregational Church
- Grace United Church
- St. Patrick's Catholic Church
- Caledonia Baptist Church
Government
The first Reeve of the village of Caledonia was Ranald McKinnon in 1853 and the town hall finished construction in 1858.
On April 1, 1974, the town was amalgamated into the new town of Haldimand within the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk.[10] Although the largest community in Haldimand, the town hall was located in nearby Cayuga. In 2001, Haldimand and all other municipalities within the region were dissolved and the region was instead divided into two single tier municipalities with city-status but called counties. Caledonia is now an unincorporated community in Ward 3 of Haldimand County.
The current mayor of Haldimand County is Shelly Ann Bentley and the elected councillor for ward 3 (Caledonia) is Dan Lawrence.
Education
Public education in Caledonia is administered by the Grand Erie District School Board and the Catholic schools by the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board. Schools located in Caledonia include:
- Caledonia Centennial Public School
- Oneida Central Public School[11]
- River Heights Public School[12][lower-alpha 2]
Students eligible to attend secondary school in Caledonia have 2 significant options. They can attend McKinnon Park Secondary School within the town or take a bus to the neighboring Cayuga Secondary School.
Catholic Education
Students eligible to attend secondary school in Caledonia have only 1 option if they are seeking a Catholic education, Assumption College School in Brantford, Ontario. Students that choose this option are bussed to Brantford each day.
Attractions
- Haldimand County Caledonia Centre[15]
- Caledonia Public Library
Heritage
Edinburgh Square (Old Caledonia Town Hall)
Previous to the town hall's construction, council meetings were held at the house of John Campbell (the local inn) and in other makeshift quarters. Mention of a town hall was first made in 1854 and was discussed for a number of months until over a year later the council decided to spend a "sum of Eight hundred pounds to build a Town Hall and public Lockup house". The town hall was built in 1857 and officially opened its doors on January 18, 1858. At the time of its completion, John Scott was the Reeve of Caledonia, James Aldridge was the town clerk, and Thomas Belford was constable and keeper.
Edinburgh Square was designed as a town hall with jail cells in the basement. The town hall was also designed to house a meat market in the basement. In addition, the second floor hall was used for various purposes from public events to boy scout meetings. In 1914 the library books had all been stored in the basement and the library was only reestablished in 1935 through the hard work of Laura and Harold Senn. When the library was reestablished it remained within the town hall until the new Caledonia Public Library was opened in 1967.
The town hall was built by Mr. John Turner, a british immigrant who was residing in Brantford at the time. Mr. Turner also designed the court houses in St. Thomas and Simcoe, St. Basil's Roman Catholic Church and Park Baptist Church in Brantford.[16]
On January 25, 1982 the Town of Haldimand designated the Caledonia Town Hall as a heritage building. The building currently houses the Edinburgh Square Heritage and Culture Centre, a museum preserving the history of the local area. The museum holds events throughout the year in partnership with the other county museums, Wilson MacDonald Memorial School Museum and Haldimand County Heritage Centre, in addition to summer camps.[17]
Toll House
The Caledonia Toll House is the second oldest building in Caledonia, Ontario still standing; the first being Haldimand House.[18] The toll house was there when the original iron bridge collapsed and the new concrete one (still used today) was built.
With the historic Caledonia Bridge in need of complete replacement, the beautiful historic toll house which is currently a home and business has been expropriated as part of the Ministry of Transportations plan to replace. The toll house is currently a private residence.
Parks
- Seneca Park
- Rotary Riverside Trail
- Haller Heights Park
- Twin Heights Park
- Williamson Woods Park
- Haldimand County Ramsey Park
- McKinnon Park
- Kinsmen Park
- Caledonia Lions Pool[19]
Annual
- Caledonia Fair - Last Weekend of September
- Light Up Night - Later Half of November
- Santa Claus Parade
- Yard Sale Day - First Saturday of June
- Canada Day Festival and Parade - July 1st
Caledonia Fair
The Caledonia Fair typically runs on the final weekend of September in the Caledonia Fair Grounds at 151 Caithness St. E., Caledonia, ON. At the fair one can find a collection of farm animals, local art pieces and cooking all on display. There are also several events during the duration including a demolition derby, many magic shows and small concerts, rides for people of all ages, an event where local highschools compete for school spirit called 'High School Challenge', Touch-a-Truck, a display of classic cars, and more.[20]
Light Up Night
The night, typically in the later half of November, when the town's Christmas lights are turned on. Celebrated in the Caledonia fair grounds where the children meet Santa Claus.
Sports
Hockey
The Caledonia Corvairs are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Caledonia, Ontario. They played in the Golden Horseshoe Conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2023 but ultimately lost the final game against Hamilton 4 to 0. They became a Junior B team when the Brantford Eagles were transplanted, renamed and replacing the original Caledonia Corvairs (1961-2012).
All hockey activities take place in the Haldimand County Caledonia Centre.[15] It is primarily used for the local minor hockey league, Caledonia Thunder,[21] public skates and for the Caledonia Corvairs.
Soccer
Located opposite the Avalon development at 62 McClung Rd is the Caledonia Soccer Complex where the local Haldimand Soccer Club[22] operates its youth soccer programs.
Baseball
There are two public baseball diamonds located in Caledonia, Ontario that are not on school property. The first is located within kinsmen park, next to the Caledonia Lions Pool. The second is located next to the local hockey arena, the Haldimand County Caledonia Centre.
There is also a park featuring 6 baseball diamonds at 161 Greens Road, Caledonia, ON called Henning Park.[23]
Basketball
There is a public basketball court located in McKinnon Park next to the Caledonia Skate Park. Additionally, a youth basketball league, Haldimand Huskies, operates using the McKinnon Park Secondary School gym.
Skateboard & BMX
A public skate park is located within McKinnon Park across the street from McKinnon Park Secondary School.
Tennis
Public tennis courts are located within the Caledonia Kinsmen Park.[24]
Golf
The only place for golf in Caledonia is the MontHill Golf & Country Club which replaced the previous Hagan farm. It currently features 3, 9-hole courses for a total of 27 holes of varying difficulties and can be found at 4925 Highway 6, Caledonia, ON.
Gymnastics
Caledonia & Grand River Gymmise Gymnastics & Trampoline Club,[25] locally referred to as 'Gymmies', is the only facility operating in Caledonia that offers a suitable environment for gymnastics. It can be found behind the Haldimand County Caledonia Centre at 10 Kinross Street, Caledonia, ON.
Cemeteries
Cemeteries in Caledonia include:
- Caledonia Cemetery
- Saint Patrick's Cemetery
- Caledonia Methodist Cemetery
- Saint Paul's Anglican Cemetery
Notable people
- Birthplace of Byron Edmund Walker (1848–1924), banker and patron of the arts
- William Winegard (1924-2019), educator and politician
- Birthplace of Isaac Kragten (2002-), actor
- Dr. Arnold T. Anderson, worked on the Manhattan Project; was educated at Caledonia High School[26]
Sports
- Birthplace of Andrew Campbell (1988-), former defenseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs
- Birthplace of Cam Talbot (1987-), goaltender for the Ottawa Senators
- Roy Edwards (1937–1999), former NHL player
- Birthplace of Jack Hamilton (1886–1976), ice hockey and multi-sport executive[27]
See also
Notes
- Statistic includes all individuals that identified as having a French origin but not otherwise specified.
- River Heights currently hosts a French immersion program.
- The Caledonia Mill was dismantled in 2018 and rebuilt as an office complex.
- The Caledonia Opera House burned down in 1947 and was never rebuilt, the site is currently housing a restaurant.
References
- "Shelley Ann Bentley". Haldimand County. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
- "Census Profile: Caledonia Ontario (Population centre)". Canada 2021 Census. Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- Whitford-Nie, Marion (2018). Footprints Through Haldimand: The Making of a Village. Aylmer: Aylmer Express. pp. 14–51. ISBN 978-0-9865719-09.
- Map of the 1784 Haldimand Tract Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine, reclamation.kisikew.org (moved to reclamation.kisikew.org - site owner)
- "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022.
- "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021.
- "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
- "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
- "Census Profile: Caledonia Ontario (Population centre)". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- Hamilton, William (1978). The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names. Toronto: Macmillan. pp. 139. ISBN 0-7715-9754-1.
- "Oneida Central Public School". granderie.ca. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- "River Heights Public School". granderie.ca. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- "Notre Dame Catholic School". www.notredamecaledonia.ca. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- "St. Patrick's Catholic School". www.stpatrickcaledonia.ca. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- "Haldimand Arenas". www.haldimandcounty.ca. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- Corlis, Anne. Our Town Hall (1st ed.).
- "Edinburgh Square Heritage & Cultural Centre". Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- Martindale, Barbara. "Landmarks - Built To Take Tolls". Caledonia - Along the Grand River. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
- "Haldimand Pools". www.haldimandcounty.ca. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- "Caledonia Fair". Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- "Caledonia Thunder". caledoniathunder.ca. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- "Haldimand Soccer". haldimandsoccer.ca. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- "Henning Park". www.henningpark.ca. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- "Tennis/Pickleball Courts". Haldimand County. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- "Gymmies". gymmies.com. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- Beemer, Colleen (August 2003). Caledonia, Did you know...? Intesresting facts from Caledonia's past. Caledonia, Ontario.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - "Hall of Famer: Jack Hamilton". Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. 1972. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
