Timeline of Dundas

1759

1792

1797

1799

1813

1840

History

Dundas, Ontario is an urban community within the city of Hamilton.

Known as the “Valley Town” or the “Dundas Valley”, Dundas is located at the west end of Lake Ontario and is situated between 2 faces of the Niagara Escarpment. Incorporated as a town in 1847, Dundas residents resisted amalgamation with the town of Ancaster in the 1970s, and with the city of Hamilton in the 1990s. Nevertheless, in 2001, Dundas became part of the new city of Hamilton

One of the oldest communities at the Head of Lake, the Town of Dundas had its formal beginnings when town lots were surveyed along the waterway, now known as Spencer Creek, in 1797. Before that time, there was a small community in that location known as Coote’s Paradise. Captain Thomas Coote was a military officer stationed with the British contingent at Fort George near what was then known as Newark and is now Niagara-on-the-Lake. Captain Coote and his co-officers often made the trek from Fort George to the coastal marsh through which the waters of Spencer Creek and other streams emptied in the harbour at the west end of Lake Ontario.

The marsh was an excellent location for hunting, as huge numbers of waterfowl used it as a resting and staging area during the times of migration in the spring and fall. It was thus considered a hunter’s paradise and as Captain Coote was one of the prominent hunters to frequent the area, it became known as Coote’s Paradise. The community at the end of the marsh was given the name Coote’s Paradise until 1797 when it was renamed Dundas, in honour of Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville, Secretary of State for the Home Department from 1791 until 1801.

Being located at a critical transportation hub, (notably along York Road and Governor’s Road, two of the oldest thoroughfares in the area,) the village of Dundas advanced rapidly in terms of population and commerce. The proximity to the Niagara Escarpment, and the powerful stream (Spencer Creek) which went over it in that area, led to the construction of a large number of mills built to take advantage of the waterpower available. In 1826, sufficient financing was in place to begin construction of the Desjardins Canal. This canal was used to bring lake-going vessels from Burlington Bay (now Hamilton Harbour) through

Coote’s Paradise to a warehouse area along Spencer in the community of Dundas. The canal, although used in a limited fashion since 1826, was not fully completed until 1837 due to major construction and financial challenges. Once completed, the Desjardins Canal helped the village of Dundas advance rapidly into a thriving community, leading to its achieving incorporation as a town in 1847. One year later, the financing and plans were finalized for the construction of a town hall on the Hay Scale Square at the corner of Main and Hatt Streets. Still standing and in public use, the Dundas Town Hall was completed rather rapidly and was ready for its formal opening in July 1849.

After the completion of the Great Western Railway in 1855, the need for a navigation canal to make Dundas a port diminished rapidly, leading the Desjardins Canal Company to its eventual bankruptcy. The community of Hamilton with its expanding port facilities along the bay shore and its full connection with the Great Western Railway rapidly eclipsed Dundas as the main urban centre in the region. In January 2001, the Town of Dundas as a formal municipal body came to an end with the creation of the amalgamated City of Hamilton. However, Dundas as a strong, vibrant heritage community retains its distinctive identity to this day.

Before 1759

Archeological evidence suggests that First Nations peoples may have inhabited the Dundas area as early as 9,000 BC (Miller, Bucovetsky p. 114) The first European records of Hamilton date from 1616 when Etienne Brûlé, an adventurer and traveller, noted perhaps 40,000 people whom he called “Neutrals” living in the Burlington Bay area. Samuel de Champlain made note of the same people a few years later while passing through.

Europeans brought new diseases with them, and this, coupled with plague and famine, weakened the native populace in the mid-17th century. In addition, the New York Iroquois attacked and dispersed the dwindling group in 1650. By the end of the century, they had either died or dispersed

1759 The region came under control of the British

The Dundas region came under the control of the British in 1759 after the fall of Quebec. Shortly thereafter, Loyalists started to arrive and colonise the area as “authorised squatters”.

They were encouraged to develop parcels of the unsurveyed land with the understanding that they would receive grants for the land when the surveys were completed.

The first settler was the Widow Morden who began a homestead on a creek leading into a marsh at the westernmost end of Lake Ontario which is now known as Cootes Paradise. Many homesteads were built in Dundas, Hamilton and, later, Toronto on similar creeks as land access was much more difficult than water access. The original travel routes for the early settlers, not surprisingly, were mapped out along the Indian portage routes.

1792 Dundas Street, The first main road was built.

Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe arrived in Upper Canada in 1792 with ambitious plans for organising the new province into a strong British colony that would provide a lawful and prosperous society in contrast to the rebellious Americans. The Dundas Valley was placed in the Home District, one of many districts created in Ontario, as an important link in the planned inland defence system to be created by connecting Lake Simcoe, London, Kingston and York (Toronto). The proposed settlements were designed to maintain the ordered society of England with a strong aristocracy and a prevalent Anglican Church. The early architecture reflects this attitude. Simcoe’s town plan, a rigid rectilinear grid ignoring both the escarpment and Spencer Creek, was disregarded by the settlers who instead made use of the water power and the protection of the “mountain.” The first main road on the survey, however, was built according to the plan linking Burlington Bay and London. It was called Dundas Street but was more popularly known as the Governor’s Road. A small stone building located on Dundas Street at Main Street survives from this era.

1799 James Morden built the first grist and saw mill.

James Morden built the first grist and saw mill in 1799 at the crossing of Spencer Creek and the Dundas Road. In 1800 the mill was purchased by Richard Hatt who renamed it the Dundas Mill. Wheat was the major crop of the agricultural settlers in the area, and mills in both Dundas and Ancaster prospered. Settlers were attracted to the ready power source provided by Spencer Creek and the excellent soil. There were many applications for land and by 1799 most available plots were spoken for if not officially granted. By 1805, a cart track later known as Brock Road was opened up linking Dundas with Guelph. These two original roads are still in use today.

1813 James Crooks founded Crooks Hollow.

In 1813 James Crooks located his homestead and business above the escarpment at what is now known as Crooks Hollow. He first started a store and grist mill, then a saw-mill, general store, blacksmith’s shop and other businesses to service the growing agricultural community along the escarpment. Many beautiful stone residences remain on top of the Dundas hill dating from this period. Springdale and the Kerby House are two good examples.

1826-1837 Construction of the Desjardins Canal.

By 1812, there were 200 residents living in Dundas along the four main streets; Dundas (Governor’s Road) Hatt, York, and Hare (later King Street). Road connections improved over the next 40 years allowing further commerce and travel. In addition, the Desjardins Canal, started by Pierre Desjardins and finished by Alexis Begue in 1837, allowed schooners and steamers into the Dundas basin making it the head of navigation for Lake Ontario shipping, connecting the produce from points west to the markets at points east and south. Lumber and flour mills flourished along with distilleries and breweries.

1840 Dundas was the Major Shipping Point in the area.

By 1840, Dundas was the major shipping point in the area. Manufacturing establishments moved to the downtown area closer to the shipping. Tanneries provided leather goods while paper goods, furniture and carriages were produced from local lumber. The two mainstays of Dundas manufacturing also started in this era: textiles and foundries. The Dundas Forge building (1846) dates from this period. By 1851 Dundas had a population of 3,517. The town included a post office, a registry office, a courthouse, a jail, and nine churches.

Two years later, the Great Western Railway was built between Toronto and London. The rail station in Dundas was located halfway up the escarpment, quite a distance from the downtown area, effectively marking the end of Dundas’s golden age as a shipping center. Because the railway went through the center of Hamilton, it replaced Dundas as the major port west of Toronto.

Dundas maintained its importance as a manufacturing center after 1855. The industrial-residential area along Hatt Street and the commercial-residential area along King Street became augmented by residential areas north of King Street. Dundas was a popular area for Hamilton workers to live due to the beauty of the escarpment, the wonderful worker’s cottages that were erected, and because of the omnibus system — first horsedrawn, then steam, that connected Dundas with Hamilton.

The Cross Street neighbourhood became the location of choice for the more prominent Dundas citizens who built substantial residences in the fashion of the time. Most homes in this area date from 1840 to 1890. Knox Presbyterian Church (1847 - rebuilt 1875) became the local parish.

In 1851, a rectangular grid was imposed on the downtown core west of Cross Street. Park, Sydenham and Melville Streets are visible on a map of that year. Other properties by Church Street were developed with triangular lots because of their proximity to the property line of the large Rolph homestead. The area on the west of Sydenham became known as the Park Neighborhood.

1855 The Great Western Railway was completed leading to the Desjardins Canal losing popularity for Navigation.

By the end of the century, Dundas had declined in importance as an industrial center but had gained popularity as a residential area. The Hamilton and Dundas Street Railway, implemented in 1879, helped to make Dundas a dormitory community for Hamilton.

Dundas remains an industrial and residential community. Many of the industries located along Hatt street have disappeared, but Valley City furniture manufacturing (1884) is still going strong. The worker’s cottages along Hatt Street are still in great shape, and the western end of the town around Hatt Street maintains the distinctive industrial/residential feeling that distinguishes Dundas from other small towns of the time