Desjardins Canal and the Railway Disaster (157 Years Ago Today)

 History Today: Exactly 156 years ago today, on March 12th in 1857 marks one of the worst rail-way disasters in Canada to that date.  It carried about 100 passengers on board, of which 59 were instantly killed and leaving 18 more injured.


There have been may historical depictions of the disaster of the Great Western Railway passenger since this day.  

 More recently a digitized project was undertaken by the Hamilton Public library to map out the original booklet that outlines much like a forensic study of the disaster.  If you go online you can see a copy of the "Full Details of the Railway Disaster of the 12th of March, 1857 at the Desjardins Canal on the line of the Great Western Railway"

 This is what the Desjardins Canal bridge looks like today.  There is a historical maker on the path just underneath the High Level bridge that commemorates the Dejardins Railway Disaster.  The marker is on the bike path in Cootes Paradise, a wonderful natural setting which overlooks the Hamilton Harbour from up top and a recreational trail down below. 

Carp barrier - keeping adult carp at bay

The Erland Lee Home (Museum)

The doors of the Erland Lee Museum on the Niagara Escarpment in Stoney Creek were closed, but I thought I would mention still this historical home.   From the outside it appeared lovely and quaint, but on the inside of these doors, history happened.

Back in 1897, a meeting at Squires Hall had taken place with about 100 women from the Saltfleet Township district headed by Mrs. Adelaide Hoodless (Mr. Lee's wife). An organization was formed to improve women's skills in the "arts of homemaking and child care". This meeting would begin as the world's first organized Women's Institute.

In follow up to that meeting, it was here in the home of Mr. Erland Lee (founder of the Farmers Institute) along with his wife, Adelaide a draft would be written to become the constitution of the new society.

Soon meetings halls across the country brought women together to learn "diverse skills and to promote civic reform after World war 1". This would help women to "break the grinding isolation of rural life".

Today, the Women's Institute has become a world-wide organization.  

If you are ever in the area, you might want to stop by and take a look around inside.

More historical info on Erland Lee Museum click here