Almaguin Chronicles
Almaguin Chronicles

Author: Astrid Taim

Publisher: Dundurn

Published: 2007-01-31

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 1770702938

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The Almaguin Highlands is a region that was once coveted for its game, silver birch and majestic white pine. For centuries this area stretched up to the shores of Lake Nipissing and embraced an unbroken forest that remained largely intact save where lakes, streams and beaver meadows punctuated the forest floor. In 1900, the northernmost areas of the District of Parry Sound were still not accessible by even a conventional roadway. Homesteaders, their claims precariously strung along the Pickerel River, relied on the waterway as their transportation route. What must it have been like at the outset for the lumbermen who cut down the white pine? And how did the settlers-those intrepid folk who trekked across the district with only the lumberjack’s blazed trails for a guide-cope in the wilderness? Almaguin Chronicles explores the relationship between lumbering and settlement throughout the Parry Sound District-the last frontier of this part of Ontario. Throughout, rare archival photographs and excerpts from unpublished memoirs augment the text.

Astrid Taim's Almaguin Chronicles 2-Book Bundle
Astrid Taim's Almaguin Chronicles 2-Book Bundle

Author: Astrid Taim

Publisher: Dundurn

Published: 2016-04-04

Total Pages: 610

ISBN-13: 1459737008

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The Almaguin Highlands, an extensive territory covering a 90 kilometre corridor from Huntsville, north to Callander, west to Dunchurch, and east to the Algonquin Park border, is a land rich with lakes, rivers, and a lively history. Once considered as a site for a First Nations Reserve in the early 1800s, Almaguin became a centre for lumbering and ultimately a year-round mecca for outdoor enthusiasts. This 2-book bundle is Astrid Taim's definitive guide to the region and its heritage. Almaguin: A Highland History offers a wide range of stories from the opening of the area by colonization roads to the first vessels on the Magnetawan River and the courage of the early pioneers. Included are community histories of the many towns, villages, and ghost towns of today; profiles of colourful personalities; as well as interesting and amusing tales of these rugged early times. Almaguin Chronicles explores the relationship between lumbering and settlement throughout the Parry Sound District — the last frontier of this part of Ontario. Throughout, rare archival photographs and excerpts from unpublished memoirs augment the text.

Dundurn Railroad 6-Book Bundle
Dundurn Railroad 6-Book Bundle

Author: Ron Brown

Publisher: Dundurn

Published: 2016-07-23

Total Pages: 1900

ISBN-13: 1459736818

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A must for any Canadian railroad aficionado, this special bundle gathers six books in one for a can’t-miss retrospective of the nation’s railway history. Rails Over the Mountains Explore western Canada’s rich railway history, travelling from the grand railway hotels and rustic stations to relive a time when trains used to rumble in the West. Rails to the Atlantic Explore eastern Canada’s railway heritage, including stations from the late 1850s, grand hotels, bridges, and roundhouses. The Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore Once the lifeblood of Canada, railways and heritage stations are a fading part of the patrimony of communities across the nation. Rails Across Ontario Train buffs and history lovers now have a book that explores the heritage of Ontario’s railways, from its oldest stations to its highest bridges, most glamorous hotels and historic train rides. Rails Across the Prairies Canada’s rail lines were pivotal in establishing the icons that mark today’s landscape: massive bridges, sentinel-like grain elevators, pattern-book wayside stations. In Search of the Grand Trunk Discover the legacy and lore of Ontario’s railway era by exploring the lost and abandoned rail lines that once were essential to the province’s well-being.

Dundurn Railroad 5-Book Bundle
Dundurn Railroad 5-Book Bundle

Author: Ron Brown

Publisher: Dundurn

Published: 2015-08-08

Total Pages: 1611

ISBN-13: 1459733037

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Ron Brown is Canada’s leading literary authority on the history of Canada’s railways, particularly those now-lost branches from the golden age of steam that once ran like veins and arteries throughout the country. This special five-book bundle collects several of his titles, including: In Search of the Grand Trunk, which takes a close look at Ontario’s railway heritage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; the poignant The Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, an examination of the railroad’s impact on communities — when it leaves town; and Rails Across Ontario, Rails Across the Prairies, and the new Rails to the Atlantic, which trace the development of rail across the country and its economic and social impact. Brown’s books are entertaining but also meticulously researched. This bundle is a treasure trove for the railway enthusiast. Includes: In Search of the Grand Trunk Rails Across the Prairies Rails Across Ontario The Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore Rails to the Atlantic

Permanent Weekend
Permanent Weekend

Author: John Michels

Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP

Published: 2017-04-01

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 0773550658

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North of the heart of Ontario’s scenic Muskoka District are the Almaguin Highlands, a loosely organized collection of villages, townships, and municipalities. In the mid-1800s, the region was home to loggers and farmers, as well as seasonal residents in simple cottages and camps. Since then, the impact of economic globalization and government policies has transformed the countryside into a luxurious recreational, residential, and tourist destination. John Michels investigates change in the Almaguin Highlands, exploring the modern faces of cottaging, tourism, agriculture, forestry, and economic development initiatives. He shows how years of neoliberal policies have displaced agriculture and logging as the principal sources of employment in northern Ontario, generating tension and unexpected alliances between tourists, residents, loggers, farmers, developers, and governmental officials over the proper uses and meanings of rural space. The repercussions of this new service-oriented countryside include increased youth outmigration, decreased full-time employment opportunities, and an ever-growing gap between the rich and the poor. A rich and detailed study based on long-term interviews and fieldwork, Permanent Weekend critically explores the catalysts and outcomes of gentrifying rural areas.

In Search of the Grand Trunk
In Search of the Grand Trunk

Author: Ron Brown

Publisher: Dundurn

Published: 2011-05-02

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 1459717783

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Explore Ontario’s forgotten rail lines and experience the legacy and lore of this the vital railway era of Ontario’s history. At its peak between 1880 and the 1920s, Ontario was criss-crossed by more than 20,000 kilometres of rail trackage. Today, only a fraction remains. Yet trains once hauled everything from strawberries to grain, cans of milk and even eels. Villagers depended on trains to visit friends, attend weddings, to shop, and to go to school. They gathered on station platforms to await their mail or greet a long-lost relative. Holidayers packed their trunks and headed north for an extended summer day at their favorite resorts. Today, these are but a distant memory as most of Ontario’s once essential transportation links lie abandoned and largely forgotten. But perhaps not entirely – many rights of way have become rail trails, and now witness hikers, cyclists, equestrians, and snowmobilers. Others sadly, lie overgrown and barely visible. Yet regardless of how one follows these early routes, one will find preserved stations, historic bridges, and railway era buildings, all of which recall this bygone era.

Paddling Partners
Paddling Partners

Author: Bruce W. Hodgins

Publisher: Dundurn

Published: 2008-02-08

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 1459721330

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Carol and Bruce Hodgins began leading canoe trips in 1957 for Camp Wanapitei on Lake Temagami in Northern Ontario, initially to the great rivers of that region and on into Quebec. Their first venture north of 60 found them on the South Nahanni, soon to be followed by the Coppermine River, and by the 1990s their annual tripping took them to the Soper River on Baffin Island. included with their richly descriptive accounts of wilderness travel with groups of people, are kayak adventures in Baja California, Mexico, and the Queen Charlottes, paddling in and near the Everglades and explorations on Heritage rivers in the Maritimes and along the coast of Newfoundland. Few have personally experienced the breadth of wilderness travel in Canada as have the Hodgins husband-and-wife team. Their fifty years as "paddling partners," a legendary achievement, is a story of shared joys, challenges, triumphs and mishaps, delightfully told and augmented by excerpts from daily logs, historical insights and the tidbits of experience gleaned over the years.

Dundurn Railroad Bundle
Dundurn Railroad Bundle

Author: Ron Brown

Publisher: Dundurn

Published: 2014-01-17

Total Pages: 1211

ISBN-13: 145972836X

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Ron Brown is Canada’s leading literary authority on the history of Canada’s railroads, particularly those now-lost branches from the golden age of steam that once ran like veins and arteries throughout the country. This special four-book bundle collects several of his titles, including: the poignant The Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, an examination of the railroad’s impact on communities – when it leaves town as well; Rails Across Ontario and Rails Across the Prairies, which trace the development of rail across the country and its economic and social impact; and In Search of the Grand Trunk, which takes a close look at Ontario’s railway heritage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Brown’s books are entertaining but also meticulously researched. This bundle is a treasure trove for the railway enthusiast. Includes: In Search of the Grand Trunk Rails Across Ontario Rails Across the Prairies The Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore

Nipissing
Nipissing

Author: Françoise Noël

Publisher: Dundurn

Published: 2015-01-19

Total Pages: 310

ISBN-13: 1459724410

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2016 Louise de Kiriline Lawrence Award — Shortlisted 2015 Speaker's Book Award — Shortlisted Explore the history of tourism in the Nipissing Passageway, from Mattawa to Georgian Bay, beginning with Champlain’s voyage in 1615. In the nineteenth century, while the hope of building a Georgian Bay Ship Canal remained elusive, promotional efforts were made by the railways to market the area as a “sportsman’s paradise.” In the early twentieth century, Ontario began to build roads to lure American motorists to the area. In Nipissing, Françoise Noël demonstrates how these efforts led to the early appearance of cottagers in the French River area and the rise of local outfitters. Places of interest include Quintland, named for the famed Dionne Quintuplets, which was seen as a “pilgrimage” site and saw resort expansion through to the post-war recovery. A look at the Nipissing area today reveals that, for many, it remains a wilderness playground.

Searching for W.P.M. Kennedy
Searching for W.P.M. Kennedy

Author: Martin L. Friedland

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2020-04-02

Total Pages: 502

ISBN-13: 1487533926

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Born in Ireland in 1879, W.P.M. Kennedy was a distinguished Canadian academic and the leading Canadian constitutional law scholar for much of the twentieth century. Despite his trailblazing career and intriguing personal life, Kennedy’s story is largely a mystery. Weaving together a number of key events, Martin L. Friedland’s lively biography discusses Kennedy’s contributions as a legal and interdisciplinary scholar, his work at the University of Toronto where he founded the Faculty of Law, as well as his personal life, detailing stories about his family and important friends, such as Prime Minister Mackenzie King. Kennedy earned a reputation in some circles for being something of a scoundrel, and Friedland does not shy away from addressing Kennedy’s exaggerated involvement in drafting the Irish constitution, his relationships with female students, and his quest for recognition. Throughout the biography, Friedland interjects with his own personal narratives surrounding his interactions with the Kennedy family, and how he came to acquire the private letters noted in the book. The result is a readable, accessible biography of an important figure in the history of Canadian intellectual life.