This article is the first in a two-part series in which I’ll highlight events from the mid-1800s to the turn of the century, a period that saw several historic events occur in Canada, which were reflected here in Newmarket. Prior to the uprising in 1837, William Lyon MacKenzie and Robert Gourlay had advocated for a…
Tag: Interview
Bob Forhan Blazed A Path In Hockey, Politics Remembered To This Day
Robert Norman “Bob” Forhan — best known as just Bob around town — seemingly excelled at every aspect of his life. Born in Newmarket in March 1936, Forhan was an athlete, politician, teacher, diplomat and community leader. My problem is just how you capture the history of a gentleman who was the modern equivalent of…
Bob Forhan Blazed A Path In Hockey, Politics Remembered To This Day
Robert Norman “Bob” Forhan — best known as just Bob around town — seemingly excelled at every aspect of his life. Born in Newmarket in March 1936, Forhan was an athlete, politician, teacher, diplomat and community leader. My problem is just how you capture the history of a gentleman who was the modern equivalent of…
It Wasn’t An Occasion Without The Newmarket Citizens’ Band
The Newmarket Citizens’ Band has a huge celebration coming up next year, so let’s take a look at its beginnings and the massive presence it has had in our history — the band has attended every major event that has occurred in Newmarket. Newmarket citizens had long desired a band of their own dating back…
Newmarket’s ‘Chicken Blood Election’ One For The Storybooks
One of the most peculiar stories from our history books is the chicken blood election. Local politics can often present us with some funny and even weird stories, and this is certainly one of them. Through the annals of municipal contests in Newmarket, occasional bits of humour flash across the pages and this is a…
Newmarket’s ‘Chicken Blood Election’ One For The Storybooks
One of the most peculiar stories from our history books is the chicken blood election. Local politics can often present us with some funny and even weird stories, and this is certainly one of them. Through the annals of municipal contests in Newmarket, occasional bits of humour flash across the pages and this is a…
History Reminds Us, And Gives Us Hope, Newmarket: We Will Get Through This
As mentioned in my article on the Spanish Flu, history contains so many examples of us having been taken to the breach and our ancestors fighting their way back, eventually becoming even stronger than ever. The Great Depression of the 1930s is such an event. The Great Depression was a shock worldwide, both socially and…
Newmarket’s Boer War Soldiers Honored With Pomp And Ceremony
The story behind Newmarket’s connection with the Boer War isn’t well known. In 1899, Great Britain declared war on the Boers in South Africa. At once, Lt. Col. T.H. Lloyd of Newmarket, commanding the 12th Battalion, York Rangers, offered their services and a cablegram of acceptance was received from the Imperial War Office shortly afterward. At…
In Fair Weather And Foul, Newmarket’s Early Doctors Made House Calls
Newmarket’s early doctors had practices that covered an apparently boundless territory. In those years prior to the arrival of the car and paved roads, in fair weather and foul, often on horseback, they arrived at isolated homes to administer help to the sufferer and to comfort the anxious family. Sometimes the only facility in which…
Stories Of Newmarket’s First Settlers Preserved In Burying Ground
The Pioneer Burying Ground on Eagle Street is the final resting place of some of our earliest settlers. The story is as much a story of the people who are buried there as it is one of a heritage site. The first official map of the Village of Newmarket in 1862 shows that the Boultons…
