Tuesday, May 7, 2024

The Final Traces of Railways and Early Industry in Kitchissippi

The April issue of the Kitchissippi Times featured a story that focused on the north-eastern end of Hintonburg and kind of the western edge of Centretown, where railways led to the establishment of multiple industries in this area (roughly around City Centre and back to Somerset). 

The fact that we have these large pieces of land existing today like City Centre, the civic yards at Bayview, or off the Somerset Bridge, etc. can be traced back to the 19th century development of the area, where trains arrived and space was at a premium for lumber storage, factories, mills and other industry. As more and more train companies laid down track, the area was a maze of tracks and railway facilities, that still existed in to the 1960s. A few final pieces remain of these old days, including the recently-designated former Orange Art Gallery, which was once an office for lumber king W. C. Edwards.

Lots of fun tidbits and photographs at the online version of the article at:

https://kitchissippi.com/2024/04/20/early-days-when-railways-ran-through-hintonburg-and-mechanicsville/

Trainyards east of Bayview, with the old Wellington
Viaduct visible in the background. Looking north.


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