Cayuga, Ontario
Encyclopedia
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
in the province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
located at the intersection of Highway 3
Highway 3 (Ontario)
King's Highway 3, commonly referred to as Highway 3 and historically as the Talbot Trail, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which travels parallel to the shore of Lake Erie. It has three segments, the first of which runs from the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor...
and Munsee Street and along the Grand River
Grand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
in Haldimand County
Haldimand County, Ontario
Haldimand is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the Niagara Peninsula in Southern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie, and on the Grand River. Municipal offices are located in Cayuga....
. Cayuga is about a 20 minute drive from Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
and 30 minutes south of Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
and 115 minutes south of Toronto and consequently it has some cottages and recreational properties in the area. In the past there was some light industry. It has the local district detachment for the Ontario Provincial Police
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
. It is also uniquely located among larger communities on both the American and Canadian sides of the border boasting television reception from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, Hamilton, Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
and Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
.
History
Cayuga was incorporated as a village in 1859 ane became the county seat for Haldimand County because of its central location. It is named after the Cayuga, one of the Six Nations of the Grand River Natives who were awarded land in the area for siding with the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. As the county seat, it is the location of the Court House, jail and a museum. In the late 18th century and early 19th century, public hangings were held in the court yard and the prisoners buried on site. The Highway 3
Highway 3 (Ontario)
King's Highway 3, commonly referred to as Highway 3 and historically as the Talbot Trail, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which travels parallel to the shore of Lake Erie. It has three segments, the first of which runs from the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor...
bridge over the Grand River (Cayuga Bridge) is a very well recognized bridge over the Grand River and is commonly used as a symbol of Haldimand County and the Grand River. The same bridge was also used in a movie that commemorated Terry Fox.
The village's population grew to about 2,500 in the mid-19th century because the Grand River was an important commercial route. There were locks constructed at Indiana just north of Cayuga. However when the Welland Canal
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...
was completed, the Grand became an obsolete route. Further, an impassable dam was built down river from Cayuga at Dunnville. Although originally part of the Welland Canal
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...
, the purpose of the dam and a canal at Port Maitland
Port Maitland, Ontario
thumb|Grand River, OntarioPort Maitland is a small community in the province of Ontario Canada.It is on the North shore of Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Grand River.At one time a canal connected the Welland Canal to the Grand River....
is to keep the level of the Welland Canal consistent. Presently the population of Cayuga has recovered to approximately 1,500 after having been around 1,000 for almost a century.
In 1974, the village was amalgamated into the new town of Haldimand within the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk. Despite nearby Caledonia being the largest community in the town, the town hall was located in Cayuga because of its central location. In 2001, Haldimand and all other municipalities within the region were dissolved and the region was instead divided into two single tier municipalities with city-status but called counties. Cayuga is now an unincorporated community in Ward 2 of Haldimand County.
Politics
Cayuga is in Ward 2 of Haldimand County. The current councilor for Ward 2 is Fred Morison 2010–Present. Before Fred Morrison it was Buck Sloat 2003-2010.The Current Mayor Of Haldimand County is Ken Hewitt 2010–Present. The Previous Mayor was Marie Trainer 2003-2010. before Marie Trainer it was Loraine Bergstrand 2001-2003.
The Current Clerk is Janis Lankester who works in Cayuga in the Haldimand County Cayuga Administration Building. The Current Chief Administrative Officer of Halidmand County is Don Boyle who works in Cayuga at the Haldimand County Cayuga Administration Building.
Demographics
Cayugians are overwhelmingly BritishBritish people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
by national background but many can trace their roots to an original German settlement near Cayuga in the 19th century. There was also a large Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
migration to the area after the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Landmarks
Cayuga is perched on the Banks of the Grand River, along a navigable portion of the river that stretches some 20 miles, ending at Lake Erie.Cayuga is home to an underground house located just west of the Grand River.
The main office of the Haldimand Press is located in Cayuga.
Cayuga has one of the oldest Courthouses in the land, located at 55 Munsee St. Until the late 1960s, a functioning jail surrounded by tall rock walls was attached to the Courthouse.
Previously the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
went through Cayuga but the track has been torn up.
One of the termini for the Underground Railway
Underground railway
Underground railway may refer to:*The Underground Railroad, a network of clandestine routes by which African slaves in the 19th century United States attempted to escape*Rapid transit, urban railways that sometimes use tunnels...
was St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
, which is about 45 minutes north east of Cayuga. Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Harriet Ross; (1820 – 1913) was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy during the American Civil War. After escaping from slavery, into which she was born, she made thirteen missions to rescue more than 70 slaves...
's nephew Lorne Barnes was the barber in Cayuga and was held out to the still-enslaved as an example of the success to be found by escaping to Canada.
There is a national bank and a credit union in town along with a United Church of Canada
United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
(Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational), an Anglican Church and a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Church.
The main street has a "rural brick charm" to it and many older houses continue to reflect Cayuga's prosperous past. Cayuga very much retains its small town character. Uniquely isolated for years by the Six Nations Indian Reservation to the North and the Lake to the South, it has its own independent atmosphere and does not feel attached to any one larger community.
Noteworthy people
In 1939, Helen Alice KinnearHelen Alice Kinnear
Helen Alice Kinnear, QC was a Canadian lawyer. She was the first federally appointed woman judge in Canada.-Early life:She was born in Cayuga, Ontario, Canada...
, who had been previously appointed the first woman King's Counsel was appointed the first woman Superior Court judge in the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
.
Dr. Justice T. David Marshall, Doctor of Medicine, Lawyer, Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories, and Justice of the Superior Court of Ontario, honorary chief of Six Nations, Founding Director of Canada's National Judicial Institute. and Colonel Commandant of the Canadian Forces, Medical Branch. Author of several books including "Dr. Marshall's History of Haldimand County".
Cayuga is also known for producing a couple of noteworthy NHL hockey players. Both Marty McSorley
Marty McSorley
Martin James "Marty" McSorley is a retired Canadian professional hockey player, who played in the National Hockey League from 1983 to 2000. A versatile player, he was able to play both the forward and defense positions. He is also a former head coach of the Springfield Falcons of the American...
and Ray Emery
Ray Emery
Ray Emery , often nicknamed Razor or Sugar Ray, is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender, currently with the Chicago Blackhawks. He formerly played for the Anaheim Ducks, Philadelphia Flyers, and the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League and Atlant Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey...
grew up playing minor league hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
in Cayuga. Mention goes to Andrew Wilson who played two seasons in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League), with the Kitchener Rangers and Oshawa Generals. And Eric Robertson, who is a Referee with the Ontario Hockey Association.
Athletic accomplishment
Just south of Cayuga and demographically associated is the hamlet of FishervilleFisherville
Fisherville may refer to some places in North America:Canada*Fisherville, British Columbia, a one-time gold-mining boom town*Fisherville, OntarioUnited States*Fisherville, Louisville, Kentucky, a neighborhood*Fisherville, Tennessee...
. In 1954 a hockey team composed of local players which played out of the Cayuga Arena was sponsored by 'Fisherville Seed' and consequently known as the Fisherville Seedmen. It won the Ontario Intermediate Hockey Championship. Jack Melenbacher a local who was at the time an NHL referee mentored the team and a young Roy Edwards
Roy Edwards
Allan Roy Edwards was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 206 games in the National Hockey League. He was born in Seneca Township, Ontario. On June 6, 1967 Pittsburgh Penguins selected him in the expanstion draft, but traded Edwards to the Detroit Red Wings the next day...
who played goal for the Seedmen later starred in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
.
2009 Grand River flood
On February 13, 2009 the Grand River flooded when the river ice thawed, damaging Cayuga and DunnvilleDunnville, Ontario
Dunnville is an unincorporated community of 6,000 people located near the mouth of the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada, near the historic Talbot Trail...
.
On February 14, 2009, the CCGC Griffin proceeded up the river to help clear ice.
Attractions
One of the most beautiful, and fully navigable portions of the Grand River, runs along the western portion of the town. People from all around the "Golden Horseshoe" take advantage of great fishing and recreational activities along this part of the Grand River. Cayuga features two boat ramps, a water gassing station, and riverside restaurant, open during summer months.In more recent years Cayuga has become known for auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
. The oldest continually operating drag strip
Drag strip
Drag strip may refer to:*Dragstrip, track used for drag racing*Drag Strip , Transformer character who is one of the Stunticons*Videocart-9: Drag Strip, drag racing videogame released in 1976-See also:*Dover Drag Strip...
in Canada and the fastest high bank oval race track in Canada, are located near the townsite; Cayuga International Speedway
Cayuga Speedway
The Cayuga Speedway, also known as the Cayuga 2000 Speedway, is a racing track located near Cayuga in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
. It is a 5/8-mile oval auto racing track, which recently underwent major renovations. The drag strip was originally a runway built for training British Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
pilots during the Second World War.
Cayuga has a number of restaurants, including "River3", "The Cayuga Restaruant", "Twisted Lemon", "The Back Forty (pub)" and "Tim Hortons". These restaurants cater to a variety of tastes and range in price and atmosphere from "very affordable" and family-oriented, to "moderately expensive" and urban-chique.
Just north of Cayuga is Ruthven Park (located in the old village of Indiana). This is a 1500 acre (6 km²) National Historic Site of Canada centered by the Thompson Mansion, which was the summer home of the Thompson family who owned the steamship lines on the Grand River when it was a commercial route. It is a magnificent Greek Revival style mansion which is open for tours during the summer.
Cayuga Golf Club, is a public 18-hole golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course located 5 km west of Cayuga.